Geneva Lake Tag | The Ring Finders

Diamond Ring Recovered from Geneva Lake (Wisconsin)

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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70 Days Lost

July 4th, 2026.  The United States of America was busy celebrating its 250th anniversary with parades, cookouts, and family gatherings.  Mitchell and Abigail were no different.  They came to Lake Geneva to be with family, fellowship around the table, and simply have some fun as a newly engaged couple.  But this day brought a loss they were not expecting.

Abigail cooled off that day with a jump in Geneva Lake.  She swam a handful of strokes toward a floating trampoline and switched to doggy paddling.  And this is when her beautiful diamond engagement ring slipped off her finger and was lost in the muck below.  

And it would stay lost for 70 days.

Mitch texted me on July 6th, “My fiancé’s engagement ring came off while jumping in Lake Geneva… I’m curious if you would be able to help…”

I wasted no time getting to the site, and met up with Mitch’s mother the evening of July 6th.  She shared the story, and I donned my diving gear to make my first attempt to find the ring.  Little did I know it would take five more diving sessions over 70 days, the retrieval of hundreds of metal items from the lake, and nearly 9 hours of diving to find Abigail’s engagement ring.

Although I have hundreds of hours diving in the shallow waters of Geneva Lake, this particular spot was my most difficult.  The seaweed, after a summer of growth, was tall and thick.  The silt at the bottom stirred up almost instantly and clouded any visibility I might have had.  The area between the pier and the floating trampoline was large. And then there was the trash: pull tabs, beer cans, and coins; there were sinkers and fishing lures, pier bolts and washers; boat parts, including a steering wheel, a rear-view mirror, and safety lights; a thermometer, glasses, sunglasses, a dog bowl.  There was only one way to find the ring… keep digging.

I went back as often as I could: July 11, July 21, August 15, September 5, September 12.  I spent about 1.5 to 2 hours each time, digging up the aforementioned “treasures.”  

Mel Fisher, the famous treasure hunter, spent 17 years searching for the famous sunken Spanish treasure ship the Atocha (Nuestra Señora de Atocha).  The mother lode, found in 1985, is estimated to be worth around 400 million.  He had a slogan that he repeated every day, “Today’s the day!”

On the morning of September 12th, this phrase echoed in my mind as I ate breakfast and thought about my search strategy.  I knew the math was in my favor.  Every piece of metal I removed got me closer to zero metal targets in my search zone.  The more I looked, the more ground I would cover.  I would eventually land on top of the ring, and I thought, Today’s the day!

The weather was pleasant that Saturday as I narrated into my GoPro the thoughts on the day’s search.  My final line was… “We’ve just got to keep persevering.”  About 30 minutes later, I was able to add my post-video commentary, “We did it… I’m so relieved.. What a day!  Thank you, Lord. This is the Day!”

And so the ring was found… but how to surprise Mitch and Abigail?

It’s helpful to add that over these 70 days I never actually met Mitch or Abigail.  We texted and talked on the phone, but no face-to-face meetings, which gave me a fun idea.  What if I could surprise them?  

So instead of calling them and sharing the good news, I called Mitch’s mother to set up the surprise reveal.  After a few phone calls, the plan was in place: Mitch and Abigail were asked to drive from their home near Milwaukee, WI to Lake Geneva, WI because Mitch’s parents needed to tell them something in person.  They were reassured it was good news, but they needed to hear it in person: “Could they come?”  Mitch and Abigail might have been a bit perturbed to receive such a short-term request on a Saturday morning, but they agreed to make the 45-minute drive.

On my end, I decided to write a short, somewhat cryptic poem, glue it to a palm-sized box with the ring inside, and then just show up at Mitch’s parents’ home to present the mystery package.  Remember, they had never met me, so I was just some random guy, delivering a small, mysterious package.  

After I arrived, Mitchell and Abigail came out together.  The curious, maybe slightly uncomfortable, looks on their faces just added to the moment.  I presented Abigail the box and asked her to read the poem aloud.  She read:

Seventy days

In a watery grave

Yet hope remained

And efforts stayed

Our shared joy doubles

As the time draws near

When two become one    

“Stop…” Abigail paused

And then she opened the box and her ring peered back from a cotton pillow. “Ohhhh…..  Stop,” Abigail continued, and Mitchell came in for a hug.

