Sometimes it pays to dig a little deeper

EACH evening Amanzimtoti resident Angeline Vorster watches the weather report with great interest. If there are strong winds, it could mean excellent finds for her, and if there are storms, then it may mean all the little treasures could be washed away.

Metal “detectorists” came into the limelight last week following a multimillion-dollar treasure hoard found off the Namibian coastline recently, and spurred a local team into action along Umhlanga beach. The Umhlanga team had received a tip-off that ancient riches could be buried under the Umhlanga beach.

In the Namibian case, diamond miners discovered a ship believed to have gone down 500 years ago after draining a man-made lagoon on Namibia’s coast. The local miners discovered about $13 million (R197 million) worth of gold coins.

The pickings may not be as lucrative down the Durban South Coast, but Vorster, 56, aims to get more people onto the sands.

She recently started an online group for people who are passionate about metal detecting, in the south Durban area.

Her Facebook page is called Metal Detectors Amanzimtoti. Often, the metal detector operator is seen in the early hours of the morning, kitted out with their detector and a scoop, face down hoping to find something valuable.

“I would like to start a community of metal detectors and for us to interact about what we find and see. For me it’s a little adventure at the beach. I watch the weather and I watch where people sit and then the next day I am out here with my metal detector,” she said.

It’s actually like an addiction, said Vorster, who admitted she has spent hours out at Toti beach scanning the shifting sands for little treasures.

“I lose track of time and then suddenly I get calls asking ‘mummy where are you’ and ‘when are you coming home’, ” she said.

“Many people often stop and ask me what I am doing, and I get chatting to them and they are then interested in it as well,” she said.

Her detector at present, scans to around 30cm below ground, but there are ones that can be taken into the water, and can read several meters below ground.

“This is my second detector since I started about a year ago. But if you are a serious treasure hunter you can invest thousands into metal detecting,” she said.

While she has found some expensive rings and rare coins, largely it is tin caps and pieces of foil she finds.

“Once you hear the ping from the detector, indicating that there is a metal underneath, you get excited because you wonder what it could be. Unfortunately its often nothing of value. At the very least you get a good work-out from walking on the sand,” she said.

When Vorster sees a large group of people on the beach she waits until they leave and then scans the area.

“My rule is that should I find something very valuable like a ring, I will return it if possible to the owner,” she said.

Sinkers lost by fishermen can fetch a good price for scrap metal.

“I have about 5kg worth of sinkers, and it’s accumulating,” she said.

But while Vorster walks the beach, she not only aims to find interesting things, but she also cleans up.

“It’s very sad to see how dirty the beach can get. I am often picking up litter and throwing it into the bin,” she said.

For more information visit Vorster’s Facebook page, Metal Detectors Amanzimtoti.