Last January, I was thinking about an old hobby of mine, metal detecting. I haven’t done this in years, and wanted to get back into the hobby, but Singapore’s laws are so struct that I figured it was most likely illegal. I asked around the Embassy, and all the locally hired staff agreed that the equipment was probably illegal. They had never seen metal detectors before, and they are not sold anywhere in Singapore. But on a wild whim, I email the local police and asked abut using one anyway. After numerous to and fro emails, consults with both Singapore Customs and even the licensing department, everyone finally agreed that the equipment, while virtually unheard of in Singapore, was not illegal. However, I would be restricted to only using them on private property (with permission) of which there is very little of in Singapore. I could, however, also dig on the beaches, as digging in the sand is what people do at the beach anyways. At that very moment – I got a little excited because anyone who uses a metal detector understands that people loose jewelry on the beach often. In the United States there are dozens of people searching the beaches for lost jewelry with metal detectors, so the odds of finding something valuable is a lot of luck. But since no one here does this.. the odds must be much better! Little did I know just how much better!
So I set off and bought a top of the line model, the White’s Spectra V3i. This machine (left) is fully programmable, uses three separate electromagnetic frequencies, and is considered one of the best metal detectors on the market. I also found a used underwater detector that uses a different technology (pulse induction) on eBay for $350. This machine is designed specifically to work better on salt water beaches.
The Whites V3i and the White's Surfmaster P.I.
With these two tools, I set out to search the sandy beaches, and specifically the wet sand just after the tide goes out. People play in waist-deep water, and that is where they loose their jewelry and coins. The cool water shrinks your skin, and a little suntan lotion helps ensure they come off quickly! They drop in a few feet of water, and are quickly buried in sand. Most people never realize their jewelry is gone, until they leave the water – and by then it is lost forever.
Well.. not quite. When the tide goes out, I come back and search the now exposed sand and easily find their jewelry and pocket change. In Singapore, the best beaches to search are those at the resort island of Sentosa. Here, thousands of tourist visit daily and many go into the water to play. These beaches are small too, thus the area to search is narrow and thus concentrated!
A little geeky perhaps, but having a great time!
Over the last 6 months, I have fine tuned my skill and can now average $500 over 4 hours of searching! I can locate a coin every 45 seconds, and a valuable gold ring every hour or two. I also uncover junk jewelry (children’s jewelry or steel rings) every 30 minutes or so. Armed with a nice sand-scoop I can recover the lost treasures quickly, without wasting a lot of time digging. I’ve recently been going out only in the early morning (6AM) and at night (7PM) where the air is cooler, and the beaches empty. It’s a very relaxing hobby!
Here is a photo of some of the “junk” I have found in two months – searching just 6 times – four hours each.
2 months of treasure found on Singapore's Sentosa beaches.
While discolored, these coins clean up easily in a jewelry rock-tumbler – the ones used to tumble stones into polished round gems. I add some dish detergent, and some sand, and in a few hours these coins look new again! I have found over $700 in coins in just 6 months.
But the real treasure is all the silver, gold, platinum and diamonds I have found! All together, I estimate I have $7,000 in jewelry in the last 6 months. Not bad for a stroll on the beach 3 or 4 hours a week! Here are a few photos of just some of my finds.
I only have a few more days when I can search here in Singapore, as I am packaging up my stuff now for my move. I will certainly miss this opportunity – as there are few places left on Earth where you can find this much treasure on the beaches, and have virtually no competition!
UPDATE: Once back in the USA I sent some of my gold jewelry to an on-line gold buyer. I got the following check in the mail a few days later.
Check for some of the gold I found in Singapore