Mitch: “I never thought I would see it again.”

Abigail: “I’ve felt naked without it.”

Mitch: “Wow. It’s unbelievable!”

The search was finally over, the ring returned, the thanks given.  What a joy to be able to help people like Mitch and Abigail!  If you or someone you know has lost a phone, ring, or other jewelry item, please call.  The smiles I enjoy when returning lost items are one of the best parts of what I do.

 

Trash Removed from the Lake:

 

 

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Ring Recovered from Water in Lake Geneva, WI

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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A Friend in Need

Lake Geneva, WI, once dubbed the Newport (RI) of the West in the late 19th century, has a rich history and many charming features, drawing both tourists and residents.  Some come for the shopping, the restaurants, and the small-town atmosphere.  Others come for work or strong schools.  It’s no surprise the lake itself, Geneva Lake, is the main attraction, the magnet, the reason people come to the area.

And surrounding this beautiful lake is a 21+ mile lake path that the public has enjoyed for hundreds of years.  It began as a simple footpath for Native Americans to travel and hunt between villages.  In the 1870s, it evolved into a workman and estate trail before finally becoming a legal right-of-way in the late 19th century.  It was during this final stage, in 1894, that a piece of land was donated to the city of Lake Geneva to build a park and library.

And this is where my story begins.

On August 25th, 2026, Susan left me a voicemail.  “I’m calling in regards to hopefully you helping to find a piece of lost jewelry near the shoreline at one of the spots in Lake Geneva.”  After talking with Susan, I learned that a friend of theirs had lost a special ring in the lake, near the front of Library Park.  This historic lakepath is now a concrete sidewalk with open views of the water and benches for sitting and enjoying the space.

In front of one of these benches, somewhere in the shallow water, sat a ring for nearly a month.  The ring was accidentally thrown into the water by a friend.  I met with Susan and Randy to see what I could do.  They contacted me on behalf of a friend, hoping I could find it with my metal detector.  Could I find it?

It was a cool morning, around 6:30 am, when we met.  I listened to their story, and as I got in the water, Randy pointed me in the right direction.  The seaweed was thick in this shallow area, and there were many rocky sections that could easily hide a ring.  I searched in a grid pattern for nearly an hour and found only trash and a few coins.  At this point, I was getting quite cold, and my pouch was full of heavy trash.  I decided to take a break, dump all the trash from my pouch, and rethink the search.  Although I wore my full-length wetsuit, Randy saw I was chilled and offered to get me a coffee.  I brushed it off, not wanting to impose on him, but his kindness insisted, and off he went.

In the meantime, I sat on the bench with Susan, talking about the situation and how it was thrown into the water… and then I had an idea.  

I got up and picked up three small stones, felt their weight, and guessed they might be close to the weight of a ring.  The ring was thrown from a seated position on the bench.

  I handed Susan a stone and said, “Throw it.  Throw it like you remember it was thrown.”  She did, and the stone didn’t even make it to the water.  It clattered on the stones along the shore.  

“Try again,” I added.  “Really give it a throw!”  She obliged, and this time it just barely plinked into the edge of the lake.  

“I think I’m searching too far out, Susan,” I said.  “The stones you threw are nowhere close to where I was looking.”  She agreed.

Randy arrived with the hot coffee, and what a blessing it was!  It wasn’t long before I was warm and eager to start the search again.

But before getting into the water, I gathered three more stones and ran Randy through the same stone-throwing test… and had similar results.  Each stone landed just beyond the shoreline.

I donned my gear and stepped back into the water, searching in barely ankle-deep water, listening and scanning with my eyes.

Moments later, I saw it, the ring, clearly resting between two fist-sized stones.  I questioned my eyes, as it had been nearly a month in the water, and ran my detector over it.  Beeeeep!  I reached in and plucked it from the bottom.  The search was a success!  

Randy and Susan were elated!  They were able to return this precious piece of jewelry, which has so many irreplaceable memories connected to it, to their friend.

If you or someone you know has lost a phone, ring, or other jewelry item, please call.  The smiles I enjoy when returning lost items are one of the best parts of what I do.

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Gold Ring Recovered from Lake Geneva

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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The Ring Under the Raft… and More

             A thrown football… fumbled.  Along with the football, Heath’s wedding ring slipped from his wet hands, bounced, and disappeared under the floating raft.  Down, down 8 -10 feet to the sand below.    

            Heath attempted some diving on his own while a friend texted me, “Hey, man – I’m at Lake Geneva.  One of my friends lost a ring off of a floating dock.  What would it look like for you to dive for us?”

           The college reunion to reconnect and set up their Fantasy Football teams clouded over and the loss began to dampen the anticipated fun weekend.    

            The next morning, Friday, August 14th, 2026, I arrived to see if I could help save the weekend.  The weather reflected the mood of the gathering, cloudy and gloomy.  Once in the water, I surveyed the floating raft.  Although tethered to the bottom by a 8+ foot chain, I needed to know how much the raft could drift.  After a quick scan of the bottom (maybe I’d get lucky… I didn’t) I decided to push the raft to its maximum distance and swim it in a circle to determine a rough circumference the chain could pivot.  I quickly saw that the search area was quite large.  Depending on what point of the circumference the raft was pushed to by waves, wind, or humans, the ring could be in a lot of places.

              And so I started a grid search.  There was some trash, but not enough to frustrate me.  There was also seaweed to fight, a few large, floating lime green algae blooms, and a few spots of open, bare sand.  I found nothing but trash, a few coins, and surprisingly, two Apple cell phones.

              About an hour later, I was losing hope as I had cross gridded the area multiple times.  My air would only last for 20-30 more minutes.  The raft was always in motion making it hard to know if my grid system was accurate, and so I switched to concentric circles beginning at the massive concrete pad the raft was anchored to.  About 18 minutes later, I heard a strong signal, and after waving away some sand, the gold shined forth.  I couldn’t wait to swim back to shore.

              By about 8:30am, Heath had his ring back on his finger and the sun was beginning to shine.  I knew when his roommates woke up, the good news would be shared and spirits lifted.  

              If you or someone you know has lost a phone, ring, or other jewelry item, please call.  The smiles I enjoy when returning lost items are one of the best parts of what I do.    

✤        ✤       ✤

P.S. One of the phones I found worked!  After texting a few numbers that popped up in the notifications, I got a phone call from Cody.  It was his girlfriend’s phone that she lost a week ago while kayaking.  What luck!  Two smiles with one dive!  Cody added..  “We lost two other  phones that day.”    

       About a week later, after getting permission from a landowner to pass through their yard and use their pier, I was back in Geneva Lake looking for two lost phones.  Cody sent me pictures and a good location to begin searching for his brother, Brandon’s phone, and Brandon’s wife, Karla’s phone.  In about 30 minutes I had both phones and was packing up my gear. 

Did both phones work?  Yes! Even after two weeks underwater.  It was a triple joy to return three phones to three very happy people.

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Wedding Ring Recovered from Geneva Lake

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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Through a Crack in the Pier

I met Bob on Friday, July 17th, 2026, to look for his lost wedding ring.  Earlier that week, while Bob was visiting family near Lake Geneva, WI, he took a walk down to the pier.  For reasons I fail to recall, he took off his ring to keep it safe, and somewhere between leaving his finger and setting it on a table, it found its way between the boards of the pier and into Geneva Lake.

Before donning my diving gear, I listened to his story, and together we assessed which section of boards the ring most likely fell through.  To aid me while under the pier, I found a washcloth among some cleaning supplies that I fed down through the boards, held above with the leg of a chair. Once under the pier, I could look for the washcloth to pinpoint the search location.

The pier was expansive and stretched far out into the lake, making the dive deeper than I normally have to go.  My breathing device only gives me ten feet of diving depth, but once I got to the search zone, I was able to reach the bottom.

What first struck me were the dozens of fish under this pier. 

A fisherman’s paradise.  All kinds, sizes, swimming near and far.  The larger ones were not used to a human-sized fish in their territory and (thankfully) kept their distance.  I guess I wouldn’t be alone for this search.

The bottom was free of seaweed and had a hard-packed gravel bottom.  This was great news and made for a quick search.  I dug a few targets, just to make sure I wouldn’t miss the ring, and within about 30 minutes I had the ring snug on my finger.  

When I surfaced, Bob was up at the house having dinner with his family.  I texted him, “I think I have something that belongs on your finger.”

In a few minutes, I could see Bob’s eager smile from a distance, and I was so pleased to return it where it belonged.

If you or someone you know has lost a phone, ring, or other jewelry item, please call.  The smiles I enjoy when returning lost items are one of the best parts of what I do.

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Gold Ring Recovered from Geneva Lake in Fontana, WI

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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June 9, 2026

Wedding Ring Recovered from Geneva Lake in Fontana, WI

Raul and his family were enjoying a day at the beach in Fontana, WI when his 14K gold wedding band was lost.  His family spent time in the grass, on the sand, and in the water.  Fontana beach is quite large, so narrowing down the search area was key.

On my way out I texted two fellow detectorists who may have been detecting this beach letting them know I was on a search and “Did they find any gold rings at Fontana’s beach in the last two days?”  “No,” was the reply.  When I arrived, another detectorist was in the water.  I waded out to Tony and asked the same question.  “No, only a quarter so far.”

       Raul patiently answered all of my questions as we worked to pinpoint the most likely spot he would have lost it.  I marked off the edges of my search area in the sand and waded into the shallow water to make my first pass.  Dragging my search coil slowly over the sand, overlapping, so as not to miss anything, I had a strong repeating signal around the third or fourth pass.  I knelt down in the water and waved away the topmost layer of sand in the spot where my detector indicated a target.  Half of the ring appeared like a golden smile.  I picked it up and held it up to Raul who was standing on the shoreline.  

It was the first and only target I dug that morning.  Raul carefully thought through all of my questions and that led to our success in finding the ring.

After a few photos, it was back on his hand and his smile said it all.

        Later, Raul made a kind post on the Lake Geneva Lake Life Facebook group.  He writes: “A huge thank you to Seth for helping recover something that means so much to me and my family.  We are incredibly grateful!”           

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Diamond Ring Recovered in Lake Geneva

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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August 23, 2025  

 Bigfoot Beach Rescue

It was a typical Saturday on Geneva Lake in Wisconsin.  The temps were perfect for all sorts of fun on the water, including some treasure hunting with my seven-year-old son.  The plan was to drive out to Big Foot Beach State Park, and do some snorkeling and treasure hunting with my metal detector.  Using an underwater breathing device called a Nemo by Blu3, the diver is fed fresh air and can stay underwater (up to 10 feet deep) for quite a long time.  My son loves exploring the shallow depths, looking at fish, and searching for lost items.  

            No sooner had we loaded the car, a text came in asking for help with a lost ring.  A photo attachment showed some unknown shoreline.  I looked up from my phone, told my son, and watched disappointment begin to creep into his expression.  

“Don’t worry, buddy, we’re still going treasure hunting.  The ring search can wait.”

Before pulling out of the driveway, I sent a quick text back asking where the ring was lost.  We soon arrived at Bigfoot Beach State Park and began to get out our gear when my watch alerted me of a text reply.  

It simply said, “Big Foot Beach”

I stood in the open lot and dialed the number.  When Kegan answered I explained that I was in the Big Foot Beach State Park parking lot.  His reply, “I think I’m looking at you.”

Looking up from my phone, I saw a young man and woman walking towards me.

The timing of everything was uncanny!

Before long the search was on.  Kegan’s initial text reminded me that I once searched for a ring for him at Williams Bay beach on Geneva Lake (to no success) and that this one had more diamonds.  Okay, let’s get this diamond ring back, I thought.  Kegan and Christina explained that while returning from paddle boarding the ring fell off of Christina’s finger less than 15 feet from shore.

Although the water was rather clear, the area was very trashy.  I grid-searched the area for at least an hour, digging up lots of pull tabs, pier bolts, a ring with a prominent capital letter M as the design, a handful of pennies, and nails.  Frustrated, I decided to expand my search area a bit, just in case. Nothing.

Needing a break, I came back to the shore to also check on my son.  Kegan was kind enough to keep an eye on him, and I could see they had built a small pond on the shoreline and had also found some trash treasures of their own.  

