Joe Au-Franz, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 27 of 33

Lost 1914 $2.50 Gold Piece Medallion at Aulani Disney Resort Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This Gold Medallion hunt began when I had a text from my wife saying Lucas from Ohio needed Metal Detecting services. I called Lucas and he had returned to Kailua where he was staying while on vacation from Air Force duty in Alaska. While he was playing with his daughter in the lagoon during one of the tosses into the water her hand accidentally grabbed his gold medallion necklace and it broke from around his neck. Lucas was able to retrieve the necklace immediately but the medallion vanished in the sand of the lagoon. He searched to no avail and then when he got home Googled metal detecting service and thats where he found All Island Treasure Detectors. Lucas sent me a Google Map pin drop of the location. Ironically, I was still at Aulani from a previous search so I told Lucas I’d start the search now. I gathered my gear and headed to the lagoon. I drew two lines on the shoreline and started my grid search. After a nickel & a dime target there was a very loud quivering sound target. One scoop and there was the Medallion. It’s great when the client gives excellent locating data. Aloha to Lucas and Thank You for your service to the country.

Lost Wedding Band at Aulani Disney Resort Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This ring find began Friday evening when I received a call from Alex at Aulani Beach Rentals. A newlywed couple were snorkeling in the lagoon and the husband lost his wedding band. I told Alex to give my number for coordination. Then I got a call a few moments later from Robert from Middle Tennessee. Robert explained that when him and his new bride tried snorkeling. After a brief swim Robert realized his ring was gone. He panicked…when did it come off? We decided to meet at the beach the next morning. When I arrived Saturday AM Robert was waiting. Robert showed me the extreme edges of the grid and then I went to work Fairly metal sterile area. After about seven legs of the grid I heard an excellent tone and two scoops later there was Robert’s Wedding Band. I called Robert who was checking out of his room and going to breakfast. I told him the great news and we decided to meet on the beach. When Robert arrived with his wife a look of amazement was on his face. Leaving tonight and the ring back on his finger. Most important Robert is out of the dog house. Aloha to Robert and his new bride!

Lost Gold & Diamonds Engagement Ring at Marriot Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This ring find started with a call from the Marriot staff concerning a Japanese couple who lost their ring at the resort. They were trying to coordinate an interpreter but wanted to be sure I was available. After 30 minutes with no call back I called the Marriot looking for the couple. Rush hour traffic was fast approaching and I wanted to get on the road ASAP. The couple couldn’t be found. Then a gentleman named Kevin gave me a call and said he knew where another couple lost their ring in the sand earlier in the day and if I’d come out to find as they searched by sifting the sand with no luck. I told Kevin I was on the way and I’d call him in about an hour when I arrived. Kevin and his family met me at Longboards’ bar on the beach and we headed down to the sandy area where he had been sifting for the ring. He already gridded out the area about the size of a large automobile. First screaming target was a Lincoln zinc cent. Ten seconds later was a low growler that was sounding good. Two scoops down and there was an incredible 10 diamonds in white gold ring. Well this can’t be it there is no solitaire diamond. Kevin said he assumed it would be since he was told it was an engagement ring. I finished the grid with 11 more cents. Now to figure out whose ring I found. Kevin thought the couple may have left the resort but was going to check and see if he could find them. Meanwhile with a traffic check I wasn’t leaving anytime soon. I grabbed my phone and started playing Pokemon Go! About 10 minutes later my phone rang and it was Genelle from Coeurd’Alene, Idaho who had lost her ring. She described it exactly and asked me how I could get it back to them. I told her traffic kept me at the resort so she was in luck I was 3 minutes from them. Genelle and her husband David met me by Longboards and after showing her the ring their were several Thank You Jesus comments. I think it might have been divine intervention that kept me at the resort so Genelle could get her ring back before leaving on a flight the next day. Such grateful people. Aloha to Genelle & David and the entire McHale family for such effort in making this ring find happen.

Lost Kia FOB at Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This hunt started on Discoverer’s Day when I got a panic call from Kiala from Waipahu Hawaii. While enjoying a day at the Ko Olina resort her Kia key FOB went missing in the sand…she thought. I was on a diamond earring hunt on the North Shore and told Kiala we just wrapped it up and were heading her way. Unfortunately she already was having her car towed to the dealership to get a new key. I started my hunt in the area she described over the phone and after about twenty minutes I was about to give up the search with no key FOB. I decided to do one more grid line downhill towards the water. That paid off when I got a screaming target and in the scoop was Kiala’s Kia FOB. Mission accomplished and now an immediate call to the dealership to cancel the $400 service charge for a new key. Got it! I then met Kiala at the dealership to hand over the key. Much needed sigh of relief! Aloha to Kiala!

