I have been scuba diving and fishing under water since I was 16 years old and metal detecting since I was 12 years old (for 34 years!). What's the point to this you may ask? During a recent diving trip I found myself at a depth of roughly 12 metres, in pursuit of a big fish trying to hide itself in a rock, approximately 100 metres from the coast. However, my attention was quickly distracted by a round object, which looked to be covered in white sand. I abandoned the lucky fish and swam towards the base of the rock only to find an amphora neck (a type of ancient ceramic vase) resting on the seabed! I marked the coordinate and quickly swam back to the surface to get my breath back. I dived again, excited by my discovery, however, as I began to pull the amphora clear of the sand, I was disappointed to retrieve only a fragment of a broken amphora (the neck and its two handles). I picked up my treasure and put it on the Zodiac and dived back again. After several dives, I discovered another fragment of a broken amphora, smaller than the first find, in addition to, some pottery remains. The next day, armed with my faithful companion, the Excalibur 1000, I set out again for an adventure. Prospecting under water, without the luxury of an oxygen tank is a real sport, as you can only afford a minute or so under water before returning to the surface for air. In addition to this, the excitement affects your concentration and ability to go without oxygen, reducing your time under water. After fifteen counts of self-induced apnoea, allowing time only for few coil sweeps each time, the Excalibur 1000 began singing a melodious tune at approximately 1 metre above the seabed. It was indeed a strong and clear signal of a non-ferrous metal target. The target appeared to be enormous, but by decreasing the threshold and by setting the Discriminate / Pinpoint button on pinpoint mode, I was able to locate the target and mark its position with my dagger. I put back my Excalibur 1000 on the Zodiac and immediately dived again. Having neither a water sucker nor tools to dig the target, without the risk of damaging my find, I made fast movements with my hand around the top of the target, like a fan, to create a water flow to drive out the fine sand. Further movements of the hand uncovered a greenish object that appeared to be made of copper or oxidized bronze. Once I had returned to the surface, I found myself to be holding a bronze dish with engravings on its edge, which reminded me of a Greek style dish dating back to the early centuries A.D. After further investigation this under water location didn't bestow any further finds. It would seem that this particular place was in fact an occasional anchoring area for boats in the antiquity. Concerning this particular bronze dish, was it an ancient piece of work poorly made by a common cook? We will never know. We can say, however, that in the past navigators of sea vessels were not terribly concerned for the environment, although, to the contrary they make some fellows very happy today! Mr.OUZO - France