I was detecting on the beach when a man approached me and said his wife lost her ring out in the surf. I got right to work but the ring was nowhere to be found. I ended up griding a larger searc area before I found it. Another smile created!
Early this morning, while I was at work, a coworker called me. The moment I heard his voice, I knew something had gone wrong. There was desperation in his voice — he needed help, and fast.
He had been out waterfowl hunting with a friend when disaster struck. As he was lifting the dog back into the canoe, his shotgun accidentally slipped overboard and vanished beneath the dark water of the lake.
There was only one thing to do: grab the metal detector and head out on an unexpected underwater treasure hunt.
When we arrived at the lake, his friend was already waiting for us with the canoe ready to go. I loaded all my detecting gear into the canoe, climbed aboard, and we headed out across the water toward the spot where it had all happened.
Once we reached the area, it was time to get wet. Wading through cold water, thick reeds, and deep mud, I began sweeping the bottom with the metal detector, hoping the shotgun hadn’t disappeared too deep into the muck.
Then, finally, I got the signal we had been hoping for…
Success! Against the odds, the lost shotgun was found and recovered! ??
Not exactly the kind of treasure I usually go looking for — but definitely one recovery they won’t forget anytime soon! ?
Jacksonville, NC – While fishing by the New River, Alexander accidentally kicked his phone into the water and assumed it was gone for good. Weeks later, after having to put down his pet ferret, he realized all his photos of the animal were on that phone. He reached out to Crystal Coast Ring Finders, and I went to help. A friend warned me the area was known for alligators, but Alexander gave me a clear idea of where to search. Using a fishing magnet to test the semi-soft riverbed, I found the depth was manageable. After several passes through the murky water, I finally located Alexander’s phone—it was actually the second phone I recovered that day from the same location. Since he wasn’t home, I left it in a designated spot. Later that night, Alexander sent me a picture of it charging and working again. I was thrilled he could recover all his cherished photos.
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As Cheryl and I were leaving Old Orchard Beach, fresh off a successful recovery, my phone rang. On the other end was Jennifer, and she was looking for some urgent help from The Ring Finders of Maine.
I asked her what happened, and she explained that her husband, Paul, had just lost his wedding ring at Point Sebago. The tricky part? He wasn’t entirely sure where it came off. It could have been in the dry sand around their beach setup, or it could be somewhere out in the water.
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Here is what we knew: Paul had been lounging around his beach chair, but he had also been out in Sebago Lake Maine, throwing a football around with his sons. Around lunchtime, as the family gathered to grab a bite to eat, Paul looked down and realized with a sinking feeling that his ring was gone.
The family immediately sprang into action. They searched all around their beach chairs and waded through the water where the football game had taken place, but they came up empty-handed.
When Jennifer told me the story, my immediate thought was that the ring had to be in Sebago Lake. In my experience, rings don’t just fall off your finger while you’re lounging around in a beach chair. They come off when you are active and doing something with your hands—like catching or throwing a football in the cool lake water!
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Knowing this was likely going to be a water search, I told Jennifer I would absolutely get up there, but I needed to make one quick stop at my house first. If I was going into the lake, I needed the right tool for the job: my Minelab Excalibur II. This machine is a beast for water recoveries—fully waterproof and submersible up to 200 feet deep, it’s the same detector used on heavy-duty dive sites.
Once I retrieved the Excalibur and made sure we had every piece of gear required for a thorough water hunt, I called Jennifer back. I let her know we were officially on the road and that it would take about an hour to get there, aiming for a 3:30 PM arrival.
With the vehicle loaded up and a plan in place, Cheryl and I hit the highway, heading straight for Point Sebago.
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Once we arrived, we were promptly met at the main gate by Jennifer and her son, who got us checked in with visitor passes. From there, they drove us right down to the beach and lake in a golf cart. Wow, I really like this place—no walking required, lol!
Down at the water, we were met by Paul. He showed us their exact beach setup and pointed out the area of the lake where he had been standing while tossing the football around. I got my gear on, fired up the Excalibur, and walked straight into Sebago Lake with Paul leading the way to his exact spot.
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Once I could see the entire layout of the area, I told Paul my strategy: I was going to start my grid search just a little further out and deeper in the water. I always over-grid an area to make absolutely sure I don’t miss a single spot where a ring could possibly be hiding.
That’s when Paul gave me one more piece of information—he mentioned that he had actually swum out to retrieve the football a few different times, and on those swims, the water was over his head. There wasn’t much I could do about those deep-water spots at that moment, but I could certainly search every single inch of the rest of the area.
I set up my grid lines vertical to the shore, locking my eyes onto an onshore landmark—a specific tree at the back of the beach area. Keeping my focus on that tree would ensure I walked in a perfectly straight line.
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With the plan locked in, I waded out until the water was approximately armpit deep and started making my way back toward the shore. I hadn’t even been searching for two minutes when I reached belly-deep water and a strong, clear signal hit my headphones. My first target! Could this really be Paul’s wedding ring already?
