The other day I was reading some posts (in other MD forums) about some folks motivating others to form an expedition to MD in Puerto Rico. The folks were trying to persuade others with phrases like "imagine an Island once inhabited by pirates . . ." ". . . with a number of Spanish made fortresses..." "... gold and silver hidden in the mountains" "... lots of gold and silver jewelry in the beaches . . ." and even a mentioning about finding relics from the Hispanic-American War. Puerto Rico is an Island with lots of hidden treasures to be found (maybe
) but the idea that is going to be all too easy is a myth. Even though she is a small Island (100 x 35 miles), it is still too big of an area to be covered by a small expedition of treasure hunting enthusiasts with no experience in serious treasure hunting. The Island indeed could be a disappointment and a dangerous trap for the adventurous, but inexperience enthusiast.
The advertising did not mention anything about the daily 90+ temps with high humidity (especially during summer), the sudden torrential storms, the almost impenetrable vegetation, the high hills, the deep, deep cliffs, tons of mosquitoes, wasps, centipedes, venomous spiders, wild/aggressive squirrels, wild hogs, goats, and dogs, poison ivy, and the list of nuisances grows on an on. You need plenty of stamina and mental strength to overcome the realities of a tropical island. The use of old maps to find old routes may not be useful in an island where nature and urbanization have taken their toll on historical routes and places. Trying to find the Hispanic-American routes, for example, can be a monumental endeavor for most land in PR is already private or developed. Finding landowners can be a challenge to say the least.
Metal detecting in the beaches is more feasible than trying to find war relics and pirate treasures (
). However, finding gold and silver in beaches can be easily overwhelmed by the tons of pull tabs and bottle caps people throw in the water
. I, for example, detected five beaches in P.R (North, South and West). I only found one silver earring (very nice in fact) after battling thousands of bottle caps. Please do not get me wrong. There is jewelry in all beaches, just be patient for you can be discouraged rather easily. Also to remember is that the hot sun can be debilitating and also to keep in mind is that beaches are never empty. Finally, there are local treasure hunter laws so do not try to leave the Island with a huge gold and silver treasure without reporting it to the authorities. Such an act can land you in jail. If you have what it takes, then welcome to metal detecting in PR. However, don't expect paradise to be too nice in exposing its treasures.
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