Metal Detecting Service North Myrtle Beach SC Tag | Page 3 of 8 | The Ring Finders

Yellow Gold Wedding and Engagement Set Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

This ring search started with a 10:53 pm text from Monica on Tuesday, June 28th. Her text read “Hello Jim, my mom lost her wedding and engagement ring in the ocean yesterday evening and we cannot find it. Can you help?” My son and daughter-in-law were in town, so, I responded back to her that I was on vacation. I also told her that I had a couple of guys filling in for me, and ask what beach. She gave me all the details I needed to pass along to Mike G., the guy handling North Myrtle Beach for me. I forwarded the info to him, knowing he was probably in bed, but I’d talk to him in the morning. Shortly after getting all the texting done, I found out the kids had plans and I could go ahead and do the search. I sent another text to Mike letting him know I could do the search and to let me know.

This morning, I woke up to a text from Mike saying that he would prefer me take the hunt. He had helped a neighbor look for a lost ring the day before and was hobbling around. I also had a text from Monica asking if Mike had replied. I told her, that instead of Mike, I was going to be doing the hunt. I’d be there at noon to work the outgoing tide. Everything was working itself out.

I showed up a little before noon and met Monica, Norman and Tina in the resort parking lot. Tina was the one who lost her precious treasure. What happened was, Tina had gotten into the incoming tide about 5:30 pm Monday evening and was hit and knocked down by a pretty rough wave. When the wave hit her, she fell forward and watched her ring set fly off her finger. The last two days have been horrible for her not having her rings. We walked out on the beach and Tina showed me the area she lost her rings. Knowing she lost her ring about an hour and a half before high tide and I was there a couple of hours before low tide, I figured the ring set would be accessible in the wet sand. I started a perpendicular grid search going out to about thigh deep and heading north. I knew I was going deeper than I needed to but I didn’t want to miss the low tide, just in case I miscalculated. I did about 10 grid lines and hadn’t had one target. I went back to my start line and started working the grid south. I glanced up to see Norman and Tina and their expressions looked like they were losing hope. I also noticed that some tourists were starting to move their chairs down closer to the surf, so I was losing search area. On my 5th or 6th line I got the loud and clear 15/16 on the Equinox 800 VDI (visual display indicator). This was in the range I was looking for. One scoop and I had the target out of the hole. I spread the sand out with my foot and saw the yellow gold shining in the sunlight. I picked the ring up and it was exactly as Norman had described it – BINGO! I looked up at Norman and Tina and Norman was watching so I did my little “found it shuffle.” He popped up out of his chair, said something to Tina who then joined him in a very fast pace in my direction. When Norman got close, I held out my fist holding the ring and dropped it in his hand. Tina was overwhelmed when she saw it but she was so happy.

Monica – Thank you for finding me on your Google search.

Tina/Norman – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure.  Now you can enjoy your last couple of days of vacation. Have a safe trip back home.

Jim

 

iPhone Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call this morning from Sarah saying that she had contacted Joe Denton, Minelab Distributer in Little River, SC to buy a metal detector to find an iPhone. Joe recommended me and she was wondering if I could help. She said her friend Shelby had lost her phone in the dunes and they knew the exact area using the “find my phone” app. I told her I’d be there in 15 minutes.

When I got to the Cherry Grove Beach, Shelby and Sarah were waiting at the beach entrance. We walked out on the beach and directly to the area where the iPhone was lost. The story was that they were on the beach the night before and Shelby’s phone fell out of its “safe place” and disappeared in the sand. They searched in the dark with no luck and started again first thing this morning. Unfortunately, the phone was lost in the dunes, which can get you a nice little ticket if you get caught by the beach patrol. So, as I detected, I used extreme caution so I wouldn’t cause any damage. There was no doubt that her phone wasn’t there. In my head I thought this would be a quick and easy find, but it never works out that way. I kept expanding my search area north and south but wasn’t finding her phone. Finally, Shelby saw a wrapper she remembered from the night before that she thought was her phone. Sure enough, just a few feet away, buried in an upright position and covered with sand, I got a solid 15 on the VDI. Using my hands to dig under the sand, I pulled it out. Both Shelby and Sarah were thrilled to say the least. After I gave the phone back to her, she immediately opened the case to ensure her driver’s license was still there, thankfully it was.

Sarah – Thanks for giving me a call.

Shelby – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Have a great break from your studies at Duke and enjoy the beach.

