Phone Recovered from Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, WI
A Daughter’s Phone Takes a Swim
It was a Saturday evening, September 5, 2026, when the call came about a phone dropped in the lake. Ryan was anchored outside of the swimming area at Williams Bay Beach on Geneva Lake. Family and friends were enjoying a perfect day on the water with jet skis, blue skies, and good company when his daughter’s phone went overboard. The oft-repeated mistake of wrapping a valuable item in a towel and then promptly forgetting about it led to the phone taking a swim. 
“How deep are you anchored?” I asked.
Ryan’s depth gauge read 10.4 feet. I explained that my maximum depth is 10 feet, but I told him I would be willing to give it a try. He was securely anchored, so although drift would be minimal, the conditions underwater might prove to be challenging.
After a short jet ski ride to their boat, I donned my flippers and breathing apparatus and sank to the bottom. Would I be able to reach the lake bed?
The water was clear, but significant seaweed obscured my vision. Once I sank far enough, I was encouraged when I touched the bottom, though I soon realized the real bottom lay another foot deeper beneath silty sediment. Perhaps the cell phone rested on top of the vegetation, and I would not even need to use my metal detector. After a cursory swim around the boat and a little extra time on the port side, I popped up for a breather. Ryan and I chatted a bit, and he felt that searching the stern area in an arc would be the best approach.
I again sank to the bottom and started scanning. It was quiet. That was good. I felt that if I heard anything, it would be the phone. It wasn’t long before I heard a high-pitched screaming tone… the sound my machine makes over a cell phone. I rescanned the area, and when I reached down into the loose vegetation, I felt the rectangular shape I was hoping for. The pink case greeted me first. When I flipped it over, the screen flashed on. Success!
If you or someone you know has lost a phone, ring, or piece of jewelry, please call. The smiles I enjoy when returning lost items are one of the best parts of what I do.