#lostringpensacolabeach Tag | The Ring Finders

Lost Wedding Band – Pensacola Beach – Found!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

We live in a beautiful place!  I had a long day at work and was just settling in at home when I got a call from Chris. He had been out on Pensacola Beach enjoying the Gulf while vacationing down from Ohio. Chris was packing up everything from his day with the family and as he grabbed a chair he watched his gold band go flying in the sand. He quickly learned that even after searching with several pairs of hands for a half hour, those rings are impossible to find without a really good saltwater metal detector. Luckily someone at the resort gave him my number and he called. Very rarely do I get to take my wife with me and since this was a pretty straightforward return she decided to video the entire thing.  Check out the link below. It’s my attempt at video editing 😁 and look at the huge smile on Chris’ face when he gets his wedding band in his hand. Thanks for calling Chris and congratulations.

Chris’ Ring

Tags:
Category:

Engagement Ring Lost for 4 months! – Pensacola Beach – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

I am so honored to be able to write up this story as one of the most amazing ring returns I have had with the Ringfinders. I warn you, it’s probably going to be a long one. 😃 2019 has been a great year. Early in the spring I had a call from a couple that had lost both the wife’s engagement ring and her wedding band out in a very large area of sand. My Father-in-Law, Tom Ledew had a freshwater machine but he didn’t have a saltwater machine. He had expressed some interest in the Ringfinders so I decided to ask him to join me and loan him one of my Saltwater machines. You can read the long story on another post but suffice it to say, Tom found one and I found the other and he now has a good Beach machine and is hooked. 😄. So that brings us to our current story… back in July, the day after the Blue Angels flew, I got a call from a very nice young man named Thomas. He had proposed to his beautiful bride, Dani only a few months earlier and she had not had the chance to have the engagement ring properly sized. They were in the water at Quietwater beach along with hundreds of other people and the ring just slipped off her finger sometime in the afternoon. I immediately came out to the beach and got all of the information that I could, right down to pictures from the boat, the tides and even the gps coordinates where the boat they were in was anchored during the air show. It was a huge area as far as water recoveries go but this is one of the nicest couples that I have met and I set out to do my best. I searched everywhere and dug up hundreds of pull tabs and I even found two other rings (one, I was able to find the owner in Tennessee 😃) but I could not find Thomas and Dani’s ring. I was bummed but I knew it was a large area so I asked if I could come out at sunrise the next morning. They said of course and I put in a few hours that morning and then put in a few more after work. All to no avail. I told Thomas that I could not find it and he was down but I told him I truly thought his ring was out there and with his permission I would like to keep looking for it when able and I would also like his permission to have my Father-in- Law help me with the search. Thomas said I could do whatever but felt the ring was lost forever and he said with all the people swimming that day he feared someone had seen it on the bottom and picked it up. I told him not to worry and that maybe one day I would come across it and call them. Fast forward 4 months and here we are in November. They were such a nice couple that I just haven’t been able to let their ring go. Anytime I am out that way, I always search for it a bit. I even came up with some down home engineering that anchors into the sand and lets me do overlapping circles to be absolutely sure I hadn’t missed a spot. Tom had been out to help me several times also and was becoming equally vested in finding this ring. Well within these 4 months, Tom Ledew was accepted into the Ringfinders over in Orange Beach, AL. (Congrats Tom! 🎉) and he had a recovery in the Gulf. I mentioned that Tom has a good beach machine but he remembered that first experience with my Excal which is simply the best machine there is for finding a ring out in the saltwater. Tom asked if he could borrow it and of course I said yes. He found the ring that day in AL so quickly and was so amazed that he had to have one for himself. Then it got really cold 🥶 and our plans to get in the water got put on pause. Through it all I kept going back to thinking about Thomas and Dani’s ring and I just knew I had covered the area where they thought it was. I also kept thinking that maybe Thomas was right and someone had picked it up but I just knew that gold sinks in the sand so quickly that it was almost impossible. I decided that the only possibility was it had to be a bit deeper where maybe the boat had swung around and Dani had to swim out a little to get on the ladder. Swimming + an oversized ring = an unhappy couple. So Tom and I made a plan to go back out and see if my theory was correct. Tom beat me to it and got his coil over it first but I am so glad that he did. This was his first major target recovered with the machine he tried for the first time earlier this year in the spring. It all comes full circle. 😃. The most fun I had was calling Thomas. Dani happened to be sitting right next to him when I started telling them who I was. Thomas had saved my number as “the Ring Guy” so he knew pretty quickly. They were shocked that after 4 months (twice as long as they had been engaged) this random guy would call and tell them that he had the ring that would forever remind them of the day that Thomas proposed. Congrats y’all, I hope this will remind you through the years as it will me to never give up!  😊

