Keen observation with comprehension combines to aid the hunter where nothing else can. It is not enough to "see" something. Everyone can do that but how few people can actually see and comprehend the changes or take note of the time worn evidence of old times.

If you do not practice this yet then start today and it will take years of practice before you are able to function well enough to "see" more than other people.

For instance only last night I was talking to someone at the club and they told me that the beach always looks the same to me. Most people however do not even take note of the tidal movements because they are so slow here and only move up or down a foot or two.

Only a foot or two, but what a difference a foot makes! I can see the difference now that two or three inches make. On low tide here, the underwater sand bar off the beach rises out of the sea like a long lost island. Cuts often appear and disappear in one day!

One day. a couple weeks ago, I was hunting along the beach on low tide and observed the wave and wind action had caused a strange ditch to be cut back at the bottom of the beach slope which was full of water and one to two feet deep. I made a mental note to remember it and check it out the next time we came.

I forget if it was the next day, or two but when we had come back again to hunt the beach I walked down to check out the ditch once more and try my luck there. Well, the beach may always seem to look the same but it was far from the same even though the water was calm and the winds were calm also. The ditch was completely gone. In its place the slanting beach just continued to slant down and I think as well as I can judge that the bottom of that little ditch was about 3 1/2 to 4 feet under the sand now and not a sign of it was to be seen. I am not sure how many tons of wet sand had shifted in those short hours, on a calm day, but it must have been something to see. No one sees those things though, only the screech of the gulls and the lapping of the sea can be heard and the sand looks like it was always like that. Now it was wet sand so it was not blown away and anyway the wind was calm. The tide may have come in and done the deed but the sea was calm too.

Not only the beach but you will discover that you can use your powers of observation when looking for old ghosttowns or homesites. It is a new way of looking at things. Note the things that seem to not be consistent with the lansdcape. Look for an area of ground that might be compressed by wagon wheels from the Spanish long ago. Evidence still exists! Keep your eyes open and start to make notes when you see something that might be a bit out of the ordinary. Research the area and see if you were right. The fun of finding these old sites is nearly as good as digging up the old coins.

If you can master your powers of observation and see what no one else sees then you can reap the benefits of the shifting sand too. Remember this, people complain about the beach being sanded up but often that sand just moved a little way and some places nearby may have less sand. When you see something like that little ditch appear then jump on it and hunt it good then. It may indeed be gone tomorrow. I suppose if you look at the beach as a live thing you can understand the movement better because sometimes I just walk out there and look at things so fantastic that I can hardly comprehend it. Any time the level of the sand is lowered, even on the top of a high sanded up beach you can find treasure. Just a tiny rut where the rain runoff cut through the sand may be loaded with goodies. One thing for sure it will probably be gone when you return. Take what the sea gives you and don't complain, just stand there and look at it for a long while until you begin to really "see" it.