Land vs Water Metal Detecting: Which Type of Treasure Hunting Is Right for You? Metal detecting is one of those hobbies that feels a little like being a pirate… except instead of a ship and a parrot, you’ve got a metal detector and probably a sunburn. But the excitement is real. You could find old coins, lost jewelry, or even historical relics hiding just below the ground. One of the first things new detectorists have to decide is where they want to hunt . Do you stay on land digging up parks and fields, or do you head into the water searching for lost rings and coins? Some people even do both. Each environment has its own challenges, tools, and types of metal detectors. Knowing the differences can help you pick the right equipment and save you from accidentally destroying a detector in the lake (which is definitely not the treasure you’re hoping to find). In this guide we’ll look at: The difference between land and water metal detecting The best places to hunt in each environment...

How to Pick the Perfect Metal Detector Beginner to Expert Guide (2026) The first time I ever used a metal detector I dug up: • A rusty nail • Three bottle caps • About twenty pull tabs And honestly… I thought it was the coolest thing ever . Metal detecting has this weird kind of magic to it. One minute you're standing in a normal park. The next minute your detector makes a beep and suddenly you're digging something out of the ground that hasn't seen daylight in 50… maybe even 100 years . Sometimes it's treasure. Sometimes it's garbage. Sometimes it's a spoon from 1974. But the excitement of that next signal is what keeps people hooked. Before you start finding treasure though, you need the right metal detector . And if you've looked online for even five minutes, you already know the problem… There are a LOT of detectors . Beginner machines. Beach machines. Gold prospecting machines. Super high-tech machines that look like they belong on a spaceship. So this...

Growing the Hobby: Why Metal Detecting Needs Beginners (and How We Keep Them) Every hobby has that problem where everyone involved is already really into it… and anyone new feels like they showed up late to the party.  Metal detecting looks simple until you actually try it. You turn the machine on, swing for a while, hear a bunch of beeps, dig a lot of junk, and start wondering if you’re doing something wrong. That’s usually where beginners get stuck — and sometimes where they quit. The truth is, metal detecting isn’t hard, but it is confusing at first. And the only reason most of us stick with it is because someone helped us early on. Learning From People, Not Manuals When I started, I learned a lot from legends like Randy Gerylo and Digger Dave. They didn’t throw technical terms at me or expect me to already know everything. They showed me things while we were actually detecting — what signals were worth digging, what settings worked in certain spots, where the gems can be found...

  Behind the Name: The Windy Digger The name The Windy Digger comes from where I spend a lot of my time— Portage and Main in Winnipeg . You can say I worked that corner for just over 10 years... No and not that kinda worked! It’s often called one of the windiest spots in Canada. Is that officially proven by science? Probably not. But if you’ve ever stood there for more than five minutes, you already know the answer. The wind at Portage and Main doesn’t just blow—it commits crimes. It comes out of nowhere, funnels between buildings, freezes your face, and somehow always hits harder when you’re already cold. It’s the kind of wind that steals hats, flips umbrellas inside out, and makes you wonder why anyone built a city there in the first place. After a while, though, you stop fighting it. You just accept it and carry on. Working in that environment shaped my attitude. You learn pretty quickly that complaining doesn’t help. You show up, you do the job, and you deal with whatever t...