Jim

18k Clemson Ring Lost Throwing a Football at the High Tide Line, Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call from Brent, who was referred by Joe Denton, asking if I could help find a lost Clemson Ring. He said his friend, Ed, whose daughter Natalie’s friend Britta had lost her ring within the last 10 minutes Knowing it was high tide, I asked him how deep in the water Britta was, and he replied she was just getting her feet wet. I got the location and told him I’d be there in 10-15 minutes. This being a Saturday and 4th of July weekend the traffic was very busy.

I called Brent when I got close and he was waiting at the beach access for me. As we walked out on the beach he directed me to where Natalie and Britta were standing. I introduced myself to both of them and then got more of the story. Britta showed me about where she was standing when she threw the football, and Natalie showed me about where she was standing to catch it. Thankfully, neither one was in the ocean, but Natalie had been standing close to a buried storm drain pipe. The search area was no more than 20 yards long. Someone had mentioned the Clemson ring was 18k gold, so I knew what number I was looking for on the Equinox 800. I started my grid search parallel to the beach. My fourth line I hit it, a booming 9 VDI. I just looked up at Britta and smiled, I don’t think she realized what the look was for. I took a scoop of sand and dumped it on the beach, moved the sand with my foot and saw the ring. Somebody else in her group saw it about the same time and reached down and snatched it up and handed it to me. Big smiles, a few hugs, maybe a couple of tears, and Britta had her college treasure back on her finger.

Thanks to all for trusting me to help find Britta’s ring.

Britta – I wish you all the best on your future endeavors.

Jim

      

Lady’s Black Onyx Silver Ring – Lost, Found, and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Tuesday afternoon I received a FB text from Crystal saying, “I lost my ring at Beach Cove Resort: 4800 South Ocean Blvd. I know the area right where it is but haven’t found it yet! I’ve been trying to find someone with a metal detector but we leave Thursday, and they are few and far between”. I replied saying call me with my number. When she called, I got a little more detail and told her I’d be there in 15 minutes.

When I got there, I called her from the lobby. Shortly after, she walked off the elevator and we introduced ourselves. On the way out to the beach, she told me she had lost the ring the day before.  I was a little nervous, and hopeful the beach cleaning truck or a person with a metal detector hadn’t already found it. She said the ring was a black onyx silver ring, and showed me the small area, maybe 10’X10’, where she had been sitting. I turned the Equinox 800 on and started a grid search. On my second pass, I got a strong 25 on the VDI (visual display indicator) and I knew I had a solid silver target. I looked down and could clearly see the ring sitting on the sand; Crystal saw it about the same time. She said they had been looking off and on for the last 2 days for it.

Crystal, Thanks for call me to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation and have a safe trip back home to Virginia.

Jim

    

Lady’s White Gold Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost in the Dry Sand – Found and Returned North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Tanna called me shortly before 1pm from a number that showed Vancouver, WA. She said she had lost her rings around Windy Hill in North Myrtle Beach. When I started asking about the location, she put her grandfather on the phone who gave me the exact location. When Tanna got back on, I asked her whether she had been in the dry sand, wet sand, or the ocean when she lost them. When she responded she lost them in the dry sand, I got really excited. It’s not very often I get a call for lost rings in the dry sand; they’re mostly lost in the ocean. During the back and forth with questions and answers, I ask if she could Google earth me the beach, with the area circled. She could and she did! When I asked how she lost them, she told me she had put them in a little pouch connected to the beach chair, and then forgot about them. Later, she told me she didn’t realize they were gone until around 8pm as she was helping her grandmother with dinner and the dishes. So far, this was sounding like one of those searches you dream about. I grabbed my Equinox 800 and was out the door.

When I got to the beach about 1:30, I called her to confirm a couple of small issues, mainly about where they had been sitting. One thing she brought up is that they had been sitting behind the life guard stand. Unfortunately, the stand had been moved to the top of the beach near the sand dunes. But, it gave me a better idea of where to search. I started a grid line from the guard stand to the wet sand line working my way south. After the sixth grid line, I moved back to my starting point and starting working my way north. On my third line, I got a solid VDI of 6 on the detector which was what I was expecting for a lady’s white gold ring. I took a shallow scoop of sand and laid it out on the beach and saw a beautiful diamond looking up at me, with the rest of the ring still buried. After picking her engagement ring up, I ran my coil around the same area and got another 6 on the VDI, I knew this one was her wedding band. I took a picture and sent her a text saying “BOOM!” with the picture of both rings. I called her, and I could tell she was very excited and grateful. Finding out she was only an hour and a half away, we agreed to meet halfway at a McDonalds. When we met, I was able to meet her husband, Alex. I got the biggest hug from Tanna and a firm handshake from Alex, both of which validates exactly why The Ring Finders exist!

Tanna and Alex – Thank you for trusting me and The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasures. Be safe and take care of each other.

Jim

    

Engagement Ring Lost in the Ocean North Myrtle Beach – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Jai called me about 7 p.m. on Thursday, 9 Jul, asking if I could help find a 22k Engagement ring that his fiancé, Sim had lost in the ocean. He said she lost it about 3:30 that afternoon. Looking at the tide table, she lost it 2 hours before low tide at 5:21 p.m. so searching for it now would be pointless. I did want to see what I was up against so I told Jai I’d be right over to scope things out.

When I got to the beach I met Jai and Sim, who were set up at the same spot they were when she lost the ring. Sim told me that her and her sister in law had been riding a float in the surf when a big wave hit them, knocking them off the float. She continued to tell me that when she finally got her balance she was about waist deep, which means she was still a ways out in the water. She remembered being pretty much straight out from where they were set up. Jai wasn’t on the beach at the time, but his brother in law was. I asked him what he remembered, and he stated Sim and his wife were about 50 yards further south. I thought I had all the information I needed, so I told Jai and Sim I’d be back the next morning at 5 a.m. to work the outgoing tide.

The next morning the conditions weren’t good, the wind was blowing from the east and the swells were at least 5 feet, and both were coming straight in to the beach. After about an hour and a half, getting beat up, and busting the shaft on my detector, I told Jai and Sim I’d be back that evening for the low tide and bring a friend. I called Matt Fry, TRF Myrtle beach, and he had his own search. So I called Jim Brouwer, and he jumped at the chance to help. When Jim and I showed up that afternoon, the conditions had gone from bad to worse. Big swells made the search almost impossible. If we did pick up a signal, the swells would knock us off it. Jim and I struggled for about an hour, during which time I had the chance to talk with Sim’s sister in law. She informed me that she thought they were even further south than her husband had thought. This search was starting to look very bleak for finding Sim’s engagement ring. I told Jai and Sim we were calling it a day, but I’d be back out during the week. Their expressions said it all.

I wasn’t able to search the next day, but looking at the Sunday morning tide, wind, and swell information, conditions looked good enough to give it another shot. I had decided I’d start a perpendicular grid search a little further south than Jai’s sister suggested and work north to where Sim thought she was. When I walked out on the beach, the swell information was higher than predicted, but I started the grid doing the best I could. On my 4th line, I got a solid 13/14, which is usually a pull tab, but could be a small gold ring, too. In this case it was a pull tab. I took a few more steps and got another 13/14, I dug the target, and looking for the pull tab in the scoop I see the glimmer of gold. BAM, I had Sim’s ring. I sent Jai and Sim a text at 6:27 a.m. saying “Good Morning you two!!! I just wanted to let know I came back out this morning to look for your ring and…..” Then I sent another text saying “Bingo” with 2 pictures, one of me holding the ring and another of the ring resting on a shell. At 10:05 a.m. I got a response from Jai and a phone call; I don’t think he could have been any happier. A little later Sim called me; she was so excited and grateful. She told me that she had given up hope of getting her ring back. So happy I could restore her hope!

Jai and Sim – Thank you for letting me help find your lost treasure.

Jim

     

Car Keys Lost and Found in North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Joe Denton, the mine lab distributor in North Myrtle, called me asking if I wanted a search for some car keys. Sure, I’m always up for a search. Joe sent me the contact information, and I called Ben. Ben explained that his friend had lost his keys the night before on the beach. I told him I’d be there in 30-40 minutes.

As I’m driving to the beach, it starts pouring down rain; I’m good as long as there’s no lightening. When I arrived, Tristan met me at the beach access and explained that he and his buddies were out sitting on the beach. He said he was sitting in one of the low back beach chairs and figures the keys fell out of his pocket. He set me up in the area, and I started a normal grid search. I knew the keys would stand out loud and clear when I waved the coil over them. An hour and a half later, and moving my grid lines out farther and farther both north and south, there were no keys. Tristan had mentioned that he and some other fire fighters were down here for some R&R from Virginia. I asked him if these were the keys to the car that was going to get them back home, they were! He said he had contacted a lock smith who wanted $400.00 dollars to make a new car key. Tristan had also been in contact with his parents to overnight a spare key so the group could get home.

Tristan finally walked over to me, with a couple of his buddies and let me know that they weren’t over as far as I was searching, and really appreciated me trying. This was one of those special serendipity moments. As we were walking off the beach, I noticed the life guard setting up for the day. I walked over and asked him if someone had turned in a set of keys, as I’m asking him, the beach patrol was driving up in their beach cart. The life guard said no, so I asked the beach patrol. She said as a matter of fact, someone had. As she pulls the keys out of the glove box, I saw Tristan’s face light up. Right place, right time, right person and Tristan had his keys back. Sometimes things just happen, and this was one of them.

Tristan, you and your buddies stay safe, and have a safe trip home.

Jim

    

Lady’s Yellow Gold Engagement Ring Lost in North Myrtle Beach SC, Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I received an e-mail from Summer, saying she had lost her ring the previous evening around 6 p.m. in ankle deep water. We went back and forth with e-mails, and I finally asked her to call me, so I could make sure I was going to the right area of the beach. Her fiancé, Nick, called me and gave me the exact location and said they’d be there waiting. I told him I’d be there in 10 minutes, grabbed my detector, and was on my way.

I got to the beach and walked out towards the ocean, holding my detector straight up in the air. I called Summer to let her know I was there and to look for me. She spotted me and pointed me in her direction. Once we found each other, I got more details. She pointed out one location and Nick pointed out a different area. Ok, double the area I thought it’d be, but one I could handle. Her losing it at 6 p.m. the night before meant she lost it roughly an hour after high tide, which was good because I got there right at low tide. I started doing a parallel grid at the low tide line, planning on working the incoming tide up to the high tide line. As I’m walking the grid, I look up and see an older gentleman detecting about the mid tide line. I walked over to him to let him know what I was doing; his response was that he was looking for the same ring. So, evidently Summer and Nick had seen him detecting and asked him to help without letting me know, or letting him know I was looking also. There were a couple of times we got in each other’s way, but I maintained my parallel grid. Summer and Nick came up and said they had to leave; I assured them I’d call them when I found it. They also let me know that they had originally come on the beach a little further down from where we were. Ok, I’m thinking now that I may have to come back during the night time low tide. With the distance I had covered already, the tide was catching up to me. I was pretty confident that I hadn’t gotten to the area she lost her ring, but I wanted to make sure I got the low tide area before it was under water. I kept my search going, extending it out further to cover the new area while making my way to the high tide line. Shortly after Summer and Nick left, the older gentlemen came up to me. We introduced ourselves, his name was Jim as well and we compared notes. Summer had told me, she lost the ring around 6 pm in ankle deep water. At some point, she had told Jim she lost it around 7 pm close to knee deep, which was no big deal. Jim said he was going to quit for now and come back out at the low tide tonight. I told him I was going to keep working my way up to the high tide line. About 2 more grid lines and I got a banging 22-23 VDI on my detector. I knew I was looking for yellow gold, but I was expecting something in the 17 VDI range. One scoop and I had the target out of the sand; I spread the sand out with my foot and saw the faint glimmer of gold. I had to look at the picture Summer sent me and the ring I was holding to make sure I had the right one. Bingo, it was a perfect match. I took a picture of the ring and sent it to Summer, with a text saying “Look familiar?” She immediately texted back saying “You found it!!! Oh my goodness thank you” Meanwhile, I caught back up with Jim to let him know I found it. Shortly after, Summer and I met up in the parking lot where she got her treasure back.

Summer/Nick – thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

       

Engagement Ring Found by Owner

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Not all ring finder stories end with a happy ending. As hard as the members of The Ring Finders try, some treasures just aren’t found and returned. Then there are the stories that have a very happy ending that members had nothing to do with. This is one of those stories.

I received a referral off of a Face Book group that I responded to. Jessica had lost her engagement ring while her and her fiancé, Oscar, were on a 6 mile bike ride. I contacted Jessica and offered to help. I had a couple of appointments the next day, so I told her I could come by at 4 pm to start a search of part of the route. She explained that she and Oscar were leaving to go back home at 4 the next day and wanted to know if I could come earlier. So we set it up that I’d be there at 9 am and we’d take a golf cart ride along the same route as their bike ride, so I could get a feel for the search area.

Everything went as planned and I was there at 9. We jumped on the golf cart and started the adventure. During the route, Jessica was showing me where they were riding in the streets, going with the flow of traffic, or on the sidewalks. I confirmed Jessica was wearing the ring on her left hand. Jessica told me she had put suntan lotion on before they started their bike ride. She also said that towards the end of the route, she had shaken her hands a few times to get the circulation back after grasping the handlebars for so long. We both came to the conclusion that if the ring was anywhere, it would be in the last half of the route. We also concluded the ring should be in the middle of the street, because they only rode on the sidewalk in two places and that was only for a block or two. Jessica and Oscar had retraced the entire route on foot and golf cart, searching the street area as soon as they got home and Jessica realized the ring was gone. So, I’m thinking the ring flew off her finger when she shook her hand, bounced and rolled across the road and ended up on the side of the road or in the grass areas. By 9:30, I started my search and covered about 2 miles of the route working both sides of the street before I had to leave for my appointments. I made it back at 3 pm and covered another 2 miles, again working both sides of the street. Right around 5 pm, I called it a day, planning on being back early the next morning and finish up the whole back half of the route.

At 9:08 pm, I received a text from Jessica, “Jim I can’t believe it but I just found my ring!!! It was inside my laptop?!! I don’t know how it got in there!!!! I was going through everything again and I noticed my laptop wasn’t closed all the way and I opened it and there it was!! I’m so relieved.” I immediately responded telling her how happy I was for her, and I truly was.

It’s completely and totally irrelevant how the ring got back to where it belongs, and as I said, I had nothing to do with it. The important thing is, her ring is back where it belongs. She is one very excited, happy young lady with a huge smile on her face making for a very happy ending!

Jessica and Oscar – Congratulations!!! Thank you for the beautiful card. Take care of each other, and I wish you two only the best in life.

Jim

   

Lady’s Yellow Gold Band Lost in Myrtle Beach – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a call from Joe Denton, NMB Minelab distributor, about a lady who had lost her Gold band in the dry sand in North Myrtle Beach. He gave me her number and I called her. I introduced myself and learned her name was Elizabeth and she had lost a yellow gold band. She told me she was in North Myrtle on 21st Ave North, right next to a life guard stand. No problem, I grabbed my Equinox 800 and headed out for the 10 minute drive to the beach. After finding a place to park on a busy Sunday, I made my way out to the beach. When I got out there, I called Elizabeth saying I was there and holding my detector up in the air so she could see me. She didn’t, I gave her a couple of landmarks like the banana boat ride. She didn’t see it. Ok, I must be in the wrong spot. I asked her again about being in North Myrtle Beach. She said she’d ask the life guard, and I asked to talk to her. The life guard said they were about 10 blocks up from the sky wheel on 21st Ave North. Ok, she wasn’t in North Myrtle Beach, she was in Myrtle Beach. This happens all the time with visitors; both Myrtle and North Myrtle have exactly the same street numbers. I explained that since she was in Myrtle, I needed to call the TRF for Myrtle, Matt Fry. I tried his number a couple of time, with no answer, so I called his wife. I explained the situation and she gave me permission to take the call. Matt and I have a great working relationship, so if one of us gets the other one’s call we’ll work it out.

I called Elizabeth back, told her I’d be there in about 25 minutes, and headed south. Once I got there, I went through the same routine of calling her and holding up my detector. This time she found me. She led me over to the spot and explained that the ring was dropped in the sand right off the blanket that was spread out. She told me the ring was yellow gold, but in my head I’m thinking white gold. So I’m looking for a VDI (visual display identifier) numbers between 8-10. I immediately got a VDI of 17, and passed over it. Took another step, it was like dah; I confirmed yellow gold, turned around and took out 2 scoops of sand. Bingo, I had it in the scoop. As I’m showing it to Elizabeth, another young lady was walking towards us and Elizabeth said “he found it.” This young lady’s name was Jessica and the actual owner of the ring. Jessica said she had taken her rings off so Elizabeth could put them in her bag, and this one was dropped in the sand. Elizabeth felt horrible, so both ladies started digging through the sand with no luck. Elizabeth had originally called Joe to rent a detector, and Joe sent her my way. All’s well that ends well!

Elizabeth/Jessica – so glad I could help find the lost treasure.

Joe – thanks for the referral!

Jim