Virginia Beach is very close to Norfolk and is not a natural beach. In winter, the sand is removed by the ocean waves and replaced each summer by sand hauled in from quarries. It always was a poor producer because of that. You'd be better off doing some research on the surrounding areas for old parks and freshwater swimming areas. One member here reported finding over 100 silver half dollars along an old riverfront area. It took him nearly 2 years to satisfy himself that he had gotten them all (you never do really get them all). I found a small park on the south end of Princess Road that was the site of an old shipbuilding facility dating back to 1690. I spent many, many hours there digging all sorts of things including hundreds of shipwright spikes which were used to nail wooden boat sides in place. They have a special shape that keeps the nails in firmly with a firmer grip when the wood is wet.
There are also dozens of Civil War sites around, most of them off limits. But here's the good part. Soldiers on both sides almost never camped on the battlefields. They camped some distance away and those places are only off limits when they are on private property. As to that, most landowners there are happy to share finds with treasure hunters. This I know from personal experience. I have a business card that I give them which describes me as a Historical Researcher. In fact, since handing that card out, I have not ever been refused access to land and almost always have the landowner out there with me using my spare detector. Fun. And we get a new hobbyist to boot.
In Portsmouth, I found a shallow water (10 feet deep) beachfront that was used for over 100 years as a swimming hole. It is alongside the riverbank there. When I dove there back in the 1970s with an underwater detector, I found so many rings, coins and jewelry items that for a while I didn't even use the detector. I just scooped up 5 and 6 rings at a time in my hand scoop. A good friend of mine, now deceased, and I spent months diving there on weekends. I lived in Virginia Beach for 4 years.
Are there good places in Virginia? You bet. Have a great time!
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It's all about that moment when metal that hasn't seen the light of day for generations frees itself from the soil and presents itself to me.
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