Tags:
Category:

4 Lost Rings In One Night! – FOUND! – Pensacola Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Last night was definitely a first for me. I got a call at 8:45 from Kerem telling me that his wife Kara had lost her ring on Pensacola Beach earlier in the afternoon. They are over here from Texas celebrating the week of Independence Day and this was definitely throwing a kink in the festivities. I started asking a few questions and quickly realized that this was not one ring but three separate rings and all they knew was they had been lost somewhere between the parking lot and the water. 😳I almost bowed out but I’m sentimental about wedding rings and when Kerem also explained that one of the rings was a silver and diamond band from Kara’s grandmother, I knew I had to go. An hour later I was at the beach meeting my new friends and listening as they excitedly tried to tell me where to start. I suggested that they let me ask them a few questions and moments later Kerem and I were headed down towards the water while Kara promised to follow after a quick  phone call home. Kerem had marked where they had been sitting and based on our talk, I thought that would be the best place to start. When I got to the mark I could see all the digging marks where they had been trying to find them earlier and I started to do a spiral pattern. I didn’t go five feet before I had a strong gold signal in my headphones and scooped up a small solid gold band. Kerem had turned to look at something else and didn’t see me do it in the dark so I got his attention and said, “is it ok to start with this one?” and I opened up my hand to show him the ring. Kerem absolutely freaked out and yelled “You just found my wife’s wedding band!” He literally picked me up hugging me. 😄  I quickly got back to it and didn’t even get a full swing in before I got the next signal. Kerem dropped down to his knees to watch as I unearthed a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. All that was left was the silver ring that belonged to Kara’s grandmother. I only had to make a few more passes and about 3 feet away I got another tone. In less than about 3 minutes a very happy Kerem and I were headed back to the parking lot with all 3 rings in my hand. When we got back to Kara we had a little fun with her saying we didn’t want to get started without her and she hurriedly started towards the beach. When I told her that I would save her the walk and opened my hand, the tears and the hugs started immediately. Kara put the rings on and when I told her that I still needed a picture, she took them off and immediately dropped one in the parking lot. I told them both to freeze so they wouldn’t step on it and got down on my knees with my light. I saw the little gold band underneath the car and handed it back to her. She exclaimed that she was still missing one and Kerem told her that she had all three. She quickly told us both that she had lost four and not three rings and Kerem had told me wrong. To make matters worse, it was still the Grandmother’s silver ring that was still missing and Kara promptly burst into tears again. I reassured her that I could find the spot on the beach again and we double-timed it back down to the beach. Luckily once we found the spot, it only took about another minute and I was able to hear a high tone indicating silver. I reached down and sifted through the sand and pulled out a beautiful little ring. In the light of my headlamp I could clearly see the 925 stamp for silver and Kerem and I were able to give back the fourth and final ring to Kara. Even though the actual search time wasn’t that long, I’ve never experienced the emotional roller coaster that this hunt was and I have certainly never found four different rings for someone in a night before. Kara and Kerem, y’all are awesome people and I’m so glad you gave me a call to come help. Keep those rings where they belong.  😃💍

Tags:
Category:

Lost Rings at the Beach – FOUND!!! – Pensacola

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

I’m late on posting this one but a few weeks ago I got a call from Chris and Heather. They had been enjoying one of our local beaches here in Pensacola looking for shells the day before when Heather’s rings came off of her hand. Unfortunately, this was both her engagement ring and her band together and they fell off somewhere on the beach in all that sand.  When Heather told me where they were I immediately headed out because I knew that it was a popular beach and I had to find them quickly. Chris sent me a google pin and when I got there something didn’t look right based on my conversation earlier with Heather. A quick phone call and some telephone detective work got me to where I thought they had been and I started my search. It wasn’t very many passes laying out grid lines until I looked over just a little outside where they thought the rings might be. I remembered them saying that they were looking for shells and I saw a little pile of broken shells. These were the kind that you might pick up and then discard later when you realized they were broken. I decided to walk that way and sure enough, moments later I had the rings in my scoop. I love it when people trust me enough to have me look for their rings even when they can’t be there. When I send them that initial picture and talk to them on the phone you can hear the pure happiness coming through the line. Congratulations Chris and Heather and thank you so much for trusting me to help you out. 😃💍

