Ring Found and Returned at Carlsmith State Park, Hilo, Big Island Hawaii

I was so happy to have helped Mike and Michelle from New York to find their special – but recently lost – wedding ring!
The ring had been Mike’s father’s, given to him from his late mother, and its importance to them as irreplaceable was understood.
I left Kona at 4:50am to race over to Hilo for sunrise, the only time they could meet.
Mike had lost his gold wedding band in chest deep water near Hilo at Carlsmith Beach Park, a protected, tiny bay with a thin line of rocks protecting it from the open ocean.
Cold, clear water pours from the mountains and out of the rocks into many of the Big Island beaches – and today the fresh water was especially strong due to recent, heavy rains near Hilo.
I descended a set of metal stairs into the water and almost immediately started shivering – the fresh water was super cold – and the difference between salinity and temperature killed all visibility under water.
I started hunting back and forth using the Minelab Excalibur metal detector in the fresh-salt water along the route Mike had been swimming before noticing the ring was missing. After 20 minutes, no luck…
Where exactly had he been when he notice his ring was gone? I asked.
Right about here – he’d replied – signaling near where I had just searched.
I looked around the rocks and sand where he’d indicated for about 30 seconds and BANG! I scooped the sand and we both dove down to try and see if it were in the scoop.

Ring found and returned at Carlsmith State Park near Hilo, Hawaii by Big Island Metal Detecting

Too blurry…! But I could hear metal jingling in the metal basket. I pulled the scoop out of the water and saw a flash of gold.
Mike reached in and held it up his found wedding ring for his wife to see.

As we got out of the water shivering, dawn broke and the sun shone down on us through the clouds.
It was a little beam of light for us all.