Dry sand, wet sand and the route between
Keys beside a towel. A ring that slipped off while applying sunscreen. A phone buried as you packed up. Small items can disappear without travelling far.
Useful search areas include towel spots, the sand around beach access paths and the route you took to the water. Wet sand and the waterline need a separate assessment because the beach changes with the tide.
A methodical search
Rather than wandering across the whole beach, a search can follow overlapping strips around the likely loss point. Detector signals are checked and the area is adjusted as more information becomes available.
The method depends on the item, the sand, other metal in the area and how accurately the location is known. Recent losses with a clear point may allow a tighter search, but no result is guaranteed.
Help narrow down the sand
A pin plus two fixed landmarks is useful: for example, the numbered beach access and where your towel sat relative to a building. A photo of your setup may help you describe the spot.
Describe whether the sand was dry or wet at the time. The current waterline may be somewhere different when the search is assessed.
Across the Gold Coast
Send a location in Palm Beach, Currumbin, Tugun, Burleigh Heads, Miami, Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise. Exact access and search conditions are assessed for each enquiry.