lost wedding band Waikiki Tag | The Ring Finders

This ring find began when I got a call from Elijah who hails from Guam and serves in the US Army on Oahu. While Elijah & his lovely wife Bianca were getting ready to snorkel they forgot they had placed their wedding rings in the flippers and as they went to put them on they spilled out into the sandy shoreline and a wave erased them from view. They initially called ring finder Don Bryant up in Kailua but he passed it to me as I live ten minutes from Waikiki. Parking was non existent near Kaimana Beach so I parked at the zoo and walked down. Elijah met me at the entrance and then we proceeded together down to the area the rings were lost. I started the grid search but the rings weren’t in that box so I shifted the search towards the Natatorium wall thinking the minor surf might have pushed the rings that direction. Indeed a few seconds later I got a nice tone on the Nox. In the first scoop up came Bianca’s white gold diamond ring. I asked her to come out into the water to get it as I had another target on the Nox. Three scoops later I had Elijah’s white gold wedding band. Thinking I was done Bianca said there was a tiny gold ring that was also lost. I swung the Nox around and indeed there was a third target. This ring was so tiny it got pushed away from my scoop about four times before I was able to retrieve it. Okay 2021 lets start the year with a trio recovery. Elijah & Bianca were obviously thrilled to get all their rings back and were so thankful it didn’t take but a few minutes. Aloha to Bianca & Elijah!

This ring hunt began when I got an email from Bart who lives in Seattle Washington and was on vacation with his lovely wife Caroline & their son. While throwing a football in waist deep water Caroline noticed her platinum & diamonds engagement & wedding bands had come off. Bart got a mask and snorkel and searched immediately around the area Caroline was in the water. Honu Lagoon is like a washing machine during high surf times and the rings were no where to be found. Caroline found the ring finders by doing a google search for “lost ring Oahu”. I called Bart and told him we could see what the surf would be like the next day at low tide to see if a hunt was feasible. The next morning Bart sent me a pic of the lagoon and said looks pretty calm this morning. I told him I would grab my gear and head down around 11AM at low tide. When I arrived Caroline & Bart drew lines in the wet sand so I could start a grid search. I entered the water and even at low tide I was getting pushed around quite a bit. I decided to hunt parallel to shore so as to follow the sand dunes underwater which I could see clearly. It wasn’t 2 minutes later I got a strong number 6/7 on the Nox and in one scoop their was Caroline’s beautiful engagement ring in my scoop. I yelled to Bart to come out into the water to retrieve it so I could stay on the spot to recover the wedding ring as I heard another target. After Bart took the ring I scooped the second target and there was the wedding ring. Mission accomplished! I was thinking this is going to be a challenge in the high surf. Let’s just call it a New Year’s Eve blessing! Caroline & Bart were so grateful and could now leave the island this evening with all their possessions. Aloha to Caroline & Bart!

This ring find began when I got a call from Daniel who lives in Honolulu. While enjoying the day and playing volleyball on the Hale Koa beach his girlfriend Kiana lost her Gold Cartier Love ring in the water while going after a stray ball. They searched for about an hour but never found the ring. His friend told him to Google search and that’s how he found the ring finders. I told Daniel I could grab my gear and be there in 15 minutes. When I arrived Daniel introduced me to Kiana and she proceeded to show me how she lost the Love ring which was so small she actually wore it as a toe ring and felt it come off as she ran into the water. We set the grid lines and I started the search. Kiana only went five feet into the water which was waist deep. On the second leg of the grid I got a nice tone in the wet sand and in one scoop there was Kiana’s Gold Love ring. I let her reach in and retrieve the ring and then she asked if she could give me a hug. But of course! She said the ring had strong sentimental value to her and she was very thankful for the successful search. Aloha to Kiana & Daniel!