Christina looked rather deflated, and I told her the area was very trashy, so there were lots of signals to dig.  My netted bag was quite heavy with junk, so I proceeded to unload it in order to return for more searching.  As an aside, I commented to Kegan and Christina that I did actually find a ring, not Christina’s, and thought my son would like to see it.  

I continued to throw down soda cans, rotting pieces of sheet metal, and long pier bolts until I could find the ring in my bag.  

I heard the gasp before I saw her face.  Christina shouts, “That’s my ring!”  

I’m not sure who was more surprised, myself or Christina.  The ring is a flat, capital letter M made up of small diamonds.  How I missed learning this detail was clearly my own fault.  In my mind’s eye I was looking for a diamond engagement ring, perhaps with a few extra diamonds on the side.  The capital letter M ring was clearly off my radar.

Needless to say, Christina and Kegan were relieved and grateful to have the ring returned.   It felt great to return yet another precious item, and I’m thankful for the humbling lesson of knowing clearly what to be looking for ahead of time. 

Once Kegan and Christina departed, my son got to spend an hour or so diving for treasures himself.  He found a pair of sunglasses hiding in the seaweed, some sea glass, interesting shells, and his first silver earring.  

The sun was setting when we crept out of the water, and although we shivered walking back to the car, it was a great day of treasure hunting.

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Lost Wedding Ring Found in Lake Geneva, WI

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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Gold in the Lake

 

Another successful recovery!  This story happened three years ago, and there have been many exciting treasures unearthed since then, but I did not take the time to write this one down.  Simply put, David went for an afternoon swim, dove off the pier and his wedding ring slipped off and down to the sandy bottom.  Out of sight, but not out of mind.  

A call to The Ring Finders solved the problem.  I was able to dive with my new Nemo by Blu3 and find David’s ring.  The smiles tell the rest of the story.  What a joy to be part of The Ring Finders network of metal detecting recovery specialists! 

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Lost Wedding Ring Recovered from Lake Geneva, WI

  • from Lake Geneva (Wisconsin, United States)
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Caught in the Storm

August 10, 2025

The weekend of August 8, 9, 10, 2025 saw record flooding in Southeastern Wisconsin.

“The Kinnickinnic, Milwaukee, Menominee and Root rivers all hit record highs over the weekend, with the Milwaukee River going more than 4-feet over flood level.” (PBS News)

  I was camping in the Wisconsin Dells with my ten-year-old daughter and although under a flood watch, my first-world problems consisted only of a leaky tent and a restless night’s sleep.  

Down in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, Brian and his family were caught in a fast approaching storm on Geneva Lake.  Spotting a stranger’s open boat shelter, he took refuge, keeping his family safe (including his infant grandchild) and waited out the storm.  Once the storm cleared, he navigated to the municipal pier and docked.  Crisis averted… that is until his son, Mike, who was tying the boat to the pier piling, experienced that stomach-turning feeling of his wedding ring slipping off into the murky lake.  

Despite being known for clear, clean water, Geneva Lake was a murky mess after the storm. The seaweed, having grown long all summer, further clouded any hopes for a quick dive in to retrieve the ring.

Brian turned to Chat GPT.  It eventually led him to Seth Tost – “Ring Finder and Metal Detector Specialist.”  Among other facts about me, it claimed “has a proven track record recovering lost rings in local beaches and waters.”  It’s important not to believe everything you read in Chat GPT, but I sure did want to maintain the bar AI set for me.

I arrived at 6:15 and after a few questions was in the water.  I popped into the water at 6:22 pm and was photographing the ring at 6:39 pm.  This was by far my fastest recovery and I give a majority of the credit to Brian for pinpointing the location where Mike’s ring decided to go for a swim.    

The ring is a mixture of tantalum and gold.  Tantalum is not a metal I am used to detecting.  It is super resistant to corrosion, so it’s used in surgical implants and electronics.  It holds a charge well and is used in cell phone and computer capacitors.  It’s also used in men’s wedding bands because it’s scratch resistant, durable, and has a gunmetal grey color.

Needless to say, it was a joyous recovery for myself and Brian’s family.  And for now, I’m still doing my part to keep Chat GPT honest.

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