Tags:
Category:

Lost Ring, Pensacola Beach, FL – FOUND!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Friday night I got a call from a man named Wes saying that his wife had lost her ring on Pensacola Beach. I talked to him for a bit and got some info. He told me that they had tried to look for it already and said that they might try again. I explained to him that searching for it can usually drive a gold ring deeper into the sand because of the differences in density. I also told him that I was going to be in the area the next morning dropping off my son at Lacrosse practice. Wes asked if I would head across the bridge after and we set a time to meet. When I walked down onto the beach I got a bit concerned because I could see the fresh tracks of the machine that drags the sand to pick up trash, etc.  However, when I found Wes and he pointed to the area where the ring was lost, I started to get the feeling that this nice couple was going to be lucky since the tracks stopped about 50 yards away. When Wes told me that they were sitting 37 steps away from a landmark and he had brought a 100ft measuring tape, I knew that there was a great chance of finding his wife’s ring. Sure enough, in less than 10 minutes on my third pass I got a nice tone and gently pulled up her ring in the first scoop. Thanks for calling me Wes and thanks for being so thorough. I’m very glad y’all got your ring back. 👍😃💍

Tags:
Category:

Lost Ring in the Gulf, Orange Beach, AL – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

On the same day that I returned Don’s ring I was lucky enough to get a call shortly after from my new friends Eddie and Meryl from Kentucky. They were vacationing in Orange Beach and Eddie was playing in the waves when his gold wedding ring was knocked from his hand. It had been about 24 hrs when they found my info but I assured them that we could still find it. They met me on the beach and Eddie thought he had a good idea where he lost it. Unfortunately, it was about chest deep on me and I’m 6’3” and to make matters worse, there was a significant swell that would float us off our line as we walked out to where Eddie thought it was. On our way into the surf we had about 5 young boys come over and excitedly ask about 35 questions in 30 seconds. We assured them that if we found some treasure we would show them when we got back in. I started swinging my detector as we got closer to the area and got a signal. Eddie said we weren’t quite there yet but I told him we should dig it since sometimes it’s hard to know exactly where you are in the surf. Eddie wasn’t surprised when I pulled up a piece of a can and told me to follow him. Well when we got to where he thought it was, I immediately heard a good gold tone. I think Eddie must have had a gps in his pocket when the ring came off because that was the most impressive recall of where a ring was lost in the Gulf of Mexico I have ever seen. 😃. It took a few tries in the waves but eventually I saw gold in the scoop and knew we had it. I headed to the beach with the scoop over my head so as not to lose it in the surf. When we got to the beach Eddie immediately pulled it out and placed it on his hand. One of the little boys from before asked Eddie what he had found.  When Eddie said that it was his wedding ring the little boy wrinkled up his face and said “Eww!”  😆. Luckily Eddie and his wife were much happier about it than the little boy. I’m very glad you got your ring back Eddie!  😃

Tags:
Category:

Lost Ring, Pensacola Beach – FOUND!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

I got a call from a gentleman named Don that said he had received my card from the front desk of Margaritaville on Pensacola Beach. I was excited to hear that they gave him a card because I had dropped some off several months ago and it was great to hear that they were saving them in case someone needed me. Well Don definitely needed me!  He had dropped his wedding ring somewhere out in front of the Hotel while staying here in Pensacola Beach. To make matters worse it was his solid Platinum band given to him by his wife to commemorate their 20 year anniversary and he didn’t know whether he lost it in the water or in the sand. Luckily for him, I have detectors that work equally well in both spots. I’d love to tell you amazing stories about finding it but the fact is that once I walked Don through where he was and what he was doing, it was a no brainer to start in an area on the sand. Sure enough, in about 5 minutes I told him that I had a tone that didn’t sound right but it was safer to dig them all. When I pulled it up, he was expecting to see trash when he looked in the scoop. I love watching someone’s face when the realization hits them that their precious ring has actually been found. Don high-fived me and immediately called his wife with the good news. He thanked me about 100 times and I can honestly say that I was thrilled to be able to help.  👍 

Tags:
Category:

2 Lost Rings – Fort Walton Beach, FL – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

This past weekend I got a call from Brad and his wife Sky from Louisiana. They were in Fort Walton for a Volleyball tournament. What started out as some fun and exercise in the nice weather quickly turned into a fiasco when Sky realized that not one but both of her rings were missing. She had taken her engagement ring and her wedding ring off and tucked them into her swimsuit for safekeeping. Somewhere during the course of the day she realized they were gone and that’s where I came in. They had actually left me a message the day before while I was out finding the ring for the newlyweds in Orange Beach in my last story. I sent Brad and Sky a text once I was done and offered my services.  Luckily they reached back out the next day. Brad did what a lot of people do and he went to Bass Pro Shops to buy one of their metal detectors. Unfortunately he quickly learned that the average detector will simply not work right on a saltwater beach. I got some information from them and I decided to ask my Father-in-law, Tom to join me as he has been getting into detecting. I am glad that I did! 😃  When we got there I quickly gridded out the outer edge of where I thought the rings might be based on the couple’s info. I asked Tom if he would start going around the outer areas just in case the rings weren’t where we thought they should be. It would also be a good opportunity for him to get some experience with a detector in the sand. We were out there for a long time and had to take a break and get some water. We weren’t giving up though and we headed back down to resume our search. Before too much longer, Tom waved to me to get my attention and I came over to see that Tom had found his first ring!!!  Low and behold it just so happened to be Sky’s diamond wedding band. 😃I am so glad that he joined me because I was then able to adjust my search based on what Brad had said earlier and after another 20 mins I found Sky’s engagement ring! 💍👍. What a great day, I got to experience my Father-in-law’s first ring recovery and return two precious rings back to a beautiful young couple. 😃Congratulations all around!

Tags:
Category:

Newlyweds Lost Ring – Orange Beach, AL – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

Can you imagine how upset you would be if you didn’t even leave the scene of your marriage ceremony before you lost your wedding ring?  That is exactly what happened to Anthony and his brand new bride Katelyn on Orange Beach last weekend. They tied the knot on the beach with friends and family coming up after to congratulate them. They walked down to the water’s edge after that for some pictures and before they even made it back to the dunes, Katelyn had dropped her brand new and already cherished gold and diamond wedding band somewhere in the sand. Needless to say they panicked and started looking everywhere to no avail. The Pastor who performed the ceremony had a unique suggestion and went home to get a security wand like those used to identify metal on passengers at an airport. Unfortunately, this kind of detector like other common store bought models will just not read deep enough and will not work on a saltwater beach. Luckily for Anthony and Katelyn they were honeymooning in OB as well and a quick Google search put them in touch with me the following day. I came out and did a large grid search where the ceremony was performed with no luck. I moved to the water and started searching and came up on two sunbathers with their eyes closed. I moved the coil as close to them as I dared without disturbing them and sure enough I got a signal that was the same number as Katelyn’s engagement ring. It has been my experience that most people are nice and eager to help once you explain what you are doing and these two were no different when I abruptly woke them up and asked to dig near their feet. They were the first to shout happily when I dug up Katelyn’s ring but they were quickly outdone by Anthony and Katelyn who came running from the shade of the lifeguard tower. I love the smiles on both of them in the picture but I think Katelyn’s face says it best. She is so thrilled to have her ring back to its brand new home. Anthony and Katelyn, I hope you both are blessed with happy, long lives together and I thank you for letting me be part of starting out your marriage with an exciting story rather than a sad one. God Bless!

Tags:
Category:

Lost Ring, Night Find, Pensacola Beach – FOUND!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)
Contact:

I love to find rings at night!!!  There’s something about that cool breeze and the stars in the sky that make it that much better  😃  I got an email last night about 8pm explaining to me that Matt and his wife had been out on Pensacola Beach all day enjoying the Gulf and especially the Blue Angels as they rehearsed for the upcoming show this weekend.  Matt had put up a tent and taken off his shoes.  Unfortunately, his wife put her diamond and white gold engagement band in one of his shoes and forgot to tell him.  When the family ended the day and headed towards the parking lot Matt popped his shoes together on the boardwalk to knock off the sand.  When an inexpensive ring came out he asked if she had put her rings in the shoe and she said, “oh yeah, hand me my engagement ring” 😳😳😳.  Well you can guess where this story goes next. First Matt decided to rent a metal detector and actually did a great job removing all of the bottle caps and pop tops from the area ( I appreciate that 😉).  Unfortunately those machines are just not built to find anything made of precious metal around saltwater or after it has dropped deeper in the sand.  In fact when they finally called me and I came out, you could see his tracks where he had gone directly over the spot with the rental detector.  It didn’t take long once I finally got to the beach and I’m very glad I got to return such an important ring.  Thanks for letting me help you out Matt!

Tags:
Category: