ocean Tag | The Ring Finders

July 30, 2025 Matt texted me: “Hi Richard, my name is Matt. Found you on TheRingfinders site. I’m here in East Dennis on vacation with my family. I was throwing a ball around with my son in the water yesterday when I realized I must have flung off my wedding ring. We searched for hours with no luck, even went back at low tide with a cheap metal detector to no avail. If you are in the area and would be interested in helping please let me know. Thank you.”

How could I say no, well I could and did not. I short time I was on my way to see one of Cape Cod Bay’s most beautiful views just before descending down the long set of wooden stairs to a private beach. On the beach a group of a dozen or more family members were waiting for me to show up and work my magic and find Matt’s wedding band.

I asked the usual questions and had Matt enter the water and stand were he thought he lost his ring. After about 10 minutes of searching and not finding the ring I overheard Matt and his father discussing the area. Matt’s father thought I should be searching a bit east and in deeper water. So I moved the search area and about a minute later, dad was correct, I had a great sounding target and with one scoop I had the “flung” ring captured in my scoop.

On shore the ring was returned and I asked for information about the ring. Well, it had quite a history, so much so I asked Matt to send me a text about the rings history…here is the text:
“I have lost my wedding ring 3x during that time. The first time I lost it transplanting ornamental grasses at my home….i unearthed it days later. The second time was about 5 years ago at a resort in Mexico….a fellow hotel guest found it at the bottom of one of the pools and turned it into the front desk. Yesterday was the most challenging recovery!….I lost it in the ocean while playing catch with my son.”

I am sure the ring’s travel is not over and it will see many more thrilling events but I would bet one event that will never happen is one of being lost again. At least I hope not, but Matt does have my contact information just in case.

July 25, 2025 Just about everyone has a memorable time at the beach, some even enjoy the trip home and make plans to return on another day, as it was with Sidney and Tim. That was until Sidney arrived home and opened the backpack to get her rings that Tim had taken from her at the water’s edge. Let’s cut to the search. I left my house under the threat of severe thunderstorms that were on their way across Cape Cod. I was going to try to beat the rain and I would stay off the beach during any thunder. I was willing to take the chance. On my way skies darkened and it was lit up frequently with streaks of lightening. I almost turned around, but with only few miles to the beach, I pushed on. Traffic was on my side and I arrived at the beach 25 minutes before Sidney and Tim. And in that time the storm passed over and the skies were turning a nice calm blue.

With boots, detector, and scoop ready the three of us headed for the area that the loss occurred. At first it was a nice, once was dry sand area, pointed out as the area to search but nothing turned up! Well maybe we were more this way is closer to where we were. Again nothing…closer to the water? Oh yes, Sidney then told me she had taken the rings off at the water’s edge, gave them to Tim, and he took them to the backpack and secured them in there.

Cellphone pictures showed a more probable location on the “dry” sand. It looked promising and a missing plastic toy that was lost the day before was uncovered and would be taken home. Could it be Tim had dropped the one ring? Could be. So I started searching between the “dry” sand area and the water’s edge. My next signal sounded pretty good. Sure enough, a shallow scoop an inch below the wet sand and closer to the water than were the ring was believed to have been lost, the ring was in my scoop. As it frequently happens the ring is usually not were it is thought to have been lost..

Sidney quickly nestled the beautiful diamond between the two sides of the wedding band and replaced the assembled ring back on her finger with a promise never to let that happen again. I suggested a couple of ways that could be accomplished. First is to leave the rings at home and wear an inexpensive set to the beach. Second if they should be taken off on the beach put them directly into a zip-lock bag. A third aid is a tight fitting silicon clear ring to be used as a keeper.

The ring having been found and restored to its proper location. The storm had passed, the blue sky was here waiting to turn dark again, this time by the setting sun. The only thing left was the last thank you, a cheerful good-bye and a long ride home. At least the ride was going to be long enough to make plans for another memorable day on the beach hopefully one without such a traumatic ending.

July 25, 2025 Richard was following guidelines for applying sunscreen while sitting in his chair and watching the waves come onto shore. And then it happened, he stood up and his wedding band slipped from the safety of his rolled up shirt, down it went and buried itself into the soft sand. Richard was lucky in the fact that he just happened to be on a beach that TheRingFinders are well known about and they gave him my contact information.

His daughter called as I was finishing lunch and hung up before getting my secondary phone number. So she called back and I was at the phone and answered. In a minute I had the information I needed to get to the beach and start a search. At the beach I met Richard and we walked to the area marked with a towel. On the seventh swing I heard what I was listening for. My first scoop of sand had the same result as did many hands-full of sand had, nothing found. Next shallow sweep a bit to the right and then the well loved sound of a ring bouncing in my scoop was unmistakable. I had Richard’s wife hold my scoop, and Richard remove the ring as I took a couple of pictures for the Book of Smiles.

Just then we watched as a junior metal detectorist swung bye. In his case his metal detector was OK for the dry sand, but would fall short of finding a target in the wet saltwater mineralized sand. His young expertise could have helped a couple of hours ago. I gave him a thumbs up as he happily swung on bye.

A few short stories and an explanation of TheRingFinders and we parted ways, I left heading to my car and awaiting wife. Richard on his was to thank the lifeguards that had given him my information and tell them that the ring was found and on his hand, not to be lost at the beach again. Just before the ring slipped under the sand Richard’s wife had just finished explaining why she did not remove her rings when applying the sunscreen protection. Lessons learned: 1) Protect your ring by putting it in a plastic, zip lock bag if and when removed when at the beach, 2) leave you precious jewelry at home and wear an inexpensive piece to the beach…no one there will know the difference, except for a metal detectorist such as myself when you loose it and it is found, or 3) Keep TheRingFinders.com card photo on your cellphone, just in case.

