“Waterproof” on a metal detector can mean three different things: a coil you can submerge with a control box you cannot, a control box rated for rain and splashes, or a whole machine rated for a stated depth, and the manufacturers’ own pages put popular models in all three groups. Of the detectors we have read about, the Minelab Equinox 900, Manticore, X-Terra Pro and Elite and Vanquish 560 are rated IP68 to 5 m; Garrett’s AT Pro and AT Max are listed to 10 feet (3 m); the Nokta Magnetar 9000 is IP68 to 3 m; and the Minelab GPX 6000, Gold Monster 1000 and Vanquish 540 rate only the coil for submersion, to 1 m (the first two add a splash-proof control box). We have not tested any of them in water; this table quotes each maker’s page.
What each manufacturer says
Checked on 8 October 2026 on the manufacturers’ own pages (Minelab, Garrett, Nokta) and, for the Axiom, in Garrett’s 2022 manual. Where a page gives no rating for a part, we say so rather than assume.
| Detector | What the page rates | Rating as written |
|---|---|---|
| Minelab Equinox 900 | Whole detector | Waterproof to 5 m (16 ft), IP68 |
| Minelab Manticore | Whole detector | Waterproof to 5 m (16 ft), IP68 |
| Minelab X-Terra Pro and Elite | Whole detector | Waterproof to 5 m (16 ft), IP68 |
| Minelab Vanquish 560 | Whole detector | IP68, 5 m (16 ft) |
| Minelab Vanquish 540 | Coil only | Coil waterproof to 1 m (3.3 ft); no rating for the control box listed |
| Minelab Gold Monster 1000 | Coil; box rated for splashes | Coil waterproof to 1 m (3.3 ft); detector splash / rain proof |
| Minelab GPX 6000 | Coil; box rated for splashes | Coil waterproof to 1 m (3.3 ft); detector splash / rain proof |
| Minelab GPZ 7000 | Coil only | Coil waterproof to 1 m (3.3 ft); no control-box rating listed |
| Minelab GPZ 8000 | Detector, coil and wireless module, with a time limit | Waterproof to 1 m (3.3 ft) for less than 30 minutes |
| Garrett AT Pro | Control box and detector | Control box fully waterproof to 10 feet (3 m); submersible to 3 m |
| Garrett AT Max | Whole detector | Fully waterproof to 10 feet (3 m) |
| Garrett Axiom | Coil and stem; box rated for rain | Waterproof coil and stem, rainproof control box; the manual says the coil is submersible and the control housing and connectors are not |
| Garrett ACE Apex | Coil | Garrett’s page calls the Viper coil fully waterproof and submersible; it gives no rating for the control box |
| Nokta Magnetar 9000 | Whole detector | IP68 up to 3 m (10 ft) |
Sources: Minelab’s specification pages for the Equinox 900, Manticore, X-Terra Pro, X-Terra Elite, Vanquish 560, Vanquish 540, Gold Monster 1000, GPX 6000, GPZ 7000 and GPZ 8000; Garrett’s pages for the AT Pro, AT Max and ACE Apex and the Axiom manual; and Nokta’s Magnetar 9000 page.
How to read the ratings
Coil only
If only the coil is rated, you can wade and put the coil under water, but the control box has to stay out of it. The Axiom manual puts it plainly: the search coil is submersible, the control housing and connectors are not. Wading is the use that fits; kneeling or a rising wave can put the box in the water.
Splash and rain proof
Minelab rates the Gold Monster 1000 and GPX 6000 control boxes splash and rain proof, not submersible. That is a rating for weather, not for water over the box.
Whole-machine ratings
An IP68 rating with a stated depth, such as the 5 m on several Minelab models and the 3 m on the Magnetar 9000, is the manufacturer’s claim for submerging the whole detector. The depth is part of the rating: 3 m is not 5 m. The GPZ 8000 adds a time limit of under 30 minutes at 1 m.
Ratings are not a promise about salt or sand
None of these pages tells you how a detector handles salt water; they rate water ingress. Garrett’s article on detector types lists VLF as weak in saltwater and PI as suited to saltwater beaches, which is a manufacturer’s view. Minelab’s Manticore lists Beach modes including Surf & Seawater, and the Equinox 900, X-Terra Pro and Elite list Beach 1 and 2.
What owners report
We found few owner reports about water itself, and none that test a rating. What we did find comes from the threads behind our other comparisons:
- In a thread from July 2024 to February 2025, an owner who hunted the beach twice with an X-Terra Elite found it deep with good target ID at depth, and was fooled twice by deep bottle caps that read like zinc pennies. That is about performance on the beach, not about leakage.
- In a June 2024 thread, an owner said his wife used an X-Terra Pro on beaches and in woods and found the only gold on a beach trip where his Equinox 800 found none.
- In a February 2023 thread, two Manticore owners said it was the better choice for the beach. The posts we read do not discuss water depth.
Not one of these posts says a detector leaked or survived a particular depth, so we cannot confirm any rating from owners. We do not own any of these detectors and have not tested them in water.
Which rating fits which use
- Wading in shallow water or rain: a coil rating, or a splash and rain rating, is enough on paper. Keep the control box above the water.
- Rivers and creeks where the box may get wet: look for a whole-machine rating, such as the 3 m of the AT Pro, AT Max and Magnetar 9000 or the 5 m of the Minelab models above.
- Surf and seawater: choose a whole-machine rating and read the maker’s own advice for salt; check for beach modes or PI where the maker recommends it.
- Prospecting on land: a splash and rain rating is what the gold-focused Minelab machines list; if you cross streams, plan for the coil rating.
Before you detect anywhere, check where you are allowed to: see our guide to metal detecting rules on U.S. federal land.
FAQ
Is IP68 the same as submersible?
Not by itself. The manufacturers above attach a depth to it (5 m or 3 m). A rating without a depth tells you less.
Can I submerge a detector whose coil is waterproof?
Only the coil. For the Axiom, Garrett’s manual says the control housing and connectors are not submersible.
Which Minelab models are waterproof to 5 m?
Per Minelab’s pages: the Equinox 900, Manticore, X-Terra Pro, X-Terra Elite and Vanquish 560. The Vanquish 540 lists a waterproof coil to 1 m only.
Are headphones waterproof?
The pages above do not say, with one exception: Garrett’s AT Pro page lists a submersible two-position headphone connection. Check each model’s headphones separately.
Does waterproofing make a detector good for the beach?
It means water should not get in. How well it finds targets in wet sand and salt is a separate question that these ratings do not answer.
Keep reading
- Metal detectors by budget: what each price level buys
- Minelab X-Terra Pro vs X-Terra Elite
- Garrett AT Pro vs AT Max
- Minelab Equinox 900 vs Manticore
How we put this guide together
We copied each rating from the manufacturer’s own page on the date shown, and say where a page gives no rating. Owner comments are paraphrased from the cited threads. We do not own or field-test these detectors. Full method.