Lost Subaru Key Fob… Recovered from Steep Slope in Oakland, CA
The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP 925-580-2590
It’s not too often I get calls about lost keys or key fobs, let alone from a 10 year old, but on Monday May 6th that all changed. The young boy requested that I come look for a set of keys that found their way off of a deck and onto a slope covered with ivy, blackberry, and other organic debris. Of course I asked if the young boy would be assisting me and that I had an extra metal detector that I’d be glad to share. Excitedly, we scheduled the search the following afternoon after school had gotten out.
It took 30 minutes or so to make my way to Oakland, CA were the key fob made it’s way into the wilds. Upon arrival, I met the family including mom, dad, and several siblings. They showed me to the scene of the mishap and explained that while swinging a rope the boy accidentally struck the keys sending them into the void below. A search ensued but produced no results. My first thoughts were that I asked a young 10 year old boy to assist me and now was looking at a very steep and hazardous looking slope entangled in ivy and blackberry vines. But after producing my back-up machine to the boy and a garret pin-pointer to another sibling, there was no turning back.
The four of us, myself, the two boys, and dad (who was assisting by removing thorny blackberry vines from the slope) started a hasty search of the steep hillside. The boys were excited every time the metal detectors sounded off and they quickly set out to discover what had made the machine scream out. The hillside was riddled with targets like bottle caps, pull tabs, aluminum cans, and a large number of other interesting items. After about 20 minutes of looking, dad said that he may have saw something on the slope while pulling out vines and the two boys rushed to confirm the presence of the object. First the young boy with the metal detector confirmed something metallic, then the sibling with the pin-pointer narrowed the search. Moments later, with a bit of careful probing, WE MADE THE RECOVERY!
After a short celebration our little crew, and now mom and other siblings, collected on flatter ground for a little exploration and metal detecting. For another 30 minutes or so we located and dug a plethora of targets, mostly do-dads and trash, but everyone was having a fun and educational experience. Overall, the search for the wayward key fob and mini-hunt that followed was hugely successful. Thank you kindly for allowing me to provide this service, I always love to get those willing and able involved into the search and having an interactive experience.
This was our target today!
A substitute picture of myself for the book of smiles!
The Bay Area Ring Finders Brendon Chapman… Metal Detecting Service/Call ASAP 925-580-2590
Now offering Metal Detecting, Video Endoscope, and Magnet Fishing services!
I got a text one evening from my old boss, he was asking it if still do recoveries. He explained that he was on the beach and a guy was digging around in the sand looking for something. He couldn’t help but ask what he was doing, and he said looking for my wedding ring. With that he told them about my and exchanged my information. Alex called a few minutes later and we went over what happened. He had decided to jump into the ocean for a swim, but prior to doing so, placed his ring and other stuff he was holding into his pants pocket. I had to head right there due to the fact that beach is heavy detected, and the ring might not last overnight. We walked right out to the surf as the tide was coming on rather quickly. Alex had some things marking the area, and i quickly started searching down low on the hill. He was pretty sure his stuff was up higher but I just wanted to make sure before the water got too far up. I completely covered the area we thought the ring would be, without any sign of the ring. Alex and his wife Carlie were on vacation and has to leave, as some friends were up at the restaurant waiting for them. I wasn’t given up just yet, and continued to search the path they had taken back to the dune walkway. With the very deep/soft white powdery sand the Jersey beaches have, it was no to easy seeing right where they had walked. After walking half way back, I turned around and did another sweep back to the water with no luck again. Spreading out even further to the north I located his ring about 150’ from the high tide line. I quickly called him, hoping to catch them before they left the area, which I did. We met on the boardwalk where I handed his ring back, which made the end of his vacation fantastic.
