rent metal detector northern virginia Tag | The Ring Finders

iPhone 13 Lost and Found Under Water, Occoquan River, Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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August 7th: Found and returned an iPhone 13 Pro Max lost from a dock.

I’m a Search and Recovery expert with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703) 598-1435

Ash was working hard at his job with the Carefree Boat Club when his phone slipped out of his pocket and fell into the water. His brother, Time, met me in Woodbridge after I’d recovered a ring and asked me for a business card. Ash called me using Times phone and asked for my help. I agreed to meet Ash at the dock the next morning.

Search Area

Mrs. Ellis (my safety diver) and I arrived around 11am. As always, we checked the conditions before unpacking the equipment. While on the dock, we met Time who showed us where the phone was lost. When Ash arrived, he provided a detailed description of the incident and location. Visibility in the water was about two feet, and the water was about nine feet deep.

Water View

When the phone landed in the water, it planed, much like a paper airplane does when it’s thrown. It ended up under the dock. Nevertheless, I recovered the phone in a record breaking 6 minutes! As I touched the phone, I was surprised to see the screen light up. However, I should not have been surprised, as the newer iPhones are quite water resistant.

Ash, Rob, and Time

Ash’s iPhone 13

 

 

 

Thank you to Mike from Penguin Paddling (Home Page Penguin Paddling LLC), who rearranged the Kayak rental fleet for our dive! And thanks to Ash’s brother Time, who remembered me from a previous ring search!

Rob Ellis: Search and Recovery Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703)-598-1435

 

 

 

 

Don’t give up. Many of my clients have bought, borrowed, or rented a metal detector before calling me. Just because someone has a tool, it doesn’t mean they know how to use it. I use state of the art equipment, and I have thousands of hours of experience searching on land and underwater. If you have tried using a detector without success, please call to see if I can help.

Rob Ellis: Search and Recovery Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703)-598-1435    (20+) Robert Ellis | Facebook

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Gold Ring, Lost and Found Under Water, Woodbridge, Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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June 28th: Underwater Metal Detecting, Ring Returned.

I am an expert metal detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703) 598-1435

EZ Cruz Marina

John was enjoying an afternoon of boating with his father and rest of the family on Father’s Day. They stopped at EZ Cruz Marina to fuel up, and John jumped into the water. His beautiful ring decorated with diamonds and Claddagh symbols slipped off his finger. John called and we arranged to meet at the marina.

Search Area

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Ellis (my safety diver) and I arrived around 10am, we introduced ourselves to the EZ Cruz staff, and started to prepare. We evaluated the conditions. Water visibility was poor, and the water was about seven feet deep. When John arrived, he showed us exactly where and how he jumped in.

FOUND!

Ladder Entry

Circular Search Device

 

I decided to use my circular search pattern device I made just for these types of situations. Entering the water around noon, I worked through various trash targets including weights, glasses, and fishing rods. After about an hour I was able to find John’s beautiful ring!

Ring

 

 

Smile!

For my detecting friends, my Equinox 800 with a Coiltek 10×5 had a VDI of 22-24 for ring of un-known gold content.

Rob Ellis: Metal Detector Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703)-598-1435

Don’t give up. Many of my clients have bought, borrowed, or rented a metal detector before calling me. Just because someone has a tool, it doesn’t mean they know how to use it. I use state of the art equipment, and I have thousands of hours of experience searching on land and underwater. If you have tried using a detector without success, please call to see if I can help.

 

 

 

(20+) Robert Ellis | Facebook

 

 

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Lost and Found Tungsten Ring, Stafford, Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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June 8th: Found and returned a Tungsten-Carbide ring lost in the snow five months ago.

I am an expert metal detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703) 598-1435

On January 3rd, Stafford, Virginia experienced a big snowstorm. Jeremy’s backyard had so much snow, it broke a large cherry tree. Despite the obstructions from the tree, Jeremy and his three sons broke out the sleds and put the snow to good use! While sledding down the hill, Jeremy raised his arms to shield his face from tree branches. That’s when his wedding ring came off. He searched for several hours, to no avail. Months later, Jeremy heard about “The Ring Finders” and contacted me.

Anyone living in this area can describe how going south on I95 on an afternoon is a sure bet for slow traffic. I correctly gambled that the express lanes toll fee of $15 would save me time. That and the $15 for my gas is why many Ring Finders have a call out fee.

Arrow Pointing to the Ring

A couple of years ago, my friend Brian Rudolph shared the Equinox Visual Display Indicator (VDI) range for Tungsten-Carbide rings.  Using his numbers and my own experience, I set a reasonable range for targets with the accept/reject option before beginning my search.

Jeremy showed me the area where he felt the ring fall off. With Jeremy, his wife, and three sons watching, I assembled my equipment and began a methodical sweep of the area. I picked up a couple of trash targets (common in all lawns), making sure they would not interfere with the ring’s signal. About thirty minutes later, I received a strong steady signal. I looked down and saw Jeremy’s ring partially covered by debris. Despite being a heavy ring, it was not more deeply buried after four months! It was such a pleasure to find and return Jeremy’s ring.

Jeremy

Jeremy’s Ring

 

For my detecting friends, the Tungsten-Carbide ring had a 20-21 VDI on my Equinox with a stock coil.

Rob Ellis: Metal Detector Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703)-598-1435

Don’t give up. Many of my clients have bought, borrowed, or rented a metal detector before calling me. Just because someone has a tool, it doesn’t mean they know how to use it. I use state of the art equipment, and I have thousands of hours of experience searching on land and underwater. If you have tried using a detector without success, please call to see if I can help.

(20+) Robert Ellis | Facebook

 

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Lost and Found Ring, Underwater, Port Royal, Va

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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June 2nd, 2022: Rob and Ray Recovered a Tantalum Wedding Ring lost in the Rappahannock River

I am an expert metal detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703)-598-1435

 

Ray with stick showing depth

On the last day of April, Scotty was fishing off the end of a pier when his new wedding band slipped into the water. He quickly noted where the ring had dropped in relation to the wooden structure. Because I was not available to search, I asked my friend Ray Jones to help. The depth off the fishing platform is about neck deep, depending on the tide. In spite of a current and low visibility, Ray was able to remove many misleading targets consisting of lead weights, fishing lures, coins, and other items. Even though he was wearing a wetsuit, Ray was unable to remain in the cold water and called off the search for that day.

 

 

 

Ray

I joined Ray for the next search. Because of conflicting schedules and storms, we were not able

Rob and Ray

to meet until June 2nd. I was the lucky one to find the ring, but it was truly a team effort.

 

 

 

Scotty Smile

Scotty’s Tantalum Ring

 

Ring Underwater

Crawdad Helping Me Search

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For my detecting friends, the Tantalum ring had a 23 VDI on my Equinox with a Coiltek 10X5.

 

 

Don’t give up. Many of my clients have bought, borrowed, or rented a metal detector before calling me. Just because someone has a tool, it doesn’t mean they know how to use it. I use state of the art equipment, and I have thousands of hours of experience searching on land and underwater. If you have tried using a detector without success, please call to see if I can help

Rob Ellis: Metal Detector Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703) 598-1435

(20+) Robert Ellis | Facebook

 

 

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Smartwatch found underwater, Pleasants Landing Marina, Lake Anna, VA

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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November 9th: Found and returned a Samsung smartwatch lost in October.

I am expert metal detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703)-598-1435

 

It was a warm October 21st, so I decided to do some underwater detecting at Pleasant’s Landing on Lake Anna, Virginia.

Pleasants landing serves as a park and a marina. Shaped like Florida with over 2,600 feet of Lake Frontage, there is lots of room for all lake activities. Pleasants Landing is one of two public beaches on Lake Anna with the other being at Lake Anna State Park.

Upon arrival, I met Mike and Esmond and asked if I could do some shallow diving. They gave me permission and pointed out that it was good timing due to less boat traffic around the docks. Just off the beach, I found modern coins, sunglasses, and fishing weights. I found nothing of value, but it’s still a fun way to keep up my skills.

 

Before my second tank, I met and spoke with the marina service manager, Vincent. He told me there were a couple of boat gas caps right off the fueling dock. I did a quick exploration around the dock area and picked up some fishing rods, sunglasses, two gas caps, and a large watch. After the dive, I showed the staff my finds and gave Vincent the gas caps to be reused if at all possible. It wasn’t until I got home and washed the layer of muck off the watch that I discovered a Samsung smartwatch.

Unfortunately, the battery had run out and I had no way to trace the owner. I took me a while, but I finally figured out how to use reverse wireless charging with my phone to charge the watch. After a few phone calls, I was able to contact Joey, the owner of the watch. He couldn’t believe someone found his watch and had given up on ever seeing it again. We were able to meet up at Pleasant’s Landing where I was able to return the watch.

Esmond, Joey, and Rob

Don’t give up. Many of my clients have bought, borrowed, or rented a metal detector and then called me. Just because you have a tool, doesn’t mean you know how to use it. I have thousands of hours detecting on land and underwater. If you have tried using a detector without success, please call to see if I can help.

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Engagement ring found underwater, Jack’s Waterfront Bar, Morehead City, NC

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

I am expert metal detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703)-598-1435

September 27th: Recovered an engagement ring lost in 20 feet of water.

Jack’s Waterfront Bar in Morehead City has a deck built over the water with a beautiful view. It was a great location for Ashley and Jon to become engaged with a gathering of family and friends. Jon had a ring specially made to match the wedding band which belonged to Ashley’s mother. They were posing for photographs on that Friday evening the one of a kind ring was dropped.  It rolled between the boards and into the water! They hired a local salvage diver who searched with a metal detector, but he could not find the ring.

Jacks Waterfront Bar, Morehead City, NC

Google Map: Dot showing location of search in Morehead City

Enter the heroine of our story–Megan, a good friend of the couple, contacted the creator of The Ring Finders, Chris Turner. Chris put her in touch with the very successful Ring Finder in our region, Brian Rudolph. Brian is incredible at researching all the information needed for a big job like this. He even spoke with the salvage diver to get the details on the environmental conditions.  Unfortunately Brian was unable to make the trip, so he referred Ashley and Jon to me. Brian contacted me and gave me the information he had about the conditions.  I got a text from Ashley and we discussed the possibility of a search. As luck would have it, we were planning to leave the very next day for a family vacation to Nag’s Head, NC.  Since we would be in NC, a twelve hour round trip would be cut in half.

My son Matthew gave up his first day of vacation to join me as my safety diver. We shared the driving and enjoyed the time together. Arriving at the site early Monday afternoon, we met Ashley, Jon, his dad Trevor, and Uncle Sonny. They showed us where the ring dropped, and then took a boat across to Sugarloaf Island to wait with their three large dogs. The floating dock in front of the bar became my gear staging location and made entering and exiting the water easier.

In the water

Search Area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using Brian’s excellent information about the diving and bottom conditions, I had all the equipment needed for the search. The water was 75 degrees, it was high tide, and visibility was about four feet. I was well into my preliminary search with a pin-pointer detector, when just at the edge of my view, something large swam past. As it passed by in the murky water, I saw the tail and realized it was big sting ray. The graceful visitor certainly made me a little more aware of my surroundings…

The area under the bar’s dock had the usual discarded building materials mixed with shells, silt and other trash. Because the ring might be masked by other metal, I needed to carefully check all signals. I found screws, bits of aluminum, and coins. After about an hour I surfaced to change tanks and warm-up. While on the dock, a fisherman was getting ready to drop bait. After my encounter with the large ray, I didn’t hesitate to ask him to move farther down the waterfront. Thankfully he did.  While on my second dive, I heard a lot of boat traffic noises as fishing charters returned from their offshore trips. Matthew had been following my search from above and suggested I concentrate a little farther west from our weighted drop line. I took his advice, and that is where I found Ashley’s ring. I surfaced and shouted with joy! It must have been pretty loud because the family heard me from the island and headed our way.

Ring!

Returning to the Dock

 

 

 

Back in Hand

 

 

This Says it All

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were enjoying the elation of the find, Trevor mentioned it was good I was out of the water because of sharks. Matthew and I looked over at the nearby dock as fishermen where cleaning their catch and dumping the remains into the water. While we were driving back to Nags Head, Megan called to congratulate us on a successful recovery.

Matthew Jon Ashley and Rob

There were some things about this recovery that were serendipitous. First, Megan called Chris Turner, creator of The Ring Finders directory. Second, we were leaving for NC the day after Ashley called. Next, Brian’s details were spot on, and fourth the weather was beautiful. Fortunately, there was a floating dock (not shown on the satellite photo) and was a slack high tide. My son was available to be my safety diver, drive, and help with the heavy gear. Finally, my skills, experience, and equipment were crucial to locating the ring.

 

Several weeks later, Matthew sent me some pictures of large bull sharks caught at the same location of our search. Mentally, I know I’m not on the shark’s menu, but it was a lot easier to be brave before seeing those photographs!!

From Aug 2018 Topsail Online Gazette. About 9 feet long…that is Jack’s Bar in the Background!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t give up. Many of my clients have bought, borrowed, or rented a metal detector and then called me. I have thousands of hours detecting on land and underwater. If you have tried using a detector without success, please call to see if I can help.

Rob Ellis: Metal Detector Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703)-598-1435

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Found engagement ring in yard, Fairfax, VA

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

I am expert metal detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703)-598-1435

 

August 29th: Found and returned a silver engagement ring lost while doing yard work.

Sabawan lost a ring while seeding his lawn. He and his family searched for several hours before calling me. Two hours later, I arrived and meet Sabawan and his cousin. We walked the yard and they showed me an extensive area where they had been dethatching and re-seeding the lawn. Although Sabawan didn’t feel the ring leave his finger, he had confidence it was in a particular area on the left side of the lawn. After setting up my grid, I searched toward that particular area. As Sabawan and his cousin watched, I hit upon a target indication in the correct range. Using my probe, I scraped the fresh dirt and seed, uncovering his beautiful ring.

Sabawan Smile!

Afterward, Sabawan showed me some photos of his beautiful bride to be. It is my sincere hope she has a safe and rapid journey out of Afghanistan.

 

I am expert metal detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703)-598-1435

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Found Chain and Cross, Crosspointe, Fairfax Station, VA

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

Rob Ellis: Metal Detecting Expert…Call or text ASAP, (703)-598-1435

August 20th, 2021: Found and returned a cross and chain, Fairfax Station, VA

On a rainy afternoon I decided to practice detecting in my pool’s sand volleyball court. I enjoy the practice and I like helping by cleaning out the trash. I used my larger coil and removed the usual toy cars, odd pieces of metal, and even the occasional screws and nails from the nearby wooden fence. The lifeguards on duty told me someone lost a chain earlier that summer. They remembered a family raking through the sand to no avail. After cleaning out the larger targets, I went over the area with my sniper coil.

I didn’t find the chain, but I did find a small gold cross. I didn’t think it was particularly valuable and tossed it into my recovery bag. When I showed it to the lifeguards, one told me he thought the chain had a cross. Unfortunately, none of the staff on duty knew the contact information for the chain’ owner.

When I got home and looked at the cross more closely, I saw it was a lovely piece. I posted a photo of it on the local Nextdoor and Facebook groups. I posted flyers at the pool. A lifeguard named Cassie saw the flyer and called the owner, Marina, giving her my phone number. Marina texted me, and I called her immediately. Marina explained how much the cross means to them, as it was given to her daughter by Marina’s mother.

Marina Smile!

Thin Chain

I met Marina and her daughter at the pool to return her pendant, and to get details about how and where the chain was lost. Using this new information, I again searched the area. I marked off an area in the sand and began another search. Marina and her daughter watched for about 10 minutes, but had to leave for an appointment. Twenty minutes later, I picked up a faint signal and uncovered the thin chain. I texted Marina to let her know and gave the chain to the staff for her to pick-up. I’m so glad to have reunited this irreplaceable jewelry with the rightful owners.

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Lost and Found Ring, Woodbridge, Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

Rob Ellis: Metal Detecting Expert… Call/text ASAP, (703)-598-1435

July 25th, 2021: Found and returned an antique ring, Woodbridge, VA

 

Jonathan was having fun playing Frisbee fetch with his dog in the field behind his home. When he went back into the house, he realized the ring he inherited from his grandfather was missing. He immediately retraced his steps and visually searched the field. Then he obtained a metal detector and searched again, but there was too much EMF interference and too many targets. While researching how to find a ring, Jonathan read an old post on Redit recommending The Ring Finders. He contacted my friend Ray Jones (571-258-7217), but Ray knew he would be delayed, so he asked me to take over.

100×50 area

The next morning I made the 30 minute drive and met Jonathan. We walked the field and he showed me where he was throwing and walking. Jonathan was very helpful in defining the boundaries of activity and explaining how the ring might have come off. I set-up my search grid lines and started sweeping the area. After covering the field where Jonathan was throwing, I expanded to where he had picked-up his dogs waste. I heard the detectors signal saw the lovely ring at the same moment. There it was, sitting on a patch of dead grass. We had both walked over the spot, but never saw the ring. I marked the location and texted Jonathan “I found it!” As we walked over, he and I both remarked how easy it was to see…when you knew where to look!

Grandfather’s Ring

Jonathan Smile

Don’t give up. Many of my clients have bought, borrowed, or rented a metal detector and then called me. Just because you have a tool, doesn’t mean you know how to use it. I have thousands of hours detecting on land and underwater. If you have tried using a detector without success, please call to see if I can help.

I am expert detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703)-598-1435

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Ring lost in Burke, Virginia found and returned!

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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Rob Ellis: Metal Detecting Expert… Call/text/email, (703)-598-1435, Rob.Ellis@TheRingFinders.com

July 23rd, 2021: Returned ring lost in shallow water, Fairfax County, VA

I was eating dinner when I got a text from Isabella. Earlier that day, she was playing fetch with her dogs in a local lake.  She lost the ring while throwing a stick. When I called, she explained the stainless-steel ring belonged to her recently deceased father and it was very important to her. I quickly grabbed my gear and we met at the lake.

Isabella led me through the woods to the spot she was exercising her dogs. While throwing, she felt the ring slip off, but didn’t see it or hear it hit the water. I asked her to throw a stick to observe her technique and how far she was throwing.

The water was about knee deep, and there were weeds and silt. There were so many potential stainless-steel targets, I focused only on shallow hits. I concentrated in potential areas in which the ring may have landed based on how Isabella threw the stick.  I expanded my search to the left. Within a few minutes I reached down into some weeds to pull out a beautiful, shiny ring with diamonds! I immediately texted Isabella “I found it!”. After hiking back to the parking lot, I handed Isabella her ring.

A special shout out to Isabella’s friend Danielle, who had heard about The Ring Finders. Thank you for telling Isabella about our international online directory of metal detecting specialists.

I am expert detectorist with the knowledge, skill, and experience to recover your lost items on land and underwater. Please text or call as soon as possible: (703)-598-1435

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