Scuba Diver Metal Detects Chesapeake Bay for Lost Wedding Ring...Found in Betterton, Maryland

Brian Rudolph, Lost Item Recovery Specialist (Land, Water, Sand, Snow, Leaves, Cliffs, Houses & Vehicles) Will Find Your Lost Keepsake! Call ASAP (301) 466-8644!

Scott was enjoying time with his family during a week or two of vacation in Betterton, Maryland. During one of those fun days out at the beach, Scott sadly lost his very special 14 karat white gold wedding band while playing and swimming in the Chesapeake Bay. He knew he must have lost it out in the water because the young man had not taken it off before entering the Bay. Scott was really upset about losing his sentimental keepsake that was put on his finger by his bride Katie around 11 years earlier.

Three weeks went by and sometime after Scott had returned from vacation back to their Pennsylvanian home, he wondered if there was perhaps a way that he could possibly recover his lost wedding ring somewhere out there in the Chesapeake Bay. He looked online and eventually Scott found a beacon of hope…THE RING FINDERS – a specialized directory of metal detectorists who are experts in finding lost rings. Scott texted me and said:

“Hi Brian. I am aware that you might be someone that might be able to help me find my wedding band. I lost it in about five feet of water at low tide off of a beach near Betterton, Maryland. It might be a little too far for you but I thought I would reach out. Is this something you could help me find? Thanks for your consideration – Scott”

Soon after I received Scott’s correspondence, we connected by phone. I was very intrigued by the story and I told Scott that I was up for the challenge.

Another week would pass by before I was able to travel the two hours out to Betterton to conduct the search. Betterton is located at the mouth of the Sassafras River on the upper Chesapeake Bay in Kent County, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore region of the Bay.

When I arrived at the search site, Scott met up with me and he immediately took me down to the beach where he lost the wedding band in the water approximately 4 weeks earlier. Though it had been a month since the ring went “missing in action”, I was not intimidated by that particular fact. There were no guarantees as to what happened to the band, but I felt pretty sure that the jewel most likely buried itself in the sand below and was just waiting to be reunited with its owner.

This particular search would involve scuba diving. Scott was swimming out by a floating platform approximately 35 yards from shore (over 100 feet away). The water depth was between 5.5 and 7 feet deep, depending upon the current tide. There was no way that I could wade the water with a detector in hand at those numbers. I needed to dive for the ring with a tank on my back and have the necessary air supply to keep me submerged for a decent length of time.

It took some time to haul all of my scuba gear down the steep step path to the beach below. I had to carry: a 35 pound air tank, BCD, fins, exposure wear, regulators, dive weights up to 18 pounds, dive computer, mask, snorkel, water grid, underwater metal detectors and lots more! Scuba diving for lost rings is no simple matter. There is a lot of planning involved along with a lot of equipment required to perform such a recovery operation.

Once I assembled all of my gear along the bank of the Chesapeake, Scott went out into the water with me to orient me as to where he believed he was playing and swimming when the ring had most likely slipped off of his finger. I then began my dive and detection efforts.

I am excited to share that after a very short dive underwater (perhaps less than 30 minutes underwater), as I metal detected every square inch of the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay in the region where Scott took me to, I successfully identified and recovered my client’s lost wedding band! I was thrilled with my results!

At first, I pulled a few random pieces of metal such as pull tabs from coke cans and other pieces of scrap aluminum. And then…I got a really sweet signal coming approximately 15 to 20 feet from the floating swim platform. It was an exhilarating experience to feel around the object and to immediately identify the piece of metal as a ring! At that moment, I was pretty hopeful that the band that I had identified underwater was in fact Scott’s missing 14 karat white keepsake! It turned out that the inscription inside the band validated my hunch!

When I finally surprised Scott with my discovery, not only was he blown away by my ability to recover his very special memento from his wedding day, but all of the teens, adults and young children who were swimming and hanging out on shore erupted with excitement and multiple cheers!

I was so happy I could help Scott that day out in Betterton, Maryland! Moreover, after the successful ring recovery, I was introduced to a couple of lifetime Betterton residents who invited me and Scott into their home! We received cold drinks, were given a full history of the town, and we were shown a wonderful photo book of Betterton scenes and its people dating back to the 1930s! What a very special afternoon on the Eastern Shore that I will truly never forget!

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