how to find a lost ring in the ocean Tag | The Ring Finders

Man’s Yellow Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Ocean Isle Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

On Thursday, October 1, 2026, just before 8 p.m., I received the following text, “Hey Jim, This is Skyler. My Family and I are vacationing at Ocean Isle beach (from Ashville) and I lost my gold wedding band around 4pm today while playing in the water with my daughter (between knee and waist depth) near the condo that we are staying in. I found you online and am wondering if you can assist? Please let me know. Thank you.” I took a quick look at the tide table and saw that he lost it about 2 hours before low tide and it was now 2 plus hours after low tide. The next low tides were Friday at 6 am or 7 pm. I called Skylar and got some additional details including the address of the condo and we decided that I’d be there before the 7 pm low tide the next evening and hung up.

As I’m sitting watching TV and thinking about this ring search, I looked at the tide tables again. I was thinking it’d be dark at 6 am but probably a calmer ocean that early in the morning. Plus no heat, no crowds and hopefully before anybody swinging a metal detector would be searching the beach. I text Skyler back and asked if they had taken any pictures of where they were sitting showing the condo in the background. He responded that they had not, but he could take pictures in the morning and send them to me. Within a minute or so, he text me a picture his wife, Taylor had taken that couldn’t have been any better. It clearly showed me exactly where they had been sitting in relationship to the right corner of the condo. He also said he was to the left of where they were sitting when he lost his ring while facing the condo. I made the decision then to be out there about 5:15 a.m. I sent him a text letting him know the change of plans.

When I got there I made my way out to the beach and although it was pitch dark, I was able to line up with the corner of the condo as shown in the photo.  I turned on my Equinox 800 and started a north/south grid line. Knowing I was looking for a yellow gold wedding band, I was expecting a VDI (visual display indicator) number in the high teens. On my third grid line, ankle deep in the ocean and my first target, I got a very solid and clear 20 on the VDI. I dug the target out of the wet sand. I turned on my headlamp but couldn’t see anything through the shells in the scoop. I reached into the scoop with my hand and put my index finger right through the ring. Bingo! I made my way back up to the condo and saw somebody standing by the pool watching me. He said “Jim?” I replied “Skyler?” and we shook hands. I asked him what his ring looked like as I pulled his ring out of my pocket and held it up for him to see. Needless to say, he was stunned when he saw it and replied, “That’s it!” We walked back up to his unit so I could get pictures. While we were talking, he told me that after he lost it, his 4 year old daughter told him something like, “Daddy, if I had superpowers I’d find your ring.” How sweet is that!! What a way to start the day, for both of us!!

Taylor – you saved the day with the picture you took. It was absolutely perfect. Thank You!

Skyler – Thank you for contacting and trusting me to help find your lost Treasure. I wish you and your family all the best, enjoy your vacation.

Jim

 

Tags:
Category:

3 Ring White Gold Wedding/Engagement Ring Set Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

On September 28, 2026, around 4:30 p.m., I received a phone call from Amy-Grace saying she had just lost her Wedding and Engagement ring in the ocean. I told her I’d be there in 20 minutes and ask her to send me the address, which she did.

When I arrived, I was able to park at Amy-Grace’s rental and walk down to the beach. On the way, I met Amy-Grace who was walking back to their rental with her daughter. She told me about what time and how deep she was when she lost it, which was right at low tide. She also told me her sister and husband were on the beach waiting for me and would show me the loss area.  I was already an hour after low tide, so I needed to get started.

I met Amy-Grace’s sister and husband, Tom. Neither one was real sure but thought she lost her ring a little diagonally to the left of where they had their chairs set up. Other details I got where they were looking for shells along the shell beds near the shore. I fired up my Equinox 800 and started an east/west grid search working my way north and along the shell beds. The tide was coming in fast, and it wasn’t long before I was taking waves up to my back. After a little bit, Amy-Grace came back out to the beach and put me in a completely different area about 15-20 yards or more north of where I had been searching. I’m now almost 2 hours past low tide and the sea breeze was blowing in enough to cause the waves to kick up. At this point I wasn’t making any progress, so I told Amy-Grace I’d be back the next day at low tide which was at 4:12 p.m. While I was talking to Amy-Grace she repeated that when she lost her ring set, that she was lined up with a streetlight pole that could be seen from where we were standing.  So, I had a good starting point for the next day.

The next day, Tuesday I arrived just before 3 p.m. and met with Tom, who said Amy-Grace was at Walmart getting food for the family. Not a problem, I knew where I needed to start the search. I lined up with the light post and moved north, just to extend the search area. I’d rather be long than short on the search area. I started my east/west search, going south and out at least thigh deep to make sure I was beyond the shell bed. I was on my sixth line and dead even with the light pole when I got a solid 9 on the equinox’s VDI (visual display indicator). I knew a lady’s white gold ring would show between 9-12 on the VDI. Bingo! I dug a full scoop of sand and checked the hole 3 or 4 times to make sure I had the target in the scoop. I washed the sand out of the scoop, looked in and all I saw were shells, a whole scoop full. I started removing small amounts of shells with my fingers and shaking the scoop again. I finally removed about two thirds of the shells and saw the bottom part of her ring. I reached it and grabbed it and washed it off in the water. I walked over to Tom and asked him what Amy-Grace’s ring looked like, already knowing I had it. He looked at me and as he’s describing it, I held it up for him to see. His expression said it all! He said later that when I asked that question, he had a feeling I had found it. Now we had to wait for Amy-Grace to come back from shopping to surprise her. When she returned to the beach, the tide had turned but it was still workable. I put the ring on my index finger and was pointing to confirm where I thought the ring should be, she never did see her ring. As she’s walking away to take me to the spot, I called her name and as she turned around, I held the ring up in front of my face. It took her a second to realize that I had her ring. Tears started flowing and I got a huge bear hug. I love returning someone’s treasure that they thought was gone forever.

Amy-Grace – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. So happy it’s back where it belongs.

Jim

 

Tags:
Category:

Platinum Engagement Ring Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Ocean Isle Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

Just after 5:30 p.m. on September 25, 2026, I received a call from Tricia saying her friend; Caroline had lost her Platinum Engagement ring in the ocean. Looking at the tide tables, she lost it about 2 or so hours before high tide. The next low tide wasn’t until just before 1 a.m. I’m not a big fan and neither is my wife, of me going out in the middle of the night, alone in total darkness and doing a possible water search. So again, looking at the tide tables, the next low tide was after 2 p.m. on Saturday. I asked Tricia to get me some landmarks from the houses behind her on the beach. She did one better and took a couple of pictures showing a couple of houses and where the ladies were set up on the beach. I told her that I’d be there the next morning at 11 a.m., this would be 4 hours plus after high tide and give me time to work the low tide line if necessary.

The next morning just before 11 a.m., I arrived at the house that Tricia, Caroline and another friend Isa were staying. Caroline and Tricia walked me down to the beach and showed me the area. Talking with Caroline she explained that she was about knee to thigh deep and had put her hands in the water to splash Tricia and Isa and felt her ring come off her finger. Unfortunately, she was facing the ocean which put the ring a little farther out. Looking at the pictures Tricia took; I lined myself up and started a north/south grid line. I covered the suspected area, taking the search out to knee to thigh deep. I expected, with the outgoing tide, her ring would be in the wet sand. After finishing that section and talking with Caroline, I moved past the west boundary and started another grid search. I still wasn’t finding her ring. The only area left was between my two grid searches. I started on the west side and worked east to my original starting point. On my last line and in the wet sand, I got a solid signal with a VDI (visual display indicator) reading of 16. I think all of my platinum VDI readings have been in the 11 to 12 range. Like all my targets, I dig everything. One scoop and I had the target out of the hole. Spread the sand out with my foot and saw a beautiful ring staring up at me. I picked up the ring and was sure I had Caroline’s ring. It appeared platinum and was heavy and thick, hence the high VDI reading. Caroline had gone back up to the house, so I showed the ring to Tricia and Isa who both thought it was Caroline’s. Isa verified that it was stamped with “PLAT” so I was confident we had Caroline’s ring. I think Isa took a picture and sent it to Caroline and Tricia called her just as Caroline was walking back on the beach. What a big smile Caroline had on her face. Caroline called her husband, Charlie to give him the good news. Charlie wanted to talk with me, and he thanked me for finding her ring. A funny little back story is that Charlie metal detects, but more relic hunting than beach. In the beginning of Caroline’s trip, he offered her the opportunity to take one of his metal detectors, but she wasn’t interested. Charlie and I have a future date to go metal detecting when they come down around Thanksgiving. I can’t wait.

Tricia – Thank you for contacting me to help get Caroline’s ring back.

Caroline – I’m so happy to have found your ring for you and to get it back where it belongs.

Jim

 

Tags:
Category:

Man’s Rose Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

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

 

 

Tags:
Category:

Heirloom Man’s Yellow Gold Wedding Band dropped in the Surf, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach, SC.

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

On August 14, 2026, just after 8:30 a.m., I received the following text, “Hi Jim. Saw your page online and we’re in need of your help. We’ve lost a gold wedding band in the surf in front of the Carolinian Resort. Let me know if you’re available. Thank you.” Before calling him, I did a quick check of the tide tables and saw that high tide was 9:16 a.m., I called and Brian answered the phone. He said that his daughter Seton and her friend had been out at the water’s edge around 8-8:15 am and her ring had slipped off her finger into ankle deep water. He also told me the ring was a yellow gold wedding band that had belonged to his father. I had a few things pending, so I told him I’d be there about 11 am. This would also allow the tide to recede a little and make recovery a little easier, I hoped!

At 11:05 a.m., I sent him a quick text telling him I was walking out on the beach. We met and I followed him over to where they had set up for the day which was in the area the ring was lost. He pointed out the area, somewhere between the lifeguard stand to where they were sitting. I turned on the Equinox 800 and started an east/west grid line from the bottom of the dry sand to about knee deep water. The sand was extremely mushy and soft and with each step I was sinking up to my ankles. Maybe my fourth or fifth line, I got a solid signal jumping from 13-15 on the machine’s VDI (visual display indicator). Those numbers tell me I’m either over a small man’s gold ring, a pull tab, nickel or bottle cap. The only way to make sure is to dig everything. I started pulling out full scoop loads of soft wet sand. With each scoop a wave would bring more wet sand in and fill the hole back up which also let the target settle more and sink deeper. I noticed that Brian and his wife Aimee were watching very intently and hoping for the best. I finally got the target out of the hole, spread the sand out with my foot and saw the gold ring shining in the sunlight. Boom! I picked it up, cleaned it off in the surf and turned around and held it up for Brian and Aimee to see. I could see the relief and joy in their faces. Brian called his daughter Seton and had her come down from the resort. I told Brian and Aimee, “let’s surprise her.” When Seton showed up, I asked her to explain exactly what happened. I’m standing beside her and a little behind her and as she’s talking, I hold up the ring. It took a few seconds for her to see and realize what she was looking at. Then it was a both hands to face reaction as she couldn’t believe her grandfather’s ring had been found. I love the true reactions I get from returning a treasure.

Brian, Aimee and Seton – Thank you for allowing and trusting me to find your very special treasure and getting it back where it belongs. Have a very safe trip home.

Jim

Tags:
Category:

Lady’s White Gold USC Gamecocks Class Ring Takes Flight at High Tide, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

On Saturday, August 8, 2026, I saw FB notifications on a post about a USC class ring being lost. Just before 6:30 p.m. I received a text message saying, “Hi Jim! Someone recommended you to me on face book. I lost my college ring in the ocean on 6th Ave. south in North Myrtle Beach today. Its silver and has a 13 on side and says Go Cocks on the inside. Is there any way you can help find it? It was high tide when it came off.” I responded saying call me with my phone number.” Within seconds my phone rang, and Cassy was on the other end. I got additional details and told her I’d be there in 15 minutes.

When I arrived, Cassy and her mother, Debbie was sitting in their golf cart waiting. As we walked out on the beach, Cassy said her and her mother had been throwing a ball, and her ring flew off. We walked out to the area, and Debbie showed me where she was standing and Cassy showed me where she had been. This happened right at high tide and they were ankle deep. I turned on the Equinox 800, started where Cassy and been standing and walked across the top of the slope. Since the ring was white gold, I was expecting a number on the machine’s VDI (visual display indicator) between 1-5. I got to about where Debbie had been standing and got a solid 2 on the VDI. Bingo!!! Dug a small scoop of sand, gently shook it out and had Cassy’s ring in the bottom of the scoop. I took it out and held it up for both of them to see it and Cassy gave out a little scream. Total time was maybe 2 minutes. Cassy was so excited and couldn’t believe how fast it was. Her lost treasure is now back exactly where it belongs.

Cassy, thank you for allowing me to help find and return your special USC ring.

Jim

Tags:
Category:

Man’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

This adventure started about 12:30 p.m. on July 23, 2026, when I received a voice mail saying, “Michelle, I lost my ring in the ocean.” I immediately called her back and learned her husband; Jonathan had his wedding band slip off in the ocean when he was hit by a wave about 30 minutes prior. I asked Michelle how deep they were when his ring came off and she said calf deep. I found out where they were and told her I’d be there in about 15 minutes. I did a quick check of the tide tables and saw I’d be facing an incoming tide.  Plus, this time of the day would mean an increased sea breeze and building waves. Hoping for the best, I grabbed my Equinox 800 and headed out.

When I arrived at the travel park, I met Michelle at their RV, and we walked down to the beach. When she led me to where the family was sitting in the dry sand, I met Jonathon. I asked them what type of metal the ring was, but they weren’t completely sure if it was silver, white gold, or possibly Platinum. They told me that the ring had belonged to Michelle’s great uncle. They also told me that they had been married for a month and that today was their one-year anniversary of Jonathan and Michelle’s engagement. So, there was a lot riding on me finding this ring. I got a few more details on how and about where the ring was lost and then I followed Jonathan out into the ocean. I was getting concerned when we kept walking after getting to waist high water. I was also feeling the sea breeze pick up and the waves coming in higher and stronger. This was not going to be easy. I attempted to start a grid search back towards the beach, but I was getting picked up and moved by each wave. The little bit I was able to search; I did hit a solid 10 on the VDI (visual display indicator). I know a man’s white gold or platinum wedding band is going to ring up between a 9 and 12 depending on size. A man’s silver ring is going to ring up about 25. I was able to do a few swings of the coil and hit a target that showed a 10 on the VDI. So, as soon as I got the 10, I glanced up at the beach and got a landmark and took a quick scoop, hoping I had it. The scoop was full of nothing but small shells. Trying to find it again, the waves had moved me about 5 feet off the target, and I couldn’t find it again. We were within an hour of high tide, so I told Jonathan we’d both pace off the number of steps back to where they were sitting. Naturally we came up with different numbers; his were probably more accurate than mine, because I’m trying to keep the scoop from slamming into my legs and keeping the current and waves from pushing my coil into the sand and breaking it. When we got back up on the beach, I told him we had missed the tide, and I’d have to come back that night at low tide. We talked a bit and I left.

That night I got back about an hour and a half before low tide and tried doing a grid search. It was dark and I had a hard time trying to do any sort of a grid search. There was also a couple of fishermen out pretty close to where I was trying to search. They were wearing, what appeared to be car headlights as their head lamps. They kept looking in my direction and destroyed any night vision I may have had. I did what I could and after almost 2 hours, I called it a night. The whole time I was there, Jonathan and 2 others were sitting on the beach watching me. I told him I’d be back in the morning before low tide and start all over. Unfortunately, Jonathan and Michelle were leaving the next morning, but Michelle’s sisters would still be there.

Friday morning, I was there about 45 minutes before low tide and set up my east/west grid search. Conditions were perfect, so I was confident I’d find his ring. I started to the north of my landmark and worked south, keeping very tight grid lines out to about thigh deep. I finally got in line with the lone palm tree that was my landmark, walked about 10 yards out and got a solid 9-10 on the VDI. I know I had a big smile on my face. I dug a scoop of sand and shells and checked the hole, and I had the target in the scoop. I washed the scoop out in the water and started taking out small handfuls of shells. Finally, I saw Jonathan’s ring, which turned out to be Platinum, in the bottom of the scoop. I took a picture and sent it to Michelle with a text saying, “Yours?!?!?!” I gave her a couple of minutes and called her. When she answered, all I said was, “check your text.” I could hear them over the phone confirming it was Jonathan’s and their excitement. She said she’d call her sisters, Regina and Caroline and have them meet me on the beach. Both sisters showed up and were excited as well. They took the ring to give to Jonathan when they see him on Sunday or Monday. This was a tough one but well worth every second.

Jonathan and Michelle – Thank you for trusting and allowing me to help find your very special and important heirloom.

Jim

   

Tags:
Category:

White Gold Engagement Ring with diamonds Lost on the Beach, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

On Saturday July 18, 2026 just after midnight. I received the following message on my business suite from Heather saying, “Hey there! I’m sure this is a long shot but I was at the beach directly in front of Marriott Myrtle Beach Resort at Grande Dunes yesterday morning with my two little boys and I believe my engagement ring may have fallen out of our bag. I specifically put it inside our beach bag in a Ziploc bag with my wedding band, which was in the bag, but I cannot locate the engagement ring. If you are looking up at the resort from the beach, we were just to the left of it. I’ll send a reference pic. If you by chance locate one in this area, can you please let me know? We live in Charleston but are from Myrtle Beach. Just celebrated our 10 year anniversary in June and I’m devastated.” I didn’t see her message until after I received the following text from her husband just before 8 a.m. in the morning.  “Hey Jim. My name is David. My wife took my 4 and 2 year old to the beach by the Marriott Grande Dunes on Friday and she lost her wedding ring. She said she put it in a bag and it might have fallen out where she was sitting, I wanted to see if you possibly had any availability today to help find it. We live in Charleston but would be happy to meet you to retrace steps.” I called David and got a few more details, like where his wife Heather had been sitting, etc. About 9 a.m. I decided I’d go ahead and go look for the ring hopefully beating the crowd and the heat. David also sent me some Google earth pictures showing me the area, the resort’s chair line, and where Heather had been sitting.

When I arrived and walked out on the beach, I studied the pictures to make sure I was in the right spot. There were very few people taking up the chairs and umbrellas that the lifeguards put out daily during the summer. David had sent me Heather’s phone number and told me it was ok to Face time her, which I did. Heather pointed out that she had been between 2 red umbrellas that had been set up. Thinking those 2 umbrellas were probably not in the same location they were 2 days ago, I extended my search area. I was able to do a north/south grid search from behind the chair line, along the chair line and under the umbrellas and out to the incoming tide line. I had no luck and was out of options. This is a high end resort, and it’s not easy to get into, so I had a good feeling that a casual beach searcher wouldn’t have found it. On the way off the beach, I just had a feeling that I should stop by the front desk and have them check the lost and found. When I showed the desk clerk the picture of Heather’s ring and asked him if anyone had turned it in, he had a look like he recognized the ring. He told me to hold on, while he checked 4 drawers under the counter and then disappeared in the back. I assumed he checked the safe because he was gone for a few minutes. When he reappeared he was holding an envelope that he opened in front of me. Boom, we had a perfect match. The clerk told me that the ring had been turned in by a pool employee, which means it was either lost at the pool or someone found it on the beach and gave it to the first employee they encountered. I took a picture of the ring and sent it to Heather with a text saying “Yours?” Then I called her. She immediately answered and said “yes, yes, yes!” It just so happened, that she was driving back up to Myrtle Beach from Charleston to retrace all her stops the day she lost her ring, Walmart, a gas station and the resort. We agreed to meet at the resort so she could get her ring back. About an hour later, Heather and I met at the resort and she was so excited to get her ring back.

Heather and David, thank you for trusting me to help find your ring.

Jim

 

Tags:
Category:

Gold Tooth Grill Lost in the Soft Sand, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

This search started just after 1 pm, on July 10, 2026, when I received a text message saying, “Hello, is this Jim Wren.” I responded, “Yes.”  Then I get, “Hi, I was recommended to you off the internet and I was wondering if I could use your help? I have a custom gold tooth set I dropped in the sand, I recovered two of them, but I can’t find the last one. It was 3 pieces all together.” I called her and got additional details, including the address and was on my way.

When I arrived at the address she gave me, I wasn’t close to the beach, so I called her and asked for the resort name, which she provided. I ended up at the resort and had to explain what I was there for to the security guard at the front gate. He seemed reluctant but let me through to park. My second obstacle was the gate guard at the resort’s swimming pool. I made my way through the swimming area and out on the boardwalk looking out at the huge crowd on the beach. I called the young lady, Trejour and told her where I was standing. She ended up being down the beach and she called when she saw me. She showed me the very small area, and I asked for one of the other grill teeth so I could test it. It rang up as a 2-3 on the Equinox 800 VDI (visual display indicator). I made a couple of swings and hit a solid 4 on the VDI. I was able to use my pin pointer to hit the target, but I still had to sift the sand through my fingers to find the missing grill. She was extremely happy when I handed it back to her.

Trejour – Thank you for calling me and allowing me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

 

Tags:
Category:

Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Wrightsville Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
Contact:

On June 25, 2026, around 4 p.m. I got a call from Ring Finder John Finnerin, Oak Island NC asking if I’d take a call at Wrightsville Beach NC. John gave me a few details and I told him to go ahead and give the gentleman my phone number. I didn’t hear anything until the morning of 6/26/2026 when Jack called me asking if I could help. At the time, I was driving to another search and I asked him a few details, like where he lost it, wet or dry sand. He stated dry sand, and I asked him if there was any chance of it getting wet, in which he stated no. I asked him to send me the info on the area with an address. I also told him that as soon as I finished the search I was going to I’d let him know. After a successful search, I headed towards Wrightsville Beach and started contemplating what was ahead. Traffic started getting heavy and I thought today being Friday, tourist are coming and going. Parking at the beach would be non-existent and the beach would be crowded. I called Jack and explained my concerns to him and that I was going to hold off until later in the afternoon to go. He understood and agreed. Meanwhile Jack had sent me the beach access number with pictures including a Google map where he had drawn the suspected loss area.

I decided to leave my house around 5 p.m. and make the hour and a half drive, arriving between 7 and 7:15. Everything was working as planned until I tried to find a place to park when I got there. The crowds had moved from the beach to the restaurants and there was still no parking. All the parking at Wrightsville Beach is metered street parking until 8 p.m. so I just kept driving in circles hoping for something. I finally found a spot closer than I thought I would and took it. There was still 15 minutes of pay parking, so I took a chance and didn’t pay the $6 an hour. I found the beach access Jack gave me and took and sent a picture to Jack to show him I was there. When I got out on the beach I looked at the photos Jack sent and set up my search area. About half way through, I took a quick break. As I’m standing there, I see a family with about 20 Adults and kids combined. The adults lined the kids up in two lines to have an egg toss. Unfortunately they were spread out in the exact area I needed to search. So for about 30 minutes or so I stood there watching kids throwing eggs at each other, meanwhile I was losing daylight. When they finished and headed back to their rentals, I picked up where I had left off. It wasn’t long afterwards I hit a solid target that I knew was a gold ring. I scooped up the sand holding the ring, shook it out and there was a gold ring in the scoop. From the description Jack gave me, I knew I had his ring. I took a quick picture of me holding his ring with a text saying, “Yours??” and sent it to him. He immediately responded, Yes!!! I told him I’d get it in the mail to him that Monday and asked for his address, which he supplied.  Monday, I got it in the mail and he is supposed to get it by Thursday.

He got the ring in the mail as scheduled and today, Sunday he sent me the pictures I requested. This was a great ending to an almost tragic loss.

Jack – Thank you for allowing me to help find your lost wedding band.

Jim

 

Tags:
Category: