On Thursday, October 1, 2026, just before 8 p.m., I received the following text, “Hey Jim, This is Skyler. My Family and I are vacationing at Ocean Isle beach (from Ashville) and I lost my gold wedding band around 4pm today while playing in the water with my daughter (between knee and waist depth) near the condo that we are staying in. I found you online and am wondering if you can assist? Please let me know. Thank you.” I took a quick look at the tide table and saw that he lost it about 2 hours before low tide and it was now 2 plus hours after low tide. The next low tides were Friday at 6 am or 7 pm. I called Skylar and got some additional details including the address of the condo and we decided that I’d be there before the 7 pm low tide the next evening and hung up.
As I’m sitting watching TV and thinking about this ring search, I looked at the tide tables again. I was thinking it’d be dark at 6 am but probably a calmer ocean that early in the morning. Plus no heat, no crowds and hopefully before anybody swinging a metal detector would be searching the beach. I text Skyler back and asked if they had taken any pictures of where they were sitting showing the condo in the background. He responded that they had not, but he could take pictures in the morning and send them to me. Within a minute or so, he text me a picture his wife, Taylor had taken that couldn’t have been any better. It clearly showed me exactly where they had been sitting in relationship to the right corner of the condo. He also said he was to the left of where they were sitting when he lost his ring while facing the condo. I made the decision then to be out there about 5:15 a.m. I sent him a text letting him know the change of plans.
When I got there I made my way out to the beach and although it was pitch dark, I was able to line up with the corner of the condo as shown in the photo. I turned on my Equinox 800 and started a north/south grid line. Knowing I was looking for a yellow gold wedding band, I was expecting a VDI (visual display indicator) number in the high teens. On my third grid line, ankle deep in the ocean and my first target, I got a very solid and clear 20 on the VDI. I dug the target out of the wet sand. I turned on my headlamp but couldn’t see anything through the shells in the scoop. I reached into the scoop with my hand and put my index finger right through the ring. Bingo! I made my way back up to the condo and saw somebody standing by the pool watching me. He said “Jim?” I replied “Skyler?” and we shook hands. I asked him what his ring looked like as I pulled his ring out of my pocket and held it up for him to see. Needless to say, he was stunned when he saw it and replied, “That’s it!” We walked back up to his unit so I could get pictures. While we were talking, he told me that after he lost it, his 4 year old daughter told him something like, “Daddy, if I had superpowers I’d find your ring.” How sweet is that!! What a way to start the day, for both of us!!
Taylor – you saved the day with the picture you took. It was absolutely perfect. Thank You!
Skyler – Thank you for contacting and trusting me to help find your lost Treasure. I wish you and your family all the best, enjoy your vacation.
Jim
No Comments »