Magnet Fishing for Artifacts?

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CharlieDontDive

Contributor
Messages
76
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Location
Philadelphia, PA
# of dives
100 - 199
I usually dive the wrecks off NJ which are known to still yield quite a few artifacts. Thus far, I have not succeeded in finding anything although I have dived with folks who have found silverware, ammo casings, etc. (I should note that this is legal in NJ so long as the wreck is not a protected war grave, which most are not.) I was reading about "magnet fishing" recently which is basically like normal fishing except you have a magnet on a string and try to recover metal objects.

It got me thinking...could I accomplish the same thing by bringing a big enough magnet down with me and running it over the seafloor? I can't seem to think of any reason why this wouldn't work, so long as one doesn't end up getting it stuck to their tank or to the wreck itself.

Has anyone out there done this? I know I can't be the first one to think of this...
 
I have tried it from a surface dock but not as a dive activity. The strong magnets can be difficult to handle... be sure that the magnet is easily detachable and not carried that it could get you into trouble if it attached to a heavy metal structure. Personally I would investigate a good metal detector (which I have done).

Keep in mind magnets only attract iron and iron does not fair well in water. All I found was rusty junk, some of it was interesting junk and we had fun but it was still junk... let us know how it works out. I'm kind of curious, can't say the thought has not crossed my mind.
 
A magnet will attach to old rusty iron and steel. Most of the good stuff is non magnetic
 
I stand corrected, iron, nickel, cobalt, gadolinium, neodymium and samarium are all ferromagnetic. Not sure how I got by this long not knowing that, thought it was only iron.
 
You are looking in the wrong place. Go to boat ramps, fishing camps, duck blinds, anyplace that a half drunk fool can loose his outboard, rifle, reels, entire boat.....Sure you may wind up with a 40 year old Fisher Pierce outboard, but its something.
 
Excalibur II ....or a Nokta Makro Pulse dive which is WAYYYYYY cheaper under 200 bucks. Magnet no good....
 

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