Joe Au-Franz, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 35 of 36

Lost Wedding Band at Diamond Head Beach Park……………..FOUND

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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DHB (4)

I got a call around 2:30 PM from Michael from Dublin, Ireland. He was visiting Hawaii to attend a business conference and decided to walk to one of the local beaches for some rest and relaxation. After settling in at Diamond Head Beach he took his Stainless Steel wedding band off to apply some sunscreen. He set it on his towel and after applying the sunscreen reached for his towel and the ring flipped off into the sand. He went to the spot where the ring looked as if it entered the sand but after several minutes searching he realized it was well hidden. The sand had won again at hide and seek. Michael googled « lost ring Hawaii » and that’s when he gave me a call. I arranged to pick him up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and go to Diamond Head Beach Park to show me where his ring disappeared. This is the first time I entered the park from Beach St and the area was very secluded. I was sure we would find his ring quickly. Michael took me to the spot and another gentleman was tanning on the spot. He politely moved out of the way and I went to work. The area was as big as one parking stall. First target a quarter. Second target two scoops down was a ring. I asked Michael what did that ring look like again? He said « like woven string. » OK here you go. Got the smile and sigh of relief. No going home trying to explain to the wife how he lost his wedding ring in Hawaii. Aloha to Michael.

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Lost Wedding Band at Chun’s Reef Beach…………FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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I got an email Saturday evening around 8:30 from Amanda from Michigan. The email said her and Nick just got married and were on their honeymoon on Oahu. At around noon standing in just thigh deep water Nick’s Tungsten wedding band fell off. They looked for hours with snorkel gear and couldn’t find it. I immediately looked at the surf report and for the first time I’ve ever noticed it was a big fat 0 feet on the North Shore. I responded to Amanda’s email and she called me back. We arranged to meet on the North Shore at 6:30 AM then drive to Chun’s Reef Beach. Nick showed me the approximate location and I told him I’d start in the wave curl first as many heavy rings end up there. After two minutes I got my first target. It took two healthy scoops but there it was. I looked towards shore to Amanda and Nick and gave them the nod. Got it! The sigh of relief and broad smiles were apparent. Honeymoon saved! Most customers really have doubt the ring can be found. Especially after they have searched for hours. I wanted to say the hole behind Nick and Amanda is where I found their ring but I don’t think I could get away with that. Aloha to Nick & Amanda.

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Lost Go Pro 3+ in Anahulu Stream Haleiwa Town……….FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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haleiwabridge
I got a call from Emily in Sydney Australia on Monday 27 July. She was vacationing in Hawaii on Saturday and while paddle boarding down the Anahulu Stream and trying to adjust the strap on her wrist she fell off the board and her Go Pro HERO 3+ with all her vacation photos came off. She reached but missed and watched it sink out of sight. The depth wasn’t deep merely a paddle board oar length but it was so murky her friend who dove for it couldn’t find it. A local diver from Surf N Sea tried with a light but it wasn’t found. Emily found me by Googling lost camera. I have thousands of dives in the ocean but I never went in a Hawaiian stream. Emily emailed me a Google map of the approximate location to look. A little farther out then the splash in the bridge pic. I checked my schedule and surf and tide reports then decided Friday at 4:30 on a high tide would be best. I was hoping the ocean water moving up into the stream would keep it clean. My buddy from work Tony acted as my Safety Observer keeping paddle boarders, kayakers and kids out of my dive zone. After donning my scuba gear I went in to check it out visually before getting my Excalibur detector involved. As I approached the bridge head on, when I was a few yards from the suspected location I let the air out of my BCD and down I went. It was only 8 feet deep but as soon as my feet touched the bottom a plume of muck exploded upwards. I immediately went still and remained neutrally buoyant at a foot off the bottom then slowly moved forward. The slightest movement stirred up the muck. The first thing I found was a HE>i John 3:30 wrist band. This was going to be successful. When the shadow of the bridge blocked my light I surfaced and told Tony the visibility is OK if I go slow. He was still directing water traffic away from me so I started pass number two. I was just about to turn around when I saw a square silted over shape in the sand with a small grey string sticking up. I pulled the string and a Go Pro HERO 3+ came into view. Wow I thought and I didn’t even get a chance to use my detector. Sometimes the Mark 1 Eyeball is just as good. I emailed Emily about our good fortune and we are arranging shipment of the camera back to Australia. The camera waterproof container looks intact so she should have all her vacation photos back. Aloha to Emily

