Promise Ring Recovered at Pensacola Beach
This is kind of an unusual but very sweet story that was about two months in the making. I metal detect with my son in law, Dave Cartee, we share things we find and the stories all. The time. I was doing some random detecting in the Gulf at Pensacola Beach, testing out a detector, and just came across this silver ring. I got home and noted the ring was engraved with two names on the outside, Tori and Brock. On the inside was the engraving I love you. The first thing I thought was this is a promise ring and two young people are really missing this. That evening I was sharing what I found that day with Dave and described the promise ring. Immediately Dave asked me to sent a picture. I sent it and he called right back and told me that about two months prior Tori had reached out to him. That was late June. I asked Dave if he still had her contact information and he looked and found a phone number. I texted Tori with a picture of the ring and asked her to call. She was amazed, emotional and very grateful. We made plans to meet and return her ring a few days later. Both Tori and Brock were extremely grateful and told me they had given up hope on recovering that ring. But because of this was their original first ring, circumstance surrounding its return, the story of its lost, emotional let down and now return. That this promise ring had a very special meaning and story they would cherish and planned to pass this ring on one day as an heirloom. I assumed that meant there’s another yet to be written chapter to this story. Tori and Brock here’s wishing you the best and I am glad I could help and become apart or you story.
Thursday morning early I received a call from Chris. He and the family were playing on Pensacola Beach late Wednesday afternoon when his wife, Katarina, noticed her engagement ring was missing. Chris asked if I could help, that he and the family were due to check out of the condo they were staying in a few hours and had to travel back to Austin that day. They had a photo of Katarina or the beach with the ring on her finger and she hadn’t gone in the water so the assumption was it was lost somewhere in the sand. I told him I would be glad to help and would come immediately. Fortunately my gear was already charged up and in my van. I quickly kissed my wife bye and headed for the beach. I arrived about two hours before condo check out time so I got with Chris and Katarina right away and got details about where they were on the beach and the activities they took part in. They pointed out approximately where they set their beach chairs, but there was significant surf the night before and the beach had significant erosion from the waves. Now beach erosion is very common here, sand is constantly, moving around, but their spot was able to set the longitude axis so we started there. Katarina said they played catch with a ball and she had jumped up several time with her arms raised with finger reaching out, which sounded like the place to start searching. All in all the area was pretty big, between one half and two thirds acre. Because the ring was lost in late afternoon and this was the next morning I assumed it was not deep in the sand, my first mistake. Because they were under time restraints I was working faster than normal, my second mistake. Two hours later we got together to reassess and I started again but this time I set the detector to search deeper and moved much slower. I started from the spot where the beach chairs were located and followed the anticipated route Katarina may have taken to where she played ball. About half way to that spot I got a fairly good signal but it was two to three times deeper that I expected. I set my recovery scoop as deep as I could so I could get under the target causing no scratches or damage to a ring, spread the sand on the surface and checked for a signal, got nothing. I quickly stuck my detector coil in the hole and received a much better signal, carefully digging a second scoop of sand and spreading it out I ran the detector over it and pinpointed the ring. Reached down and held it up for Katarina. She was overjoyed! Now there were probably thirty people on the beach many who had watched me hunting not really knowing why. When Katarina received her ring and held it up most of those thirty or so people understood and started clapping. Her two daughters were excited and when to get their Dad. I apologized to Chris for my two mistakes that delayed their trip home, but he didn’t care he was just glad they were returning home with the ring that had been on her finger for 15 years! I think both had half way come to accept the ring was lost forever. It was a happy ending all around. I do not know how the ring was able to get maybe 8 to 10 inches deep and was glad I found it after about three and a half hours but I would have kept going till it was recovered.
Alex and Cali contacted me asking if I could find Alex wedding ring that he lost in the water at Pensacola Beach. They were afraid of losing it and wanted me to come that night, I said I couldn’t come that night but would meet them at first light the next morning. Both Alex and Cali are Internet Tech Remote workers who do their work where ever they and their computer are. They had recently moved to Pensacola from San Diego. Alex pointed out about where he lost his ring and I started a search. It turned out to be a fairly easy search. After about 4 passes and digging several pop tops and a nickel I found his ring. They were both extremely grateful and I could tell that their worry was relieved. They are really nice people and I am glad I could help. 
Chad and Renee are the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Friendly, outgoing, all around warm folks vacationing at the beach. And while at the beach that day, became local celebrates. Chad accidentally lost his wedding ring, in the Gulf of Mexico, where in sank in the sandy bottom, out of sight. Renee called me for assistance and I told her I could probably help. I got to the beach about 11:00 and started searching, there went lots of people enjoying the beach. I set out flags on the beach to help navigating in the water with Chad’s assistance, then proceeded to search in grid fashion. The setting out flags got everyone’s attention nearby. As I kept checking my longitude I noticed folks talking with Chad and Renee. The search took about two and a half hours and my activity apparently was a source of curiosity and perhaps entertainment for everyone near. There was almost no targets in the water so the maybe two time I set my scoop lots of folks watched. So, when I finally located Chad’s ring, the signal was unmistakable and I knew. I set the scoop extra deep so as not to scrap the ring, looked at Chad and I think he knew also. Don’t know if it was my smile but he was getting out of his chair as I was pulling the scoop from the water. I took the ring from the scoop and lifted in so he could see it was indeed found. People on the beach clapped and cheered and bestowed them with their well wishes. It made my day, found his ring, no more worries, vacation back on!
Loran and Rika are the nicest folks your ever want to meet. Loran called me on a Monday evening asking if I would find his two lost rings on Pensacola Beach. He lost them Sunday evening and was afraid he would never see them again. Both rings were sentimentality very important to both him and Rika. I was afraid than someone may have found them Sunday evening or Monday but I would give it a try. I ended up getting to the beach about two hours before sunrise so I’ld have time to search before umbrellas were set up and towels laid out. After about an hour and a half, while still dark, I got an unmistakable signal from my detector and recovered his rings, both were within a foot of each other. I texted the pictures to Lorna then settled back to enjoy the sun rise. Later that day I returned his rings. Both He and Rika were super happy and all smiles and that made my day!