North Myrtle Beach Detectorist Reports Finding 1 Active Cannonball

A metal detecting hobbyist recovered a cannonball from the sand at North Myrtle Beach and said it was still active, not an inert relic, according to a report from South Carolina television station WBTW. The hobbyist described the discovery and the response it prompted to the station.

What Did the North Myrtle Beach Detectorist Find?

The hobbyist located a cannonball while sweeping a stretch of North Myrtle Beach shoreline with a metal detector and pulled it from the sand, according to WBTW's report. The hobbyist told the station the object was active, meaning it retained the potential to detonate rather than serving as a harmless historical curiosity.

Why Would a Cannonball Still Be Considered Active?

Cast-iron cannonballs recovered from coastal sand can still hold black powder charges that never fully burned or dissolved after entering the water or ground. That is why finds of this kind are typically treated as live until an inspection rules otherwise, rather than assumed safe simply because the object looks corroded or aged. The North Myrtle Beach case fits that pattern: the hobbyist's own description to WBTW was that the cannonball remained active, not that it had been rendered inert by time underground or underwater.

What Should a Detectorist Do If Suspected Ordnance Surfaces?

Hobby groups and public-safety officials generally advise the same sequence when a detectorist unearths anything resembling a shell, cannonball, or old munition: stop digging, do not move, clean, or strike the object, back away to a safe distance, and contact local police through a non-emergency line so trained personnel can assess it. Departments with bomb squads or access to military explosive ordnance disposal units typically handle the recovery from that point. None of that protocol changes based on how old the object appears; corrosion is not a reliable sign that a charge has gone inert.

How Often Do Old Munitions Turn Up on South Carolina Beaches?

WBTW's report centers on this single North Myrtle Beach case, and the source material reviewed for this story does not include broader frequency data on how often cannonballs or other historic ordnance surface along the South Carolina coast. Readers looking for regional patterns should treat this as one documented case rather than evidence of a trend, absent additional reporting.

What Gear Do Beach Detectorists Use for Saltwater Shorelines?

The report does not specify what equipment the North Myrtle Beach hobbyist used to locate the cannonball. Detectorists who work wet sand and surf zones generally favor beach-rated machines built to handle mineralized, salt-heavy ground without excessive false signals. HTT News has covered one such option, the Minelab Vanquish 440, in a separate piece examining its features for hobbyists working coastal terrain. Beach detecting interest has also been rising elsewhere; HTT News recently reported on a surge in beach detecting activity tied to gold prices in South Korea, a separate trend unconnected to the North Myrtle Beach find but relevant to hobbyists comparing coastal detecting conditions worldwide.

Hobbyists who want to log finds and compare notes with other detectorists can also try apps built for the hobby, such as the Smorgi Challenge, though any suspected live ordnance should be reported to authorities before it is logged, photographed up close, or handled further.

Glossary

• Active ordnance: A munition, shell, or projectile that still contains a functional explosive charge and can detonate.
• Detectorist: A hobbyist who searches for buried metal objects using a handheld metal detector.
• EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal): Military or law-enforcement personnel trained to safely identify, disarm, or destroy suspected explosive devices.
• Discrimination: A metal detector setting that filters out certain metal signals, such as iron or foil, to help hobbyists distinguish valuable targets from junk.

The North Myrtle Beach case underscores a standard piece of hobby guidance: any object resembling old ordnance should be left in place and reported, regardless of how it was found or how long it may have been buried.