CLEARWATER, Fla. — Following big storms like Eta, you may notice an influx of treasure hunters out on the beaches scouring for their next discovery. Among the treasure hunters is local Steve Mutimer, who launched his own treasure hunting YouTube page this year.
"I've found a few rings and bracelets," treasure hunter Steve Mutimer said, "I started this as soon as the pandemic started to help give me something to do while social distancing outside."
For Mutimer, strong storms and big waves are the perfect storm for treasure hunting.
"After a storm, all the sand has been shaken up and helps make some of the treasures easier to find. Most detectors can only detect about 8 inches into the sand which isn't that deep," he said.
Mutimer grew up in the Tampa Bay area and says his favorite beach to treasure hunt at is Clearwater because of all the tourists visiting from all over the world. Besides finding a lot of coins and trash, he says rings are the most common find.
"Most people don't know this but you lose a ring size after about 40 minutes in the water. So a lot of people come down here and have had a tight wedding ring for years but after 40 minutes in the water and stumbling around, that's when the ring comes off," he said.
For anyone interested in becoming a treasure hunter, he says he ordered his detector off Amazon and grabbed a GoPro to film when he first started. And regardless of finding trash or treasure, it's all about the thrill of the find.
"The joy of finding it is like a little kid at Christmas time. You're like, woah, look at the size of that ring or that diamond and it gives you goosebumps. It's fun," he said.
While Mutimer prefers to treasure hunt alone during the pandemic he says there are a few local treasure hunting groups you can find on Facebook.
- Police: 2 dead, 4 injured in Southeast Seminole Heights shooting
- Tampa Bay hospitals work to get ahead of a COVID-19 surge in the next months
- Crew 1: Everything to know about next NASA, SpaceX Dragon launch
- 'We're asking for calm': Community leaders call for an end to shootings around Tampa Bay
- ULA to try again with Atlas V rocket launching 'top secret' payload
- Tropical Storm Iota likely to develop, 2020's next named storm
- Delaying presidential transition could have national security implications
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter