Proposal Gone Wrong .. Venice Canal, Venice, CA. .. Ring Found and Returned
Rohilt had chose to propose to Jasleen on a footbridge at historic Venice Canals in Venice, CA. His best friends were there to record the moment in a video. He dropped Platinum Diamond engagement ring on the bridge and it bounced through openings in the planks and into 5 ft. of water. Panic set in, the next day was going to be a traditional two day family celebration of their engagement. Family members from all over the country were traveling here to congratulate them. They got online and found TheRingFinders.com.
When I received the call it was dark and I asked if they could meet me in the morning. They told me that the celebration was tomorrow. I agreed it be worth a try tonight, at least I can get to see the location and conditions I have to deal with. After arriving and checking the depth of the water. It was about 5 ft which is about shoulder high. It would be worth waiting for the tide to drop one foot lower. I waited for low tide but the water level did not get lower.
I was not aware that the Venice Canal doesn’t have a tidal flow. They do let the water out Monday and Tuesday to keep the water from getting stagnant. We couldn’t wait till then.
The first night was a disaster with shoulder high water and many trash metallic items in the mucky cold water. After two one hour attempts the ring could not be found.. Returning the next day with thermo waders and a large magnet to thin out iron objects. My Minelab Excalibur detector was not able to separate the targets they were too close together. This attemp was 5 hours of trying to remove all metallic signals with no sign of the ring.
I had to leave, but returned for the third try Sunday. This time the water was just about chest high which made it much easier to eliminate the metallic trash. After two hours I scooped up a loud sounding target that I believed was a pull tab, but it was a beautiful platinum diamond engagement ring.
I took a few photos, then called Rohilt. He was actually just a couple miles away at the party. We met on the Santa Monica Pier and I gave him his ring. He had not told Jasleen that I had found the ring. Returning to the party he was able to surprise his fiancé by formally proposing to Jasleen and give her the ring she had only heard bounce on the bridge and splash into the canal two days before. I feel like I have known them forever at least it was a great pleasure to help them find this important part of their future life together.
