Diver a pirate at arrr-t
Professional treasure hunter’s valuable role
WHEN Beau Da Pra walks along the Gold Coast’s beautiful beaches he isn’t taking in the fresh air or the ocean – as a professional treasure hunter he is more interested in what’s between his toes.
The deep water recovery specialist and detectorist spends his days playing pirate and helping to return buried or sunken valuables back to their rightful owners.
Having operated his business Lost Jewellery Recovery on the Sunshine Coast for more than a year, he has expanded his services further south to the Gold Coast this month due to demand.
“I do feel like a pirate hunting for treasure,” Mr Da Pra told the Bulletin.
“We have some interesting rescues, I search for keys, phones that have fallen into rivers, wallets and engagements rings on the sand.”
Charging by the hour for his service, Mr Da Pra first discovered his passion for the hunt after hearing stories of the weird and wonderful objects found with a metal detector.
Now he is equipped with professional scuba gear, three hi-tech metal detectors costing between $1700$2500 each and a few contractors helping him cover from Tweed Heads to Rainbow Beach.
“You find some pretty interesting stuff, I’ve been called out to dams, creeks, beaches and even football fields.”
His best finds included a set of car keys in the space of 10 minutes after they had fallen from a boat the day before, and finding an international tourist’s phone full of holiday photos after it fell into a river.
“The trick is actually knowing where you lost it, I don’t own a crystal ball,” the 39-year-old said.
“In my own time I’ve even found $200-$300 in coins in a single day.
“What keeps me going is the response … their face lights up when you bring their item back.”