I plunged my long-handled beach scoop deep into the sand, lifted it up, and dumped the contents into the floating sifter I use out in the water. As the water cleared and I looked inside, I COULD NOT BELIEVE MY EYES.
A gold ring was sticking right out of a clump of sand!
I turned, looked right at Paul, and said, “I got it.”
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Paul immediately made a beeline to me, and Jennifer and one of their sons rushed right out behind him. I told Paul he could have the honors of removing his ring from the sifter himself. As he grabbed it, the sheer relief on his face was incredibly evident.
Suddenly, everyone in the family was smiling, shaking hands, and hugging. But the magic didn’t stop there. Once the other vacationers in the area realized what had just happened, a massive wave of applause, clapping, and cheering started filtering out to us from the shore and from people in the water. It was an absolutely awesome moment to experience!
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As we were walking out of the lake, Jennifer let me in on a huge secret: she and Paul would be celebrating 30 years of marriage this upcoming October! Recovering Paul’s wedding ring was an unbelievable relief for their massive upcoming anniversary.
Jennifer and Paul continued to praise me for making the trip out to help them, and as we stood there talking about 30 wonderful years of their lives together, my phone rang yet again.
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The next call was for a lost wedding ring down at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport Maine. Paul and Jennifer were incredibly generous and offered to buy Cheryl and me a round of drinks to celebrate the win, but we had to politely decline. A wedding ring had to be found, and as we always say:
“If it matters to you, it matters to us.” ❤️
So, with two successful ring recoveries already under our belts today, Cheryl and I hopped back into the vehicle and headed straight to Kennebunkport Maine. Let’s see if we can make it a hat trick! ?☘️??? ?
On August 18, 2026, and just before noon, I saw a Facebook recommendation on a lost ring in Myrtle Beach. Shortly afterwards, I received a text message from Haley saying, “Hello, My husband lost his wedding ring on August 13th in Myrtle Beach. I was wondering if you would help us try to find it. It’s very special to him. Please let me know if you are able to help and I can send more information.” I immediately replied asking her to call me. When she called, she told me they were behind the Hampton Inn & Suites in Myrtle Beach. She also said that he lost it on August 13th at 7 p.m. When I checked the tide tables, it would have been about 2 hours before high tide. My biggest concern was that it had been out there for 5 days. With all the locals and tourist hunting the beaches with detectors, I’d be surprised if it was still out there. I did a quick Google search for the address and saw that the Hampton was on the south end of Myrtle Beach. It was also away from the main hotels lining the beach and kind of set off by itself. This could make a big difference in the number of people hunting the beaches there. I checked the tide tables for the 18th, and it showed the cycles reversed and low tide was just before 7 p.m. I told her I’d get there about 5 p.m. and would do my best.
When I arrived, there was no one on the beach. Haley had mentioned that her husband, John had been to the left of the lifeguard stand when he lost his ring. I called Haley just to confirm that I was lined up with where they had been. John got on the phone, and I told him I was in front of the lifeguard stand and facing the resort. Then I asked him whether I go to the left, or right? He replied to the left. Taking all the clues Haley and John gave me, like time and tide, how it came off and a few other things; I was expecting to find his ring on the low side of the sloop. I started an east/west grid search from the left of the lifeguard stand, down the slope and out to about knee deep. I decided to extend my search out into the ocean, just to make sure. I was on maybe my sixth or seventh grid line and about three quarters of the way down the sloop when I got an iffy signal and started digging. After 5 days of continuous sand movement, I figured the heavy rose gold ring would be deep. It took 4 full scoops of sand to get the target out of the hole. With each scoop, I’d check the hole and the target was getting stronger and reading between a 13 and 15 on the VDI (visual display indicator). These are great numbers for a man’s Rose Gold ring. When I had the target on the beach, I spread the sand out with my foot and saw John’s Wedding band. I cleaned it off and took a short video of me holding the ring and sent it to Haley, then called her. She was shocked and said she was not going to tell John and let him be surprised. I had to call her back for something and she told me then she couldn’t hold it in any longer and told John. She said he was overwhelmed. I got their address and got the ring in the mail and on its way home.
Today, Monday I got a text from Haley saying, “It’s on his finger!!!! Thank you so so much. We will get that picture tonight.”
Haley – Thank you for contacting me to help find your lost treasure. Best wishes to you and John!
Jim
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I just received a text from Claudia asking, “Hey! I heard about you for a ring lost on the OOB Beach.” I texted right back letting her know that yes, I find rings on the beach, and asked if she had just lost one.
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Claudia explained that she had taken her beautiful sterling silver ring—a precious Valentine’s Day gift from her partner—off and placed it safely on her beach towel before heading into the ocean for a swim with her daughter. Once they came out of the water, her daughter grabbed the towel to dry off… and you know the rest of the story. The silver ring disappeared instantly into the sand! ⚡
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Claudia and her group of family and friends—visiting all the way on vacation from Canada, Québec.—started a quick search. However, they quickly and smartly called the search off. They were afraid of accidentally kicking the ring out of the area or pushing it deeper into the sand out of reach of my metal detector. Truly a smart move! ?
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I told Claudia I could be at her location in @lOld Orchard Beach in 15 minutes if I could find parking. Cheryl and I loaded up the metal detecting gear and headed straight to OOB. After driving around for 5 minutes looking for a spot, we finally parked about 1/3 of a mile away and walked over to Claudia’s location.
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Once we arrived, we saw that Claudia and her group had completely cleared the area and placed their beach chairs in a perfect semi-circle to keep the loss zone clear and identifiable. Another great move! I really like these people. ?
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I fired up the metal detector and asked ???? ?????? ???????????? ??????????????, ??????, to start rolling the camera. I took exactly two steps and heard the unmistakable tone I was hoping to hear.
Are you serious?! ?
Just two steps and literally 5 seconds into the search, I believed I had already found it. I put the detector down, reached my hand into the sand, felt around, and pulled Claudia’s sterling silver ring, sparkling with stones, right out of the sand! ?✨
(Be sure to watch the video below to see the exact moment it happened!)
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This was easily one of the fastest recoveries I have ever had. It happened that fast because Claudia and her group had the foresight not to disturb the area, and instead chose to isolate it perfectly by marking it with their beach chairs.
Claudia and her group were all smiles! I cannot stress enough how much Claudia and her crew really helped themselves and me by doing everything exactly right:
* Time is of the essence: Claudia messaged me within minutes of losing her ring.
* Stop searching: They stopped before disturbing the area.
* Isolate the zone: They marked the spot perfectly while keeping others out. ??
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After the smiles, hugs, and handshakes were over, Cheryl and I grabbed our gear and headed back to our vehicle a third of a mile away.
But the day wasn’t over yet!
As soon as we got into the vehicle, the phone rang. Another lost ring phone call! We threw it in drive and headed straight to Point Sebago on Sebago Lake Maine in Casco, Maine. Little did we know, as we left Old Orchard Beach, our ring-finding adventures for the day were just beginning… ??
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If you lose a ring, keys, or other jewelry on the beach or in the grass, remember: Stop searching, mark the area, and call a professional immediately! Time and moving sand are your biggest enemies.
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I received a message from Avery, asking if I would help find her heirloom gold ring lost while doing yard maintenance around her Oregon City property.
She had been raking up all the fir cones that had been dropping in the yard, putting them in a wheelbarrow, and dumping them into a nearby ravine. Part way through her work, she noticed that the gold ring that had belonged to her grandmother, which she wore on her pinky, was missing. She had been raking and shoving the fir cones, wearing gloves, which she had taken off from time to time.
She began searching for the ring immediately, but couldn’t locate it.
She did the expected Google search, and found me on Ringfinders.com.
Huge plus was Avery stopped everything, basically freezing the scene.
Usually when I begin a search, the ring is always on the opposite side of the search area. This time I was just into my third pass of the area, I hit that perfect tone. Kicking back some of the fir cones, I saw the faint glitter of gold.
I picked it up and said “Got it!”
Avery was so happy I got one of the biggest hugs ever. She took the ring, and gave me another huge hug, accompanied by tears of happiness.
Avery preferred not to have any photos, so just included pictures of the ring.
Fellow ringfinder, Tom T., sent me a referral as he was tied up. Wendy was baking on Saturday and her ring came up missing. She thinks she lost it in the pantry when it flew off her hand and landed in the trash basket. They searched the whole area and went thru the trash about 4 times and did not find the ring. I gave her instructions to record the last time she knew she had the ring on and also the first time she noticed it missing. For that time period I asked her to write down all the things her hand touched during that time.This incredible, devoted family man lost his ring sometime during the day and suspected it may have happened while playing Frisbee with his kids. The tricky part? He wasn’t exactly sure where or when it was lost.
He had been all over his front yard, playing Frisbee from his neighbor’s yard across the street to all areas of his own yard. He attempted his own search with his own metal detector but didn’t locate it.
He gave me a call, we scheduled a time, and the search was on!
His yard was loaded with targets—approximately every six inches. In situations like this, knowing what your detector is telling you is absolutely key.
After approximately an hour of searching his yard and two neighboring yards, the ring was finally recovered! ?
Another happy ending and another family heirloom back where it belongs. ❤️
My sincere appreciation for you choosing me as your ring finder cannot be overstated, congratulations on your ring return.
That ugly feeling of panic and anxiety set in when she discovered the ring was missing. This stunner of a gold and diamond ring was lost in their backyard, either while picking up sticks or while playing with the dog. John dusted off the ancient metal detector from the garage but couldn’t get any reliable readings. They contacted TheRingFinders, and the next morning I arrived at their lovely 5 acre country home. After demonstrating how the equipment worked, we started a grid pattern in the area where she thought it mostly likely to be. About 10 minutes later, tears of joy welled up as she had her prize possession back on her finger. This couple was so grateful to have there heirloom keepsake back safe and sound. They are THRILLED at the outcome and so glad they called a professional.