This ring find began when I got an email from Justin from Mililani stating he’d lost his white gold wedding band in Honu Lagoon while enjoying some time with kids in the water. He actually saw the ring fall to the bottom in chest deep water and when he went under to retrieve it the waves pushed the sand and his wedding band disappeared. He spent an hour and a half hunting but the ring never reappeared. We agreed to meet this morning at 9AM during the low tide. When I arrived Justine and his father were using a makeshift sifter to try and recover the ring. Justine helped me draw my grid lines in the sand and I started the search. I walked out to neck deep water and then turned around towards the shore. After a few steps I got a loud #13 on the Equinox and in one scoop there was Justin’s ring. Elapsed time 2 minutes. I shouted over to Justin “Found it!” Luckily I started on that side of the grid otherwise it may have taken much longer. Justine and his father were shocked on how quick a recovery it was especially after searching with the sifter for quite some time. Aloha to Justin!

This ring find began when I got a call Sunday evening from Keith who lives in Hawaii Kai on Oahu. While playing baseball at Koko Head District Park Keith determined that during one of the times he removed his baseball glove his gold wedding band must have come off. We agreed to meet the next afternoon at the ball park so Keith could show me the general area he was playing in right field. Keith was waiting when I arrived and we went up to the ball field in the background of the photo. I gridded out the most probable area and started my search. The Equinox was popping on many targets coins, pull tabs and bottle caps. I had my pinpointer so decided since the ring was probably on top of the soil in the grass I would ignore all targets below two inches on the Equinox. After hunting the grid and still no ring I asked Keith which direction was most probable to expand the grid and he said towards the infield. Low and behold the first target in the new grid was a surface screaming 11-12 on the Equinox. I bent down to run the pinpointer through the grass and there was Keith’s gold wedding band. Hidden under the grass I believe someone must have stepped on it during the previous day’s search. I enjoy these challenging hunts with many targets but Keith said he thought we would never find it after about 30 minutes and seeing me check so many targets. Keep the Faith and we shall succeed! Aloha to Keith!

This necklace hunt started when ring finder Don Bryant referred me to Jen as the Waikiki Metal Detectorist to request services from. Jen who is from Cincinnati Ohio working for a local First Aid & Safety company texted me that she lost her necklace after safely placing the necklace her father gave her into a beach bag. Her guess is that at some point while removing items from her bag the necklace slipped out into the sand and disappeared. She went back the next day to search but the necklace was no where to be seen. We agreed to meet at the beach Tuesday after work and see if the necklace could still be there. Jen walked me down to Queen’s Beach where she lost the necklace and I had her draw a grid in the sand where she thought it could be. I started the search as Jen was talking to a gentleman on the beach. He asked her what we were looking for as I was digging my first target and then exclaimed, “Look he found a necklace as it was dangling from my scoop.” Jen looked over in disbelief and said, “Oh my gosh you found it” Nice grid draw Jen you made this 15 second first target search successful. Wish they could all be this easy. Aloha to Jen!

This ring find began when I got an email from Justine. Justine and her husband Simon were hanging out at the Hilton Hawaiian Village beach about two weeks ago when Simon decided to put on sunscreen. After placing his ring on his lap and then applying sunscreen Simon noticed his ring disappeared. They both carefully searched the surrounding dry sand area but the platinum wedding ring was no where to be found. Justine asked in her email if too much time has gone by and I definitely thought the ring especially in the dry sand would have been found already. That beach is very highly detected but I told Justine send me a drawing of where the ring was lost and I’d give it a try. When I arrived at the Hilton the beach had two tents in the search area but the people were kind enough to let me hunt around them. I started finding trash and a few coins and this was a good indication the ring might still be there. After about 20 minutes I decided two more grid rows will have covered the area Justine had drawn. On the second to last row I got a steady number “9” on the Equinox and in one scoop there was a platinum ring in my scoop. Justine had told me it was a white gold Bvlgari. I looked inside and it said Bvlgari so I sent her a photo. Sure enough it was it and Simon confirmed it surely was his “Platinum” ring. Perfect fit too! Aloha to Simon & Justine!

