Paydirt.co.nz

New Zealand Gold Prospecting & Metal Detecting Forums Archive

 

The forum has moved to community.paydirt.co.nz, see you there!

This forum is now an archive to preserve the knowledge and finds posted here.

Anyone tried offshore small time dredging? - With dive gear on the shallow sea floor
Zman  
Posted : Thursday, 24 October 2013 6:43:29 PM(UTC)
Zman

Rank: Gold Dust

Groups: Registered
Joined: 18/07/2013(UTC)
Posts: 8
United States
Location: Las Vegas

Thanks: 3 times
Was thanked: 1 time(s) in 1 post(s)
I was wondering how much of a challenge that would be. I am hoping to get a backpack dredge, small boat and dive gear(I'm certified). I am sick of digging in the ground would like to vac the sea floor for the shiny stuff.

Edited by user Thursday, 24 October 2013 6:53:15 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified
Back to top
NUGGY  
Posted : Thursday, 24 October 2013 11:17:26 PM(UTC)
NUGGY

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Registered
Joined: 20/07/2012(UTC)
Posts: 267
Man
New Zealand
Location: greymouth

Thanks: 85 times
Was thanked: 76 time(s) in 58 post(s)
Well you are closer to Nome than we are, and that seems to be the place for it. There would be gold offshore here - but it's a rough area of sea out there..... Have wondered if some of the lakes could be worth a look though.
Good results I have heard of from small scale miners in your area though were a couple of guys using petrol powered vacuums and trucking their wash to water. NUGGY
Back to top
simon  
Posted : Friday, 25 October 2013 9:29:52 AM(UTC)
simon

Rank: Gold Ingot

Groups: Registered
Joined: 7/01/2011(UTC)
Posts: 789
Man
Location: Central Otago

Thanks: 33 times
Was thanked: 239 time(s) in 150 post(s)
the west coast of the south island would be similar to around nome i think. loads of glaciers have carried their gravels off to wherever the sea edge was in the past, basically like a big conveyor. the sea has come up and down leaving all the terraces visible on the land. which of course has gold, just buried under the forests, in the swamps and lakes, and deep in tens of metres of overburden.

the same will probably continue under the sea for a distance. here is the difference between here and nome. the sea here drops off very deep all of a sudden due to the huge alpine fault line raising the island so quickly. i've always thought why no one has had a go like in nome. got to be some smaller areas. guess it is the economics of it. the beaches sure have lots of fine gold. some chunkier stuff at some point must have made it off shore.
Back to top
WWW