Recently I received a call from Trina asking me to try to locate a ring lost in Horsetooth Reservoir. She and her husband Ben had spent the day hiking around the reservoir and wanted to cool off in the water. She wadded out into the water; the water level drops off quickly so about 10-15 feet from shore and she was already up to her shoulders and cooling off nicely. Even though she could touch bottom easily she had to mover her hands in a treading water motion in order to stay in one place due to waves from the nearby boaters. It wasn’t long when Trina felt her wedding ring (handed down from her great grandmother) slip from her finger. Trina and Ben spent the next several hours trying to find her ring with no success. That night she found my number and contacted me and soon we made arrangements for Stephanie Hobbs and I to come and do a search.
Sunday morning Stephanie and I gathered our gear and began our hour long drive north. Stephanie brought her XP Deus and associated gear, I brought my Minelab Manticore, waterproof headphones, pouch and two water scoops.
Upon arrival at the reservoir, we were VERY fortunate to find a parking spot and pulled in (timing is everything). Trina and Ben met us as we pulled in, they live in Cheyenne, Wyoming so it was no short drive for them either. They took us down to the location of our search site and Trina showed us how deep she was in reservoir.
Stephanie and I spent over two hours in the cold mountain water searching trying to locate the rings. At one point I needed to get out of the water to prevent hypothermia and warm up on the large rocks that lined the shore. The scoops that I had brought were useless as the area of our search had large flat rocks that left crevasses with a thin layer of mud on the rocks. I tried feeling for the ring with my bare feet and pulled up many rocks (I may have monkey feet), that was unsuccessful. Finally, I decided to detect mark the spot by Stephanie holding my scoop upside down and I would dive under the water and try to feel for the object (hopefully the ring). This was a good idea but not great. Stephanie suggested that we use her MI6 probe since it is waterproof, what a great idea. Eventually we wondered out to deeper water, up to my chin. I heard a great signal (31) with a perfectly round dot on the line of my Manticore. With Stephanie perched on two larger rocks so that she was above water holding the scoop to mark the spot and my detector I started to dive again. After several handfuls of muck, I finally surfaced with the rings in my hand.
Ring Recovered 7/27/2025
I want to express my deepest gratitude to Jeff Lubbert and Stephanie Hobbs
On Saturday, July 26th, my husband and I decided to spend the day at Horsetooth Reservoir in Colorado. After a day of exploring, I decided to take a dip in the water. Just five minutes into my swim, standing barely between my stomach and chest, my ring slipped off my finger. The strong wakes that day made it difficult to stay afloat, so I had to move my arms underwater. I immediately informed my husband, and he started a search that lasted hours. He even went so far as to buy his own diving gear.
We eventually gave up and drove the two hours home. Here’s the twist: my ring wasn’t just any ring. It held sentimental value as a generational piece in my family. The center stone had been passed down from my great grandmother to my grandmother, who gave it to my husband to propose.
The next morning, my husband refused to give up and asked me to look for a diver in the area. I stumbled upon Jeff Lubbert and gave him a call, sharing my story. He requested all my information and scheduled a meeting. When Jeff and his partner, Stephanie, arrived at the lake, they unloaded their gear and asked me to get into the water to show them the general area I was in. My husband and I settled down to wait, anticipating a long search. My anxiety was high, and I couldn’t help but watch Jeff and Stephanie’s every move as. Working as a team Jeff would locate a signal, Stephanie would hold a marker and Jeff would hold his breath dove underwater repeatedly, bringing up clumps of mud.
They took their time scanning the entire area, eventually venturing deeper than I had anticipated. Just when I had lost all hope, watching Jeff in the water up to his neck, I heard them yell my name and rush towards the beach. They were smiling just as big as we were after it was found, shivering and all from the cold water. Two and a half hours later, they had saved the day.
Thank you, Jeff and Stephanie, for rescuing not just my ring but a cherished piece of my family’s history. Your dedication, skill, and kindness will never be forgotten.
Sincerely Trina and Ben Overstreet