Lagoon Ring Tragedy, Loveladies LBI, recovered by Edward Trapper, NJ Ring Finder
Alexandra sent me a text asking if I could come to Loveladies on LBI and recover her custom ring that she had lost in the lagoon. She explained that the tide was coming in quickly, the water was about chest-deep, and she believed the rings were only about 10 feet off the dock.
Knowing the rising tide could make the recovery much more difficult, I jumped in the truck and headed straight there.
When I arrived, Alexandra showed me the exact area where she thought the rings had slipped off. I entered the water and thoroughly searched the entire area she pointed out but came up empty. I expanded my search 15 to 20 feet in every direction, then worked closer to the dock and even a little farther out, but still nothing.
With the tide continuing to rise, I decided to push out as far as I safely could. The water was now about chin-deep, and I was barely able to keep my footing. Roughly 15 feet farther from the dock than where Alexandra had originally indicated, my detector gave off a beautiful high tone. I knew immediately I had found one of her custom rings.
Because the water was so deep, I had to drag my scoop back into shallower water before I could dig through it. A moment later, there it was—Alexandra’s custom ring safely sitting in the scoop.
Alexandra was incredibly lucky. Had the ring been just a little farther out in deeper water, the recovery would have had to wait until I returned with my scuba gear. Timing was everything, and thankfully we got there just in time.