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Lost Platinum Wedding Band at Lanikai Beach……………FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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I received a call from Michael at around 4PM that earlier in the day he lost his Platinum Wedding Band in shallow water at Lanikai Beach. He told me he was leaving the next day and I knew the surf was coming up. With just a few hours of daylight left and a 45 minute drive I needed to meet them on the beach that evening. Lanikai as with most popular beaches in Hawaii is detected heavily and I didn’t want him to lose his ring. Then I found out my daughter had taken my truck so it was my wife’s van or this wasn’t going to happen. So my wife Wendy and daughter Korin loaded up and we were off to Lanikai to meet Michael. Surprisingly the traffic was light and we made it there in 30 minutes. Michael took me to the spot where he thought the ring came off and I did the usual wave curl first. That took about 15 minutes and I only found a quarter. I talked to Michael about how he lost the ring and he explained he was swimming in and as soon as his feet hit sand is when his ring came off. His lovely wife Yvonne also pointed out we should probably be looking a little more to the South. Why do women always have a better sense of location then us men because about 5 minutes later I had another really loud target and in the scoop was Michael’s platinum band. Altogether about 20 minutes and they get to leave tomorrow with Michael’s ring back on his finger. Michael commented that his ring normally fits very tight. I let him know typically you can lose two ring sizes in salt water. Aloha to Michael and Yvonne.

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Lost Silver Ring at Haleiwa Beach……FOUND

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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I was at our Summer family picnic on the North Shore of Oahu and brought my detector for a spin in the shallow water. I found two bling rings and a silver bracelet and was heading back to the picnic for some refreshments when I ran into Katherine and her husband sitting in the shallow water. As I approached I commented jokingly that they didn’t need to move out of my way unless they lost some gold. Katherine said, « Actually I lost my two leaf silver ring a little while ago ». She wasn’t sure when or where exactly it came off but I figured I’d see if the Excalibur could sniff it out. A few yards down the wave curl and I got a screaming silver tone and my scoop had to chase that tone about four times as the waves were crashing and throwing it about. I finally snagged the target and in my scoop was the two leaf ring. I yelled over to Katherine describe that ring again…Is this it? She gave me a huge smile and a warm Thank you. Aloha to Katherine.

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Lost Wedding Band at Kahala Beach…………FOUND!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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I saw the following craigslist ad:

Men’s Wedding Ring Lost @ Kahala Beach (Honolulu)

Please help! I lost my wedding ring in the shallow water off Kahala Beach. It’s a white gold band, with a turquoise wrap, next to a Koa Wood wrap. I can offer a small reward of $25 for the honorable person who finds it and returns it to me. It’s a non-expensive ring valued at $50, but it has a lot of sentimental value to me. We were off 4771 Kahala Ave beach access. If you walk towards the ocean and you get to the beach, go left a little ways from the beach access, I lost it in the shallow water there. Mahalo!!

The surf finally settled down on the South shore so I took my daughter Korin and wife Wendy to the beach so I could take a shot at finding Sean’s Wedding ring. Kahala Beach has a lot of metal trash so my odds would be hampered trying to sort through the chatter. Sean gave good location data so I started my search at the beach access and worked to the left. My first target was a Dog named « Tucker » who lost his collar. That will be an easy return as it has two owner phone numbers. On the ninth leg of the grid search in waist deep water I got that tone and there was Sean’s beautiful ring. Now if he answers my craigslist reply we’ll get him his ring and a smile!!!

I finally got to meet Sean today at Kahala Mall to give back his ring. He told me he had just put sunscreen on and was paddling with his hands on a float when the ring popped off. He thought for sure he’d never see it again. I’m just glad it was in the sandy area versus the rocks which would have been nearly impossible. Smiles all around. Aloha to Sean!

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Lost Rubies & Diamonds Gold Ring at Kuhio Beach Park Waikiki…..FOUND!!!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
Contact:

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My fellow ring finder Don Bryant called and said a lady named Soraya had lost her ring at Kuhio Beach Park and that he was still unpacking from his trip so he referred her to me. As soon as I hung up the call came in. Soraya explained to me that she had lost the ring the evening before as she was playing with her children in waist deep water. Don & I both told her that Sergei the Russian detectorist that cruises the beaches every morning could very well of found it and our probability of finding her ring was very low. I told Soraya that I would give it a shot and could be there in 30 minutes. We met at the pier and she walked me to the area she was playing in the water. We marked an extreme East & West point and I started my search. It only took about 30 minutes and all I found was a Memorial cent and half a pull tab in the wet sand. I told Soraya the water was sterile of any metal and to look at her markers and asked if I had to go out one of the markers should I go more East or West. She looked towards shore and said I think a little more towards the Church which is to the West. I continued on and then on the third leg outside the original marker I got the « Growl of Gold and Stones ». A gentle scoop and there was the gorgeous White Gold ring with rubies and diamonds. I looked up and Soraya was no where to be seen. I’m thinking did she give up on me? I happened to spot her son playing in the water and asked him where his Mom was…she had gone up on the beach where I couldn’t see her. I told him to tell her I think I found her ring. Her daughter came running down and said let me see…let me see. Oh yes that’s my Mom’s ring! Soraya arrived and I held the ring out in the palm of my hand. That’s it how amazing…where actually was it? Actually it was in a lot closer to the beach then she imagined it would be. We figured she was playing during high tide and didn’t realize how close to shore she had been. I’m so glad we extended the search in the correct direction and Sergei missed this one. Chalk one up for « The Ring Finders » Aloha to Soraya.

