Dennis Boothby, Author at The Ring Finders

⏱️ 5 HOURS, 10 INCHES DEEP: A Bachelor Party Saved at Camp Ellis! 🌊💍🎉

The Ring Finders of Maine, With Recovery And Return #228

After finishing up with a platinum wedding ring recovery at Ogunquit Beach , I saw a text on my phone. 📱

Here is the text:
“Hello, we have a lost wedding ring at 39 ***** ***** ****, Saco at the beach. Wondering if you were available to check the area today as the tide comes down?”

I replied:
“Hi, this is Dennis Boothby of The Ring Finders of Maine. I just got your message. I am just coming up off the beach in Ogunquit. I just found somebody’s wedding band down here. If you could give me a call, I have a hands-free phone but I can’t keep texting. I would appreciate it. Again, Dennis Boothby, The Ring Finders of Maine 207-423-3027. Thank you.”

I then received a call from Rory. 📞

Rory told me that at approximately 2:00 PM, he went swimming at Camp Ellis in Saco, Maine . The tide was high, and when he got out of the water, his wedding ring was gone.

Rory told me that the area was very small, as he had basically gone into the water and right back out. He knew the exact area. Rory and a bunch of his friends were in town for a bachelor party weekend, and a few of them had gone into the water also. They all agreed on the area. Ok then!!! 🏖️🍻

I told Rory I had just started leaving Ogunquit, Maine and, depending on the traffic, I could be there in 45 minutes to an hour. Rory told me to call when I arrived, and he would come right out and show me the area. So, Cheryl and I were now heading to Camp Ellis. 🚗💨

Once I arrived, I called Rory.

He came right out with a few of his friends, and they took Cheryl and me through the waterfront house and down onto the beach. 🏠🌊

There were a few local residents on the beach who had helped look for the ring, but as we all know, once in the water, gold will sink below the sand and will not be visible. The ring was not found.

The Saco residents told me that when Rory lost the ring, they told him to call me and gave him my contact information. Thank you for the referral!!! 🙏📣

Rory and his friends had even marked an area where they thought the ring would be. I asked if it could be as high as the towel line and as low as where the receding tide was now situated. They agreed it could be.

I always like to overshoot an area when I perform a grid search. The client may be off a few feet, or the tide and waves may have moved it a bit before the ring settled under the sand. 📈🌊

I decided to start up high on the beach’s banking and work my way down toward the receding water. As in Ogunquit, I would be performing a North-South grid search. 🧭

I also took a gold test ring, covered it with the wet beach sand, and let everyone hear what the ring would sound like when I swung my metal detector’s coil over the test ring. I then told them that the gold wedding ring shouldn’t be more than 2 to 3 inches deep—4 inches at the most. 🎧🔊

Once I started searching, I wasn’t receiving any non-ferrous targets other than one small pull tab. Every other target was ferrous, possibly from all the houses along the shore that had been damaged and or lost during storms. 🏚️💥

I was approximately half to three-quarters done searching the area when I received a nice, loud mid-tone with a TID (Target Identification) reading of 47 on my Minelab Manticore’s VDI (Visual Display Indicator). My metal detector was also telling me it was about 8 inches deep on the depth meter. 🧐👀

Now, men’s gold rings usually have a TID in the 20s and 30s and, with the tide receding, shouldn’t be more than a few inches deep, as I had mentioned.

I told Rory that I didn’t think it was his ring, but I would mark the spot and investigate it once I finished searching if the ring hadn’t been found by that time. I only had maybe 5 to 8 minutes more of searching left. ⏳

As I finished that grid pass, I turned and headed south again, parallel with the water. Because I overlap my swings to make sure I don’t miss any areas, I came back to the spot I had just marked with the 47 TID.

When I heard the loud target for the second time, I decided to just check it out right then and not wait! 🔍🛠️

As I dug with my hand scoop, I wasn’t finding the target. It was still in the hole. I dug 4 or 5 scoops when all of a sudden, I heard Rory scream:

“THAT’S IT, RIGHT THERE!” 🤩🙌

I looked down into the hole and couldn’t believe what I was seeing at the bottom of that 8- to 10-inch-deep hole. A gold ring. Rory’s gold wedding ring! 💍✨

Everyone in the group was hootin’ and hollerin’ with joy! Rory fell to the ground after removing the ring from the hole, a joyous smile across his face. 🥳🎉

The smiles, high fives, hugs, and handshakes started amongst everyone. Someone yelled out, “Rory, you going to tell your wife now?” as everyone laughed. 🗣️😂

As we stood around, I was amazed by how deep the ring had settled down into the sand in just five hours. The waves at high tide must have really pounded the sand, burying the ring.

I have found rings in the ocean days later that were only 2 to 3 inches deep after many tides had come and gone. You just never know what the ocean will do with your ring! 🌊🤷‍♂️

The bachelor party could now continue, and with another great reason to celebrate! Everyone was in a wonderful mood, and it was fun to see everyone enjoying themselves. Rory and his friends continued to thank me for the quick response. 🍻🕺

As Cheryl and I left, we could still hear the group celebrating the upcoming wedding of their friend—and, of course, the saving of Rory’s marriage (just kidding!), I meant wedding ring. 😉💍
Remember: “If it matters to you, it matters to us.” ❤️

It was now approaching 8:00 PM. Cheryl and I had been gone for almost three hours, but we had helped get two more rings back on their owners’ fingers. We have the best job in the world. I love my job! 🤙🪙

📲 NEED HELP FINDING A LOST VALUABLE?
Have you or someone you know lost a ring, keys, or jewelry in the sand or surf? Don’t wait for the ocean to bury it! Time is critical when it comes to the water moving sand over your lost items. ⏱️❌
📞 Call The Ring Finders of Maine ASAP and ask for Dennis: 207-423-3027