Lost Heirloom Necklace, Orange Beach, AL - FOUND!

What a great day today!  My new friend Alexander called me last night with a very big problem. He was enjoying dinner with his family and his girlfriend and decided to take a group photo. When he looked at the picture he realized that he was missing his cherished necklace. It was his Grandmother’s and it was made in Beirut many years ago. It was even said to have a splinter in the cross that hung on it from the Cross that Jesus was crucified on. Alexander’s Grandmother passed away when he was a kid and she entrusted it to his Dad to hold until he was old enough to truly understand the importance of the necklace. Since that day over 4 years ago Alexander has not taken it off. That’s why when he did the math and realized he had dropped it in the gulf in chest deep water while taking a swim earlier in the day, he immediately began trying to find someone who could help him get it back. That’s where I came in! 😃  When he called, we went over the logistics of everything and I explained how I could help but I was struck at how truly worried he was. I’ve never had someone so pointedly and honestly ask me, “Can I trust you?”  I immediately decided that I was going to do everything in my power to prove my answer to him that yes, I was indeed trustworthy. I met Alexander and his girlfriend Leslie bright and early this morning in Orange Beach. They walked me down to the gulf and pointed out the area where they thought it was and settled in to watch me do my thing.  I’m not going to lie, 3 & 1/2 hours later, I was starting to get concerned. I expanded the search and thoroughly covered a huge area but it was simply not there. We had already covered tides and the current but I decided to come in and talk to Alexander. He and Leslie has stayed on the beach the entire time and I could see the growing worry in their faces. I asked Alexander if there was a spot that he had thought about while watching me that I hadn’t covered. He said the only place he could possibly think of was maybe shallower and east of the search area. I went right back out while he and Leslie were discussing that this might be the last shot. I’m always talking to the Man upstairs when I do these recoveries but this time I was really asking him to slow me down and guide me. I only had about one pass left when I heard a good sound. I snapped my head down and I briefly saw Leslie realize I had heard something good. I had dug so many pieces of trash earlier that I knew this could be another but I still very gently used my scoop to make sure I didn’t damage anything, just in case. Sure enough on the second scoop down I looked in and saw that beautiful gold cross still on that gold chain as if nothing had ever happened. You can imagine the celebration of the whole family and the relieved joy and disbelief of Alexander when I held out the scoop for him to remove his Grandmother’s necklace. We could only air high five since we were being responsible and social distancing but I had one of my favorite moments ever doing this as Alexander tried to find the right words… he finally said, “You know, I will remember you forever!”  😃😃😃. I’ll remember you too my friend. God bless you all and hang on to that necklace. 😉