I remember when I first thought that I would get a underwater detector for the surf and the questions that bothered me. I had heard of the pulse detectors and all that anyone would say was that you will dig a lot and that they go deep. Not a word about the other considerations about water hunting or whether or not the pulse detector would work as good anywhere else. Nothing about VLF detectors or if they would even work here. I get asked more questions about that lately than anything else so I will try to inform you if you are considering working the water.
Pulse detectors will work as well anywhere but have no discrimination even though some of them may offer some control over pulse delay or threshold they really don't discriminate well if at all. You will use a pulse detector where you cannot use a VLF detector. Your pulse detector will work anywhere and is a good option if you plan to vacation at many different places just take plenty of back liniment since digging all iron, nails and gold is a lot of work but, of course fun also.
Some places with heavy concentrations of black sand, or very high mineralization the VLF may not work for you or where the iron may be found in fine particles and mixed with the sand. The VLF can be set to eliminate iron or just signal which metal the object is made of with a tone so you can decide if it might be a deep object that signals iron and worth digging. A good VLF detector can save you work in the shallow water where there are often rusty nails, old batteries, hairpins, and pieces of rusted cans but not where the mineralization effects the detector to the point where it will not work correctly.
To determine what kind of beaches that you want to hunt you will have to rely on the other water hunters there and ask them questions concerning what kind of detector that they use and what seems to work there. Check with the local clubs and stop at the detector shops where you may be lucky enough to find an old treasure hunter instead of a young sales clerk. If possible you might be able to rent a VLF detector and try it out in the water to get the feel of it. Information is worth the money! Consider how expensive it would be to purchase the wrong type of detector and have to sell it as used, while you try to buy another detector that will work ok.
The VLF detector will allow you to cover more ground without digging nails and so your ratio of junk to gold will improve if you can use the VLF. I have used a pulse unit for the water here and when I come in I have a pocket full of nails, bottlecaps, hairpins, and many rusty objects that required a lot of work to dig out of deep sand in the surf.Take your time and choose wisely because detectors are getting more expensive all the time.