September 1, 2024

“Chris I Love You Susan” was engraved in a wedding band that took a slip from Chris’s finger as his daughter looked on. Chris visualized were the loss took place and that there were 51 steps to the stairs leading off the beach. During the next few hours Chris made many unsuccessful dives to retrieve the ring from its watery resting place. A visual search also took place. Susan then took charge, acquired my number and called for help.

The next morning at 7AM the search began and lasted about 2 hours before the tide had come in and prevented further searching. I would return for the afternoon tide. Which I did. I paced off the 51 steps, took visual reference points into account and began a search. First I gridded over the sand that was under water in the morning. Nothing to dig, I moved into the water. Low tide, with between 1 and 2 foot waves along with some seaweed made detecting a bit tough. The second signal I had was over the small drop-off at the bottom of the beach’s slope. With everything moving as it was I had to take a third scoop before I caught the object in the scoop. I love to see the glitter of gold among the shells and sand. Without emptying the scoop I left the surf and counted 68 steps to the stairs. On the walk I pulled the ring out, verified the inscription, and dumped the shells.

Next feat was to climb the 98 steps to the top of the dune and my car. I cleaned the scoop, put the ring back into it, changed the boots I was wearing to sandals for safer driving and drove off toward Chris’s vacation home. I turned the last corner and there Chris was, walking back to the beach to see if I was there. I told him the surf was now too rough and it would be worthless to climb down to the beach and back up. But I would appreciate him looking in my scoop. A bit perplexed, he did and could not believe that it was HIS ring from Susan.

At the house, a cappuccino, many friendly licks from his dog, and lots of wonderful stories were related. I just love how I get to know people by just going a bit out of my way to help them. It is also great knowing that there is at least one more reason for having wonderful memories of a vacation on Cape Cod.

 

August 31, 2024

On my way home from some hobby detecting; not looking for anything specific, just enjoying the afternoon sun and sea swells, and waiting for another call for help in locating a lost object. I was less than a mile from home when my wait was over. A neighbor, Barbara, was calling to request that I respond to a woman in distress over a missing marriage ring set of 36 years this month. Sure, I am on my way was my answer as I pass the road to my home. Next I called home to tell my wife I would be a bit longer, put dinner on hold, I had to go and find 2 rings.

Within twenty minutes I was ready to start the search. While being escorted to the area on the beach where the rings were lost I was told that another detectorist had found the engagement ring but had no success in locating the wedding band. Maura had removed her wedding band and engagement ring at the beach to apply sunscreen. She put the two rings in the cup holder of her chair, but forgot to put them on afterwards. A few hours later she folded up her chair and left the beach. Back at the house she realized she didn’t have her rings and knew instantly what happened. Returning to the beach and sifting through sand with hands. There were also many interested people all wanting to help. Unfortunately the only help to find the wedding band came from the call to my phone. One woman helping – Barbara told Maura about a world wide group TheRingFinders, that she had a connection, and then called Richard 1 of some 600 TheRingFinders.

It took me about a dozen swings of my coil before I located the wedding band. My advantage over the other detectorist was in the quality of the detector being used and some 40 years experience with detectors. I passed a few detecting tips on to the new detectorist, Thank Yous were passed among all the helpers and I left for the waiting dinner.

August 29, 2024

Almost five weeks ago, Caeleigh was enjoying a day on the beach. She was wearing a very sentimental Celtic cross that her parents had bestowed upon her on the day of her first confirmation.

I am not positive on just how the chain with the cross became separated and lost in the fine sand.

Today I was out testing a new detecting scoop grip and found only pull tabs and a screw. About to give up for the day, I got out of the water and headed to my car. Gerry had been watching me and was inquisitive about my detector and could find a hearing aid. Yes it is possible, but unlikely unless the detector is “tuned” to react to the hearing aid’s metallic characteristics. When our conversation was about over and I was about to start searching for the hearing aid, Katie approached and asked the same question ecept her item of interest was a gold Celtic cross. The answer was the same.

The first area I covered was for the hearing aid. The detector I had been using in the water was just too sensitive over the 18 inch sweep to locate the hearing aid, but I tried. I moved over to the area of the cross and chain. I knew the cross could be located, but the fine chain would be very difficult. I was correct, the cross was retrieved from the sand with no problem

My second detector in the car did not have programming capabilities. One of my detectors at home would fit the needs perfectly. So I left the beach to get my best detector for the items I was searching for, a hearing aid and a gold chain in salty beach sand environment. I returned an hour later to complete the search. At the beach I was in luck with the adjustments I made to the third detector, it would react equally well to either object with the same settings.

As good as the detector that I chose for the situation and adjusting it for the objects to find, I did not find either one. There are possibilities that; either object may have been found, the beach cleaning rake buried them beyond my detector’s depth range, or I just missed detecting them. Also, the hearing aid may have been lost elsewhere.

I had talked to all involved and took pictures of Caeleigh and her cross before going home to get the third detector just in case what I feared happened, which it did. The active search for the chain and hearing aid have ended for now, but the information will be retained per chance I do find either one at a later date or hearing of another detectorist finding one of the still missing belongings.