This ring find began when I got a text Saturday from Nicole who lives on Oahu and lost her Hawaiian Heritage ring at Hanohano Hale Beach in Punaluu. While swimming with some friends at the beach as she exited the water a rather large wave crashed into her near the shoreline and her ring came off. She reached for the ring but it disappeared in the surf. She fruitlessly searched for awhile and finally giving up as the waves were pounding the shore. We talked on the phone as I reviewed the surf report and agreed Thursday would be the best day to hunt as the tide would be low in the morning and the surf would be much less then when she lost the ring. I arrived Thursday morning and waited for Nicole to arrive and show me where the ring came off. Thankfully, this area has a barrier reef before the shoreline so I expected the ring to be very near where it was dropped. I started my grid search in about waist deep water and worked towards shore. I noticed a few Portuguese Man-O-Wars in the sand so I was keeping my guard up so not to entangle myself in any tentacles in the water. I completed the search area and didn’t find Nicole’s sentimental ring. We discussed some other details and I decided to do a grid perpendicular to the shoreline. On the third leg I got a screaming target on my Excalibur and after two deep scoops there was Nicole’s ring in the scoop. I yelled ashore to her that I got it and she met me on the water’s edge to look in the scoop. I saw a tremendous smile come over her face and I knew it was the one. Besides a generous reward Nicole gave me a wonderful decanter of Kohana Rum Barrel Aged Hawaiian Honey which I will put in my coffee each morning until its gone. What a great way to start my day and lift our spirits during this pandemic. Aloha to Nicole!

This ring hunt began when I got a text from Kalei which said I helped them before and that her daughter Keiki just lost her ring again but now at Kahala Beach. I was at work near quitting time so I told Kalei I would grab my gear at home and go straight to the beach. The tide was coming in and I didn’t want to fight it and wind blown waves. Kalei sent some pics and I talked to Keiki just prior to the search. Keiki said she was just inside the reef in the sand and that was when her ring fell off. I started my search after viewing the pics and decided to start at the reef and work my way shoreward. I found a few coins then I got a nice tone on the Excalibur and after two scoops there was a Koa Tungsten ring in my scoop. Oh well! Moving on. On the second pass at the extreme end of my grid I got a nice low tone and in one scoop there was Keiki’s Gold Hawaiian ring. Thankfully I got it then as the tide and waves were really starting to crank it up. I texted a pic to Kalei and she confirmed the ring and was so thankful that I was successful a second time. Not going to push for a third. Aloha to Keiki and her Mom!

This ring find began on 31 August 2018 for me when I was searching the Aulani Lagoon for a Gold Wedding Band. Smack in the Middle of the Lagoon in waist deep water I got a screaming target on my Excalibur and in one scoop I found a stunning Platinum 3 piece Bridal Set ring in my scoop. As with all other rings I find I posted it on my website “Metal Detecting Oahu” and it remained there until 8 April 2020 when I got a text from Guillermo from Whittier, California. In the text he told me his wife lost her ring on 07 June 2017 at the Aulani Lagoon and while in quarantine in California his wife Arlene stumbled across one of my old posts that had a picture of a very familiar ring. They had periodically checked with the Aulani Resort lost & found over the years but with no success. They were able to describe exactly the ring’s details and where it was lost. I only post high quality ring pictures with no details. They also sent me a wedding photo of the ring on Arlene’s finger. There was no doubt in my mind so I texted back, “So happy this ring found its true owner. Blessed.” I included a current shot of the stunning ring. They texted back “A thousand thank yous Sir and that they were crying & laughing” since I informed them with a follow up call. The story doesn’t end there. The Post Office recommended Registered Mail as the safest way to return the ring so I immediately mailed it Saturday morning. It tracked to Los Angeles quite quickly and we were hoping for a Wednesday delivery. Next thing I know the tracking notice says the ring is in New York City. What the heck? Thankfully, the next day it returned to California and it was on Arlene’s finger this evening. Nearly three years since it was lost. This is the longest ring find in my book. Blessings and Aloha to Arlene & Guillermo!