Start here · 12 minFull guide live
Metal Detecting for Beginners
Your first legal place, stable setup, swing, signal, recovery, and cleanup—one step at a time.
Open this lessonBeginner metal detecting guides
Start with the whole first hunt—not fifty loose tips.
This is the starting line: choose ground you can confirm, pack the basics, use a quiet setup, make a careful recovery, and leave the place neat.
01
Start here
Metal Detecting for Beginners
One calm route from “where can I go?” to your first careful recovery. No setting dump. No treasure promise.
Open the beginner guideCross-checkA good target often repeats from two directions.
Beginner library
Choose the guide that matches your next hunt.
Start with the full first-hunt guide, then choose the beach or underwater route when the ground changes.
Pack and confirm · 2 minChecklist live
First-Hunt Checklist
A short field list for permission, power, tools, water, safety, and sharp trash.
Open this lessonFirst beach hunt · 11 minFull beach guide live
Beach Detecting for Beginners
Tides, saltwater stability, dry-sand recovery, and the local boundary check before you start.
Open this lessonFirst water hunt · 12 minFull water guide live
Underwater Metal Detecting for Beginners
Permission, calm-water safety, waterproof gear, slow sweeps, controlled recovery, and the after-hunt rinse.
Open this lessonOne home for each answer
Know when to leave the beginner hub.
The first-hunt guide stays short by sending deeper questions to the correct specialist hub.
- Need a place?
- Use Places & rules for managers, boundaries, permits, and current sources.
- Need one field skill?
- Use How to detect for swing, signals, ground balance, and recovery.
- Need a detector?
- Use Detectors for ground fit, waterproofing, exact models, and comparisons.
Keep moving through the atlas
Choose the next question—not a random article.
Each hub has one clear job. Move between them when your question changes.
01Legal routes by region and land manager
Rules & ground
Places & rules
Find the land manager, read the current rule, and confirm the exact boundary before you dig.
- US state guides
- European country rules
- Permits and boundaries
02Official specs and clear tradeoffs
Choose the machine
Detectors
Match a detector to your ground, water, targets, weight limit, and real starting budget.
- Beginner comparisons
- Beach and underwater machines
- Exact models, coils, and packages
03Step-by-step field lessons
Learn the movement
Techniques
Build repeatable field skills. Learn setup and coil movement, then practise signal checks, pinpointing and clean recovery.
- Coin shooting
- Small hammered targets
- Clean target recovery