Condo Key Lost on the Beach Access Path, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC
Evan called me asking if I could help find a condo key that was lost along the beach access path from the condo to the beach. I got the address and was on my way. I arrived about 20 minutes later and met Evan, his wife Taryn and their son Jagger. The story goes that Jagger was walking along the path with the ‘only’ Condo key on top of a towel, a dog barked, Jagger twisted around, and the key went flying. I had my Nox 800 and knew the VDI (visual display indicator) would ring up around a 19-21. I searched down the path, then both sides with heavy undergrowth with no luck. After roughly 45 minutes I called it. I was exhausted from another ocean search and had no energy.
This morning, I text Evan saying I was coming back to give the key another shot. I also said that he didn’t have to be out there, that I’d let him know either way. When I got there, I concentrated my search on the right side of the path and further out in the undergrowth. After Taryn telling me what happened and running the scenario through my head all night, it only made sense the key would be on the right side. Things are never as they seem! After a bit of searching on the right, I moved to the left side. After about 5 minutes, I hit the 19 VDI I was looking for. Used my pin pointer and nailed the key buried along the edge of the path in the sand. I had noticed that Taryn was sitting on the balcony and pointed up at her. She yelled down, “Did you find it?” I held the key up and she disappeared into the house on her way down. A great day, Jagger was out of the doghouse, Evan or Taryn didn’t have to stay in the condo while the rest of the family went to the beach or out for the day.
Evan and Taryn – Thank you for trusting me to help find your key. Have a great rest of your vacation and a safe journey back home.
Jim
Kerry called during the day and left a message wondering if I would be able to help find his lost wedding ring on the beach in Wildwood NJ. I called him right back to go over some of the details about how he lost his ring. Kerry explained he was on the beach with his family, playing with the dogs, and when he looked at his hand he noticed his wedding ring missing. He was very detail oriented, recalling every move leading up to the beach episode. After going over every detail of the day, he distinctly remembered having it on at dinner, and was almost positive it came off while playing with the dogs on the beach. Well, then he mentioned that he had searched the entire area with a metal detector and had no luck. They had also walked back and fourth the entire distance many times. If you know this beach it’s quite a vast area, kinda like walking to another zip code or two. I hope that brought things into perspective a bit. It was getting dark so they threw in the towel for the day, and returned the next morning with rakes to rake the entire area with hopes the ring would pop up. With no luck, it was time for them to pack up and head back home. I asked him to mark the exact location on his cell phone, with the GPS feature on Google Maps, and send it to me with a picture of his ring, and I would head right there after work. I parked right by the boardwalk, grabbed my gear and headed out to the beach. I opened the location he sent and somehow it was right where I was standing on the beach just beyond the boardwalk. I figured I would follow the dog tracks, but with the wind blowing about 30 knots they were getting covered by the drifting sand. Kerry had mentioned that he was straight out, and roughly 50′ from the high tide line, which was a good thing. Once I got close to the water I was able to see the area they had been raking earlier that morning, without that mark I highly doubt I would have been able to find the spot. Another huge thing in their favor was that the area was flat wet sand from from the prior high tide, and even though it had been raked quite a bit, didn’t blow flat, with the screaming south east wind. I turned on my machine, made one path around the perimeter, and on my return path Bingo!!! My machine gave off the sweet sound of success. A nice solid low tone, which I knew immediately was Kerry’s ring. Once back at my truck, I called his relatives phone hoping they were in town, but they were not. Then I called Kerry with the good news, and arranged to meet him at a later date to return his ring. another great recovery in the books.