Professional Metal Detecting Treasure Hunter

Gary Drayton | Biography

Cast of 'The Curse Oak Island'

• By Anil Pradhan
• Update : January 12, 2022

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Gary Drayton is a renowned English treasure hunter and TV celebrity. He has gained high fame and recognition as the metal detecting expert in the History reality series, The Curse of Oak Island.

Who is Gary Drayton?

Drayton is a Florida-based famous English metal detector, treasure hunter, author, and reality TV star. He has published several books on treasure hunting and metal detectors like 'Metal Detecting for Spanish Treasure' (2011), 'Hardcore Beach Hunting' (2012), 'The CTX 3030 Beach and Water Hunter's Guide' (2012), etc. Moreover, he is best known among reality TV fans for his appearance on History Network's treasure hunting show, The Curse of Oak Island.

Before becoming a professional metal detector, Drayton was a bottle digger in his hometown in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. He then moved to South Florida, where he began working with metal detecting tools. One of his first finds included a Spanish treasure known as 'Silver Piece of Eight.' Since then, he has discovered hundreds of treasures ranging from silver coins and bronze ship spikes to gold rings and pieces of jewelry. 

Where is Gary Drayton from? 

Gary Drayton, also known to his fans as Metal Detecting Ninja, is a 60 years old TV celebrity born on 30 May 1961. He hails from Lincolnshire, England, in the UK. He has not disclosed any facts about his parents' bio and siblings in the media.

Drayton spent his childhood years playing and mud larking for old artifacts around the riverbanks in his hometown. His findings included old clay pipes, historic bottles, coins, etc. Moreover, the thrill he received from the possibility of finding something precious got him to keep going with the job.

'The Curse of Oak Island'

The treasure-hunting reality TV series, The Curse of Oak Island, first aired on the History channel on 5 January 2014. It consists of numerous famous treasure hunters like Rick Lagina, Marty Lagina, Dan Blankenship, Gary Drayton, etc. Drayton became the show's cast in season 2, i.e., in 2016, as their metal detection expert. He initially joined as a recurring cast. However, since season 5, Drayton has been regular in the show. To date, he has appeared in 103 episodes in 8 seasons. Drayton's most precious and most popular find as the show's cast is an emerald ring. It consisted of nine emeralds held on a 22.5 carat Inca gold. The ring is worth an estimated half a million dollars.

Net Worth

According to history.co.uk, Drayton's estimated net worth is approximately $2.5 million. He has earned his massive wealth through his career as a treasure hunter, author, and public figure. Moreover, his reality TV show, The Curse of Oak Island, primarily contributes to his wealth.

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What metal detector does Gary Drayton use?

Drayton uses a wide variety of minelab and metal detectors for different types of treasure hunting. He mainly prefers GPX 5000 while searching for Spanish treasures on the beach for its deep detection ability. Similarly, Drayton uses CTX 3030 for jewelry hunts on tourist beaches. He also uses other metal detectors like Equinox 800 and Commander Search Coils.

Wife

The English reality TV star married his wife, Jennifer Gali Suave, in 1996. He has not shared many details of his love life or other marriage aspects with the public, however on many occasions he has disclosed that his prized possession has been his family. Following that, on his 25th marriage anniversary, i.e., on 17 December 2021, he shared his marriage day picture on his Instagram handle @gary.drayton. He wished his wife with a heartfelt status that read,

25 years ago today I hit the jackpot in Las Vegas Nevada marrying my Khalessi mother of dragons.

Drayton and his wife are parents to their two daughters. His first daughter Anya is already married and has a one-year-old baby. Further, his second daughter Katya is a professional ice skater.