๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐! It was Thursday, July 16th, and it started out as a picture-perfect Maine summer day. 
Ron and his wife, Deb, were loving every second of their vacation, relaxing outside the Sea Watch Condominiums right here in Old Orchard Beach. 
The ocean view was beautiful, the sun was shining, and the beach was packed with people soaking up the warmth.
After a while, Ron decided to head into the surf for a refreshing swim . 
Before walking down to the water, he did what many people doโhe slipped off his precious wedding ring and placed it safely inside the cup holder of his beach chair. 
After his swim, Ron rejoined Deb at their chairs. The couple lay back, completely relaxed, without a single care in the world.
But Mother Nature had other plans for mid-afternoon. 
Out of absolutely nowhere, a massive, severe cold front slammed into the coast. A line of violent thunderstorms swept through the area with terrifying speed. Suddenly, peaceful relaxation turned into pure survival mode! 
* ๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ? Local wind gusts right on Old Orchard Beach clocked in at an incredible 43 mph, whipping the ocean into a choppy, dangerous surf.
* ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐: The storm was tearing across the state, bringing 44 mph winds to Sanford and up to 60 mph gusts up north in Bangor, leaving tens of thousands of Mainers entirely without power! 
Down on OOB, the wind hit like a freight train. Everyone on the beach was literally being sandblasted by the flying grit. It was blinding, painful, and complete chaos. 
Panicking as the storm raged around them, Ron and Deb grabbed what they could and fled the beach, running as fast as they could to find cover from the wind and pelting rain.
But in the frantic rush to escape being sandblasted… Ronโs wedding ring was completely forgotten, sitting right there in the cup holder of his beach chair. 
Once they safely made it back inside their room at The SeaWatch Beachfront Condominiums, the adrenaline began to fade, and a sinking feeling set in. Ron reached for his finger, looked around, and realized with a jolt that his ring was missing!
They frantically tore through everything they had carried inside. They checked and re-checked the beach chairs, shook out the towels, and emptied the beach bags. All to no avail.
As soon as the severe weather finally passed the area, Ron and Deb hurried back down to the beach, eyes glued to the ground. But the storm had done its work. The heavy wind and flying sand had completely reshaped the beach, and the ring had vanished without a trace.
Seeing their distress, several kind members of The SeaWatch Association stepped in to help. They gave Deb my contact information and told her to give me a call. 
When Deb reached out, she asked if I might be able to head down to search for her husband’s ring over the next day or so, whenever I could find the time. I stopped her right there. I explained that when it comes to a lost ring on a shifting shoreline, time is of the essence! 
Waiting a day or two simply wasn’t an option. Old Orchard is a highly popular public beach where a stray glint of gold can easily catch someone else’s eye.
Even worse, the OOB beach cleaning rake machines are a HUGE concern, capable of scooping up and burying a ring deep in the debris.
On top of that, there is always the chance of another metal detectorist scanning the area before I could get there. 
I told Deb that Cheryl and I would load up the gear and be down there in 15 to 20 minutes! 
When we arrived on site, Ron and Deb met us to point out the area where they had been sitting when the cold front blew through.
However, memory can be a bit tricky after a wild storm, and there was a little confusion as to the exact location.
Ron was convinced they had been parked towards the northern end of the building, while Deb was absolutely certain it was more towards the center of the structure. 
Now, Iโve done enough of these recoveries to know you never argue with a wifeโs intuition!
I chose to start my precise grid search in the exact area Deb pointed out. I reassured the couple that if it didn’t turn up there, I would move over to search Ron’s suspected area next. If that still didn’t work, I was prepared to grid the entire escape route they took from the beach all the way to the access path. 
I turned on my detector and began sweeping the sand in Deb’s zone. I didn’t have to walk very far before my machine locked onto a very strong, beautiful signal! 
With Deb standing anxiously right beside me, I pulled out my pinpointer to narrow down the target. As I carefully moved the top layer of sand aside, a HUGE gold ring glinted in the sunlight! 
Deb instantly gasped, “๐ป๐๐๐’๐ ๐๐!” 
Ron, looking over from a few yards away, blinked and said, “๐ป๐๐๐’๐ ๐๐๐๐?” 
Deb shouted back with a huge smile, “๐ป๐๐๐’๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐!” 
Ron stood there in total disbelief, scratching his head. “๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐!”
Chalk up another massive win for wife’s intuition! 
Ron walked on over, and it was an incredible feeling to place that heavy gold band right back into his hand. Deb immediately threw her arms around me, giving me a big, grateful hug and thanking me for saving the day. Ron followed right up with a hearty, unforgettable handshake and his own deep thanks. 
As Cheryl and I packed up and walked off the beach, the happy couple thanked us one last time. They were already heading back to find those wonderful SeaWatch Association Members to give them a massive thank you for the life-saving referral!
Moments like this remind us why “๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
. ๐พ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐!” Another piece of precious history saved, and another stormy day turned into smiles! 
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! Want to see the excitement for yourself? Head over to our Ring Finders of Maine Facebook page to watch the recovery video! We caught the exact moment the ring was found, along with the fantastic, priceless reactions from Deb and Ron when that gold ring finally came out of the sand! 
“๐๐ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ฎ, ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฌ”
If you have lost a valuable ring or sentimental item in the sand or surf, don’t wait for the tide or the beach rakes to take it. Stop digging and contact Dennis at ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐
๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐-๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐ or email theringfindersofmaine@gmail.com! 
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