I received an e-mail and a phone call from Trisha in Minneapolis, Minnesota saying she found my name on theringfinders web site and explained to me that her husband had lost his wedding ring in the water at Cocoa Beach and could I help? I assured Trisha that I am always willing to help, but a big part of being successful at finding people’s lost rings is in the information given to us about where and when and how the ring was lost. The more precise the answers to these questions the more the chances go up of finding ones precious lost item. Trisha explained that she could send me photos of the area where the ring was lost with possible GPS coordinates.
Later that evening I was able to go on Google Maps and type in the GPS numbers and low and behold it gave me an exact location as to where the father-in-law was standing when he took the pictures on the beach! With this information I was able to zoom in on the aerial view and calculate how many feet from the 2nd boardwalk it would be to the exact spot where the photo was taken
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All week the surf had been very rough with a strong north current and the soonest I could get down to Cocoa Beach would be on Friday, and the surf would be only 1 to 2 feet. I was excited to be on my way! I packed up 2 wet suits, scuba boots, pvc marking poles, beach chair, metal detectors, scoops, etc… I arrived at the beach and bundled up as best I could against the 60 degree water and stiff winds. And after pacing out my calculations, I set up my chair and proceeded to put poles out into the water as well. From the photos it appeared the camera angle was pointing a bit south so I marked out an area roughly 70X70 yards and began by grid search. Using the technique Chris Turner recommends by backing into the surf to keep your lines straight and overlapping, I covered the area in about 2 hours—but NO RING! I felt sure it was there but figured I needed to expand my search further north because of the strong current and high winds. And sure enough, after 3 passes I found the ring in waist deep water under 4 inches of sand! I was shaking as I collected my stuff and headed to the shower to change. The shaking was not only from being cold but was with the excitement of finding another lost ring and the anticipation of returning it to Trisha and her very surprised husband–Josh!!
You see, Josh and his father and two brothers had come to Daytona to see the races and spend some time at the beach. And returning home without his 12 year old wedding ring was extremely hard! So his dear wife, Trisha, decided she would surprise Josh and that’s where this story–our story begins! I never would have come close to finding Josh’s ring without Trisha’s help and those GPS numbers.
The following day I went to the UPS office and mailed their ring 2 day delivery and thankfully this story has a very happy ending! Trisha wanted to include me in the surprise so Monday evening I was able to talk to Josh on the phone and explain who I was and what we do–along with all the details. And as I got to the part of the story where I found the ring, Trisha was able to hold out her hand and actually give him his own ring–the very one he lost exactly one week earlier in the Atlantic Ocean–1,625 miles away! I would love to have seen his face when she handed him his ring! Hey?!! And that is what theringfinders is all about!
It was an absolute honor and thrill to help Trisha and Josh get their ring back! And thank you so much for your most generous reward!
Lost a ring? Call ASAP! We are here to help!
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