Man’s Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Kure Beach, NC
At noon on Sunday, July 23rd, I received the following text message, “Hello Jim, my name is Robin and was given your name and number in the Kure Beach Locals group. My Husband, Jason, wedding ring came off in the ocean, he was sitting and a wave knocked him over and it came off and we were unable to find it. I didn’t know if this is something you would be interested in helping us with? I appreciate your time and any guidance! Thank you!” I called her for some additional details. Thinking it was probably lost in the last day or two I asked what day and approximate time it was when it came off. I was a little stunned when she said it happened the previous Monday. With all the locals and tourist hitting the beaches daily with detectors, it’s unusual that a ring wouldn’t be found in a 6 day period. She also said it happened around 7 p.m. which was good because high tide that day was at 8 p.m. I told Robin I’d give it a shot and see what I could do. She sent some pictures and gave me a great indication of where the ring would be behind the condo they had rented. I grabbed my gear and started the hour and 35-minute drive to Kure beach.
When I arrived, there were quite a few people having fun in the sun. There wasn’t much beach between the high tide line and the outgoing tide with a pretty steep slope. My plan was to start on the south side of the 6-8 unite condo and work my way north. Although the tide was going out, the waves were crashing on the beach and the current was rough. I got about half way across the beach, when a family decided to move closer to the water and was directly in my grid pattern. It must have been a sign from God. I moved to the north end of the condo to work south. About my 5th grid line I got a solid 19 on my Equinox 800 VDI. This ring, being a Tiffany and Co yellow gold wedding band, I expected a VDI in the high teens. It took me a couple of scoops to dig the target out of the sand. When I had the target out of the hole, I spread the sand out with my foot. As I was checking out the sand, I saw the glistening of gold staring up at me. I cleaned the ring off, took a picture of it and sent it to Robin with a text that read “BA BOOM!!!” A few minutes later I tried calling with no answer. I loaded up the car and headed back home. About 5 minutes into the trip, Robin called. She was so excited and overcome with emotions she could hardly talk. These types of reactions are what make this all worthwhile.
Robin and Jason – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Wish you two all the best!
Jim
I was called late in the afternoon to find a lost wedding and engagement ring in the sand at Pensacola Beach. The beach this day was packed with folks enjoying the weekend and fine weather. Sarah and Ron had their umbrella and beach chairs set with an extra shade tent for the infant baby. Sarah took her rings off and set them on the cooler while applying sunscreen on the baby. The baby squirmed about and somehow kicked the ring that when flying through the air, landing in the sand and burrowed in out of sight. At this point Sarah didn’t know the ring was missing but after taking care of the baby and getting him settled she soon discovered the rings were missing. Sarah and Ron frantically looked around for the rings, sifting the sand as best they could with no success. People were weaving their way through the crowded beach and impacting the area where the rings could have been buried. When I arrive I first surveyed the area they thought was the most likely spot. There were beach chairs, umbrellas, coolers and towels laid out every where. I politely asked everyone it I could move there property so I could check for the lost rings. Luckily everyone was cooperative. It didn’t take long to locate a couple of targets, the first was a aluminum can pull top that sounded surprisingly similar to a gold ring that had been soldered together. The second was the ring! Their beach neighbor had a tent set up with fabric sides. Apparently the baby sent the ring flying which hit the side of the tent with a little bounce and settled in the sand that may have been stepped on sending it a little deeper in the dry sand. In any event Sarah and Ron were overjoyed the ring was back on her finger. They were all smiles and grateful. 
A local surf shop in Pensacola, Waterboyz, celebrated its 30 year anniversary since opening its doors. They celebrated by having a special ring make for the founders. Since the founders surfed, one of them lost his ring in the water at a break west of the Pensacola Pier. The ring was solid silver and my detector literally screamed when I passed the coil over it. The ring was found and returned to its happy owner who was amazed it was recovered from the surf. I was more than satisfied to have been of service, and had a long shot recovery success. 
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Christina called and asked about recovering a sentimental cross that was lost on the beach while playing football. I asked her the details, Jack lost it while doing a spin move catching the football. I was heading to LBI for another recovery and told her I would swing by after that, it was in a safe area and they would be the for a bit anyhow. When I arrived her husband Brady met me at the dune crossover, we talked for a bit, and I started the search. After some junk targets were cleared out I got a solid but faint signal I originally thought might be tin foil. Well, it wasn’t, the cross was in my scoop. We waited a bit for Jack to come out of the water to confirm this cross was his, snapped some pics, and off I went. Another save in the books.