Lost Gold & Diamonds Wedding Band at Aulani Disney Resort Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This ring find started when I got a call from my wife stating the Ko Olina Beach Security called about a lost ring. I called and they put me in touch with Betty from San Francisco California. While she was applying suntan lotion she placed her wedding ring on her bathing suit. Then in that moment she stood up she saw the ring fall and disappear into the sand. They searched for quite some time with no success and after talking to hotel staff they suggested my services. I talked to Betty and she was going to a meeting shortly but would be available after noon. That worked perfectly for me so I told her I’d be there about oneish. I told Betty don’t keep digging as that could make it worse. I met Betty at the equipment rental shack and she walked me down to the lounge chair she was in when the ring fell. Her husband Jeff had been waiting there to keep things safe. We moved several chairs out of the way and I started my search. First target a quarter. Second target a pull tab. Third target sounded great and because Diamonds are involved I used my pin-pointer carefully in the sand. Surprisingly their digging had pushed the ring 7-8 inches down into the sand. Betty was so grateful when I handed her the ring. Jeff was as well. Betty promised me she learned her lesson not to wear rings on the beach. Well she certainly knows who to call. Let the vacation continue on a high note. Aloha to Betty & Jeff.

Lost Gold & Diamonds Wedding Band in Aulani Disney Resort Ko Olina Lagoon…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This ring find started when I got a call from John who was on vacation from Littleton, Colorado. While taking a dip in the lagoon the day before his Wedding Band fell off. For several hours many tourists at the resort tried searching for the ring with no luck. That’s when John got my name and number from the resort staff. I agreed to meet him at the lagoon Monday morning for a search. When I arrived John was waiting. He helped me mark the grid then I told him to relax on the beach. I headed out to chest deep water on the first leg and when I did an about face to start the return leg I got a great tone. One scoop and there was John’s ring. Elapsed time 2 minutes. Needless to say John was astonished with the quick recovery and gratefully thanked me for getting him out of the dog house. Aloha to John.

Lost Go Pro 3+ in Aulani Disney Resort Ko Olina Lagoon…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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I got a call from Karlo who told me that while he was swimming in the Ko Olina lagoon at the Disney Resort he dropped his Go Pro HERO 3+ in the water. Because he had his daughter with him on a board he didn’t want to panic her by jumping into the 10-15 foot deep water to retrieve it. Also the remnants of Hurricane Madeline are causing high surf and the Lagoon is stirred up more then normal making usually crystal clear visibility very low. Ten foot visibility in Hawaii is horrible. Karlo did take note to where he dropped the camera in reference to an orange buoy. That buoy moves around on it’s mooring to over reef rocks and silty sand. I decided to go take a look myself without my detector to decide which one to use. I put on my scuba gear and swam out to the buoy. Visibility improved a bit where I was at so I decided to do a visual search since I had a 3/4 full tank of air. The buoy was currently over the rocky reef area so I looked down into all the pukkas (Hawaiian for holes) that might be hiding the Go Pro. As I moved away from the buoy towards shore it got sandy and seaward more rocky. I started to make a big arc around the buoy mooring and found a pair of Ray-Ban P glasses that were lost the previous weekend and we might be able to get those returned. As I was coming back towards the rocky area I spotted the Go Pro lying on the bottom face up next to a few boulders. Great I thought. Had it been in the sand I would have needed my metal detector as it definitely would have been silted over. I swam back to shore and went to my truck to call Karlo and give him the good news. Karlo said he never saw me surface after going down and started to worry. I told him I swam ashore underwater. He told me he was so grateful because all his babies photos from this vacation were on the camera as he hadn’t downloaded them yet. Memories saved and the smile was quite evident and huge. Aloha to Karlo!