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Lost Gold Wedding Band at Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki……FOUND!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
Contact:

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HHVKen1

I got a call from Ken while at work and he wanted to know if I could look for his ring at Hilton Hawaiian Village. He lost the ring two days prior and that area is one of the most detected areas in Waikiki. My fear was someone already found it and he would never get it back. The surf has been pounding the South shore so there was a chance the regular Waikiki detectorists might have been taking a break. I told Ken I would meet him after work and give it my best shot. We met at 4PM on the beach and I was elated to find out Ken had lost his ring in the rocky area of the beach. That area is very difficult to detect in as there are many large coral rocks and most of the detectorists avoid it. Ken explained that he was in no deeper than 4 feet of water and between two coral outcroppings on the shoreline. So I went to work. Unfortunately I only found coins, pull tabs and a bottle cap. I asked Ken lets think this over where did you spend the most time? He said probably in the sandy area near the wave break where he was getting thrown around. I said OK I’m going to concentrate there and not go into the rocky area. An hour had already passed and I could see the anxiety on their faces. I needed to find this ring. I started a wave curl search as the surf was pounding the shore. On the return leg a little farther into the sand at the half point between Ken’s marks I got that beautiful « GOLD » tone. After two scoops I saw a ring. I motioned Ken over and asked him to describe the ring again please. White gold with two rose colored bands going through it he said. Sure enough that is what was in my scoop. I pulled the ring out and handed it to Ken. You know that look we treasure so much well Ken was beaming with joy that I finally found his ring. I found out from talking to Ken and his lovely wife Malette that they had just gotten married and only had the ring for a day when it was lost. What a happy ending to a wonderful vacation in Hawaii. Aloha to Ken and Malette.

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Lost Gold Wedding Band at Lanikai Beach Kailua…….FOUND!

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
Contact:

segmented ringYuko1

I just got home from work on Friday when the phone rang and Hiroko asked if I was immediately available to recover a ring in Kailua at Lanikai Beach as the couple was flying out that evening. I told her I could be there in 30 minutes or so and she explained the situation. Her friend Mariko had guests visiting from Japan and her lady friend Yuko dropped her Gold Wedding Band in the sand. Mariko was going to meet me at the beach access lane and would show me the approximate location the ring was lost. I asked my wife Wendy if she wanted to come along and she did as their is a really nice shopping mall on that side of the island we hadn’t been to in ages. So off we went. Another helpful tool my wife has GPS on her smart phone and helps me get to the out of the way locations. We arrived in record time and Mariko introduced us to Yuko and her husband who had been looking for the ring for several hours already. When we arrived on location the area was half sand and half leafy rooted plant cover. This was going to be a challenge. Yuko boxed off the area and I began my search. I think every pull tab and bottle cap on Lanikai Beach ended up in this ground cover. After about twenty minutes and numerous tabs, caps and 11 cents I got an unusual growl on my Excalibur. It sounded really weird. As I made a scoop I noticed a bottle cap loose in the sand where I just dug in. I bent down and picked it up. As I made another scoop to the other target a glint of Gold could be seen in the scoop. As I reached into the scoop and pulled out the ring I glanced over at Yuko and tears were streaming down her face. Her husband was bowing at my feet saying « Arigato » over and over. Actually, I was overwhelmed and said please stand up and just give me a hug Hawaiian style. Their appreciation was over the top. I won’t soon forget this find. Aloha to Yuko and her husband!

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Lost Gold Wedding Band at Waikiki Beach…….FOUND

  • from O‘ahu (Hawaii, United States)
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NickhwauNickhwaua

While I was on my lunch break eating Spicy Ahi Don with my daughter Asti I received a call from Andrea in Waikiki. She told me her husband Nick lost his White Gold wedding band in the sand at Waikiki Beach right behind the Police Station. Knowing how many detectorists prowl the beach my getting there quickly to find their ring was of the utmost importance. I had my Excalibur in my truck so I told Andrea to guard the spot on the beach and not to dig looking for it. I told her I could be there in 30 minutes. Lunch hour traffic and road construction tried hard to keep me away but we managed through it all. Since I know some of the Waikiki HPD Officers I was able to park in their stall directly in front of the lost ring location. Asti stayed in the car and I went to the beach with Nick. It was a relatively small area and the first target was Nick’s ring. They admitted digging for it as it took two healthy scoops to reach their ring. It’s always neat how all the tourists watching the search applaud and say « How Cool is that? » when the ring is found. As you can see Andrea & Nick were all smiles. Aloha to Andrea & Nick.

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