Diamond and Gold Ring Lost While Swimming at Paihia – Found!
Diana was visiting the Bay of Islands for Waitangi Day, and decided to go for a dip to cool off after the drive up.
Sadly, the cold water shrunk her fingers and the ring flew off as her arm came over on the first stroke when she started her swim. Fortunately her friend was there and made a note of roughly where she was, and current state of the tide. She contacted me the following day to see if I was able to help.
It appeared to be a relatively easy recovery. I was given a start point and direction the ring was thought to have gone. After 5 hours and covering almost quarter of square kilometre of quiet bay to 98% confidence, including just over 3kg of fishing weights, I decided it wasn’t there.
Falling back to my mantra of “Assume Nothing, Believe No-one, Confirm Everything” I wiped the slate and worked on basis that the only 100% definite was I knew where she had entered the water, and that was the last time she knew she had the ring on.
Very shortly after, I reached down under the coil in the knee-deep shallows and felt the ring sitting under a clump of seaweed on the surface of the rock. Three of the largest diamonds I’ve seen sparkled brightly as they broke the surface of the muddy water. Job Done.
I would have liked to deliver it in person, but had to settle with giving it a clean and polish, a bit of gift wrapping, and sending it back by courier.
It’s now back on her finger, hopefully for good 🙂