Lost Platinum, Gold & Diamonds Wedding Ring at Bellows Air Force Station…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This ring find started when I got a call from Nicolas who is a CAPT in the US Army. While enjoying the day at the beach his wife Ashley put her Wedding ring in the pocket of their sunshade for safe keeping. When the day was over Nicolas shook the sand off the sunshade and started back to their campsite. Ashley realized she had left the ring in the sunshade pocket so they went back to the beach to see if they could find the ring. They searched methodically in the sand but no luck finding the ring. The next day Nicolas originally wanted to rent a detector and I convinced him it would be easier if I just came down and looked for them. I loaded my gear and we decided to meet in an hour at Bellow AFS. We met outside the gate and drove to their campsite. We then grabbed the gear and headed down to the beach. Fortunately although the beach was relatively crowded the area they were in was open. I surveyed the area then started my grid search. First & second target were sandy Lincoln cents, then a bottle cap. About 5 minutes into the search I got a great tone and because of the solitaire diamond I took a gentle scoop and poured it on the ground. I grabbed my pin-pointer and made a spiral search in the sand pile. That’s when the stunning ring exposed itself. I picked it up and handed it to Ashley. She was overcome with joy and said, “Thank you so much your my hero”. An applause rang out from all the nearby beach goers. I love this hobby! Aloha to Ashley & Nicolas!

Lost Wedding Band in Ulua Lagoon Ko Olina…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This ring find began while I was in Ulua Lagoon hunting for a set of lost keys and a gentleman named Andy told me his friend Ed from Sacramento, California just lost his Wedding Band in the water as he was coming ashore from snorkeling. I told him I’d follow him over to the spot. Unfortunately there were a dozen kids playing in the knee deep water where the ring came off. Ed helped me mark out a grid and said the band was a Comfort Fit Titanium ring. After starting my in and out grid search I got a screaming target and there was a ring. I asked Ed is this yours? He looked at it rather hesitantly and said “No” with a look of bewilderment on his face. I said see your not the only one that has lost a ring recently. I said, “Don’t worry” and continued my grid search. I found several coins and a Matchbox car but no more rings. I talked it over with Ed to make sure I had covered the correct area and he assured me that I had. I thought maybe because so many kids were playing in the area that maybe as I was trying to avoid them yet cover the area I missed the ring. I told Ed let me try a search parallel to the shore and thankfully one of the Moms saw what I was trying to do and came down and got all the kids out of the grid. Two minutes later I got another screamer and there was a Tungsten ring in the scoop. “That’s it” Ed said with a sigh of relief. This is Tungsten not Titanium. Oh I guess your right but that’s the ring. I’m positive it was and Ed was so thrilled it was found. Now he wouldn’t have to explain to his wife how he lost his ring in knee deep water on their vacation. Aloha to Ed!

Lost 3 Gold & Diamonds Wedding Rings at Kaneohe Marine Corps Base Hawaii…FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)

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This ring find started Thursday 18 August when I was checking my email. A ring find request came in asking me to call before 11PM. When I called Stacy from Tuscaloosa, Alabama answered and told me her daughter Anna had lost her three Gold & Diamonds Wedding rings on the beach in the sand. Anna had taken her rings off and placed them in the pocket of her back pack for safe keeping. Later that evening she pulled a shirt out of her back pack and when she went for the rings they were gone. She assumed they must have fallen out when she got the shirt. They looked for about an hour but the wind was blowing so hard they were getting pelted by the sand and it hurt. They decided to try the next morning. Stacy started google searching for a Metal Detector Rental and stumbled across the ring finders. Seeing that I was ex-Navy that’s when she sent the email. I told Stacy I would meet them as early as possible Friday morning before the wind started picking up again. We met at the McDonald’s on base and Stacy & Anna took me to the beach where the rings were lost. I had Anna demonstrate how she lost the rings and I drew a box grid in the sand. Surprisingly the area was sterile of metal but there was all kinds of plastic trash. As I was getting to the extreme edge of the grid I got an excellent tone. Because of the diamonds I used my pin-pointer and amazingly the ring was 6 inches deep already from the blowing sand. That was ring #1 but not the solitaire diamond. About 4 feet away I got another nice tone. This was the solitaire also 6 inches deep. Then slightly to the left another nice tone. That was it the 3rd and final ring. My first Trifecta and 3 for 3. Anna & Stacy were so happy & excited and actually surprised it only took 10 minutes. A few warm hugs and thank yous and I could tell a weight had been lifted off Anna’s shoulders. If ever in Alabama I’ve been invited to go relic hunting. Stacy has a White’s detector and has found a Confederate States sword buckle during one of her hunts. If I’m ever there count me in! Aloha to Anna & Stacy!