It was early afternoon on a beautiful day at the Jersey Shore when Megan texted me. She had just lost a very precious ring in the ocean and asked if I could help. I explained that it depended on how sure she was of the location and if she could guide me back to the exact spot. Megan said she had seen the ring fall from her finger and drop near her feet in waist-deep water. I instructed her to mark the location as best as possible, using Google Maps to drop a pin, taking photos of the shoreline and the area where the ring was lost, and noting the time of day it happened. She said she’d think it over and get back to me.
A few minutes later, Megan called back, ready to move forward. We arranged to meet at the next low tide, around 9 p.m., as the ocean was forecasted to get rough in the coming days, which would make the search nearly impossible. I met Megan’s mom, Erin, on the beach that night, and we marked the area where the ring had been lost. I started by working along the bottom of the tide line, hoping the ring had washed up, but after several passes, I had no luck. I checked the photos to ensure I was in the right spot—it all matched up.
The waves were rough, with a strong rip tide making it difficult to work below the shell drop. After a while, I took a break to regroup. While I spoke with my wife and Erin, I explained that the conditions were challenging and I wasn’t sure if I could continue searching.
After about half an hour, I returned to the water to observe the wave pattern. As the tide receded, the waves seemed to calm a bit, so I decided to give it another try. Determined to succeed, I got back into the water and focused on the area below the shell drop. Finally, I heard a solid signal—and there it was, Megan’s ring in my scoop.
I let out a yell of success, and Erin was in total shock. She immediately called Megan, shouting, “He found it! I can’t believe it! Get down here!” The excitement was contagious, and everything came together quickly. By then, it was close to 11 p.m., and I was exhausted from battling the surf. We took some photos, hugged, and said our goodbyes.
This recovery was a reminder of why it’s important to choose the right person for the job—someone who isn’t afraid of rough conditions and will do whatever it takes to succeed.
