Diving for Gold

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I was wondering if there are places (like Bering Sea) where regular folks can charter boats and dive for gold or other precious minerals? I am interested in open access areas where prospecting would not need difficult permits or approvals. I am not looking to get rich but I would like to do this for thrill/sport sake.

Any ideas?

 

[bumcikaz]

U can start in your back yard or any source water near you, you never know whats in that sand/mud

 

[Mike]

You'd be renting a dredge if you're talking about Nome wouldn't you? Not just diving in the water and scratching around?

You can come gold mining out here in Colorado and not need the dive gear, just a shovel and a pan, you will find gold. There are people who do this here all the time, some just for the fun of it, some as a weekend hobby and some are more serious.

 

[Kharon]

Some guys in our club use metal detectors in areas where young men and women (usually somewhat drunk) jump and dive off cliffs into 15' or so of water. Too deep to retrieve what they lose - if they even notice. They make some money doing that.

 

[Fires]

Some guys in our club use metal detectors in areas where young men and women (usually somewhat drunk) jump and dive off cliffs into 15' or so of water. Too deep to retrieve what they lose - if they even notice. They make some money doing that.

Sounds like a reasonably profitable business

 

[Kharon]

I visited my Daughter while she was in Nome during the Midnight Sun festival (summer solstice). Water was 37°F. Also, to my knowledge there is no dive shop, no rental tanks, no air fills available in Nome. Everyone there dives using a hooka.

You might be able to sign on as a diver on one of the dredges. You also might want to reconsider. I watch Bearing Sea Gold because of my Daughter's stay in Nome and my visit. I've seen at least two instances of serious CO poisoning and very numerous air delivery problems (compressor failure, reg freeze, etc) and other more minor failures (hot water failure, etc). It ain't like the equipment is top of the line and well maintained. It also ain't like the people doing it have a clue.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I visited my Daughter while she was in Nome during the Midnight Sun festival (summer solstice). Water was 37°F. Also, to my knowledge there is no dive shop, no rental tanks, no air fills available in Nome. Everyone there dives using a hooka.

You might be able to sign on as a diver on one of the dredges. You also might want to reconsider. I watch Bearing Sea Gold because of my Daughter's stay in Nome and my visit. I've seen at least two instances of serious CO poisoning and very numerous air delivery problems (compressor failure, reg freeze, etc) and other more minor failures (hot water failure, etc). It ain't like the equipment is top of the line and well maintained. It also ain't like the people doing it have a clue.

I saw those episodes of Bering Sea Gold and to be quite honest, it seemed staged. I was contacted by TV channels to provide them with "talent" in Alaska for a different reality show and a lot can be said about the reality of "Reality Shows."

Nome is lovely btw.

 

[Mike]

Captain Steve is always looking for new crew. He pulled out 3 ozs last season with about 400 man hours invested, he's very good. I think they are making about twenty cents an hour. LOL

 

[covediver]

There are areas off the beach that are open to public for prospecting in Nome. Best source of information, is not Bering Sea Gold but a website set up to deal with the demand for information. Nome Offshore Mining Information

There are outfitters that advertise on cable state like the Outdoor Channel that set up trips to Alaska to prospect. Like the California gold rush, the people who make money are the ones that sell you equipment, services, and advice.

Nome is a neat place, but its expensive to get to, expensive to be there, and expensive to get out of there. I was on a plane not long ago with a woman who worked in social services in western Alaska. She related how the number of people that had flooded into town for the summer because of shows like Bering Sea Gold were now broke and had no way to get out of town. It was about to become a real serious social service and law enforcement problem. Pan in the Chugach instead, at least you can visit the microbreweries at night and have a great meal at the Firetap, Mooses Tooth, or Glacier Brewhouse.

 

[KD8NPB]

Some guys in our club use metal detectors in areas where young men and women (usually somewhat drunk) jump and dive off cliffs into 15' or so of water. Too deep to retrieve what they lose - if they even notice. They make some money doing that.

A local guy bought a Minelab Excaliber from us a long time ago...said he found likkee $4000 in gold & silver within the first 10 hours of operation.