A report in the Sunday Times reveals how much money metal detecting hobbyists can make by searching South Africa’s beaches.<\/p>\n
The paper interviewed Andy Naude, owner of two chicken franchises at Cape Town airport and a dedicated detectorist, on Camps Bay beach.<\/p>\n
“The place is littered with hair pins and bottle tops, and hundreds of new R2 pieces,” Naude said.<\/p>\n
He said that he once helped a woman to locate her lost wedding ring in Mauritius, following a two day search.<\/p>\n
According to Clapton, if you are assiduous, metal detecting can boost or even provide an income.<\/p>\n
“I have found R12,000 and R16,000 in coins at a time. Another time I came back with R60,000 worth of gold jewellery. You learn how to look.”<\/p>\n
He said he bought his first detector, a R50,000 Minelab CTX3030, which paid for itself in the first year.<\/p>\n
“Last year I did more than R300,000 in gold alone. It takes a bit of time. You have to learn your machine. It’s the 100-hour thing.”<\/p>\n
The full article can be found in the Sunday Times 7 February edition.<\/p>\n