Rob Ellis, Author at The Ring Finders | Page 4 of 6

Lost Diamond Engagement Ring, Lake Pelham, Culpeper, Virginia…FOUND!

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

Rob Ellis: Ring Recovery Specialist…Call or text 703-598-1435

July 21, 2020: On Sunday, Maria was enjoying the Pelham Lake Park gazebo with her friends and family. She briefly removed her ring and it accidently dropped, bouncing off the table, falling in between the deck boards into the water. Maria attempted to find the ring but realized the depth and mud made it impossible to find without a detectorist’s help. She called me and we set up a time to search.

Lake Pelham

Every search is unique, and this one was no exception. The lake around and under the gazebo is about 4 feet deep. The mud was about 1 ½ feet deep. I worked my way from the shore and stooped under the gazebo. The first detector did not work well in the mud. I made the trip back to my car and got my Excalibur. After an hour of laboring through fishing lures, bits of trash, and construction materials, I finally heard that lovely tone.

It was such a pleasure to meet Maria and the other lovely ladies. Their unabashed delight at seeing the ring made me so happy!

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Lost Ring Annapolis, Maryland…Found!

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

Rob Ellis: Underwater Ring Recovery Specialist. Call or text 703-598-1435

July 5th, 2020, Annapolis Landing Marina.

Nick was helping passengers disembark from a tour boat onto the dock when a child fell into the water. He immediately provided assistance, pulling the boy from the water. After the adrenaline subsided from the rescue, Nick realized his beautiful diamond wedding ring was missing. He had another diver look for the ring for several hours that night, but the diver was unable to find it.

Nick called me the next morning and we were able to search that afternoon. Even though Nick was up most of the night with the other diver, he was alert and very detailed in his description of the incident. After meeting and getting the marina manager’s support for my search from Ralph, I prepared for the search. The marina staff and the boat owners we met were very friendly and made us feel welcome. The marina certainly lives up to its slogan as the “finest and friendliest marina in Annapolis”.

Annapolis Landing Marina

 

The water along the dock is brackish tidal. That day it was twelve feet deep and I could not see a thing. I used a circular search pattern and slowly combed the area. With the noise of all the holiday weekend boats in the water and zero visibility, it was disorienting. I was glad to be tethered to my divemaster (Mrs.E) on the surface. There was the usual trash to be expected around any dock. After about 45 minutes, I heard a target and could feel the shape of the ring. We were so happy to return the ring to Nick!

 

I am a detectorist with over 35 years’ experience in detecting on both dry land and under water. As a skilled underwater search and recovery specialist, I am often called to search after inexperienced divers attempted to recover the lost object. Underwater searches require unique techniques and equipment. At a minimum, an underwater detectorist should hold Advanced Diver or Master SCUBA Diver certifications. I also recommend they be certified in Underwater Metal Detecting, and Search & Recovery. As a Master SCUBA Instructor, I designed and taught the first specialty certification course for underwater metal detecting. I have professional certifications to teach SCUBA divers in 4 internationally recognized certification agencies and thousands of hours of underwater experience. When you call me, we will discuss the specifics of your situation. If I do not think there is a good chance of finding your lost item, I will not accept your case. (703)-598-1435

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Lost Diamond Ring Aquia Landing, Virginia…found!

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

Rob Ellis: Ring Recovery Specialist Underwater and on land …Lost Ring?… Call or text 703-598-1435.

On Saturday, Esmeralda and Rey were playing with friends in the water. When Esmeralda reached to catch a ball, her beautiful 10th anniversary diamond ring flew off her finger. They searched for hours to no avail. The next morning, Esmeralda emailed me for help.

Metal detecting for artifacts in the area is unlawful. So, I contacted the Stafford County Government to get permission for the search. Even though it was Sunday, I was able to reach Brett. He was very understanding and told me it was no problem as long as I was only looking for the ring.

Beach before Crowds

I met Rey at the beach and he showed me where they thought the ring landed. The water was about waist deep and there were many families enjoying the shallows. Since the spot was crowded, it took more time than anticipated. I forgot all that when I found the ring in the scoop. I am so happy to have helped a couple of patriots like Rey and Esmeralda!!!

 

Ring!

Rey Smile!

 

Rey and Esmeralda were so kind to post the story on their local Facebook news. I have already been contacted by people who saw their post! I also appreciate their generous reward, a portion of which was donated to the Fisher House Foundation https://fisherhouse.org/.

 

 

 

I was happy to retrieve trash during my search. As you can see in the photo, I removed jagged metal and glass just waiting to cut some unsuspecting swimmer’s foot.

 

 

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Ring Lost While Paddleboarding, Found by SCUBA Diver in James River, Richmond, Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

Rob Ellis: Underwater Ring Recovery Specialist. Call or text 703-598-1435

June 7th, 2020 James River, Midlothian (Richmond), Virginia

Jake was paddle boarding off of his neighborhood dock when his gold wedding band slipped off. He called me and we set a date to search. My wife, son, and I met Jake and he took us to the dock. As you can see from the photos, it was a beautiful day for a search.

Trail to Dock

Beautiful Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The depth was about 10 feet with visibility from zero to five feet. After discussing the variables with my shore crew, I decided to use a circle search reel of my own design. There were some sunken logs and debris entangled with fishing line and hooks. This complicated the search. After about 45 minutes, I got a signal on my safety line to surface from my dive master. After some more discussions with Jake, she recommended I shift my search area about 40 feet upriver. It’s a good thing since that is where I found the ring!

 

Flag to Keep Boats Away

Entry/Exit Area

Underwater View

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uncovering 1

Uncovering 2

Uncovered!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jake SMILE!

James River Ring

Some of the trash found & removed.

 

 

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Lost Wedding Ring Found Dumfries, Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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May 16th, 2020.

Nikki and her husband David were enjoying their lovely backyard with the family. While David was playing with one of the children, his ring flew off and bounced off the patio and into the wet grass. After they searched unsuccessfully, they called me. I searched about 45 minutes before finding the ring embedded in the mud under the wet grass. So happy to have met patriots like Nikki & David. A portion of their reward has gone to Fisher House.

Ring in the Grass

Recovered!

Nikki Smile!

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Lost Wedding Band Found Under Porch, Falls Church Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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April 16th, 2020. During the Wuhan virus pandemic.

Andrew emailed me asking for help to find a ring, not for himself, but for his friend Hazel. In January, Hazel was sitting on the front porch when her ring slipped from her hand and hit the wood deck. They were not sure if the ring rolled off into some bushes or slipped in between the boards. Andrew knew in his heart that the ring was there and it could be found. He had looked through the openings of the deck and around the bushes with a powerful light, but no luck.

When I arrived, I met Andrew and Mike.

Front of the House

Hoping the ring rolled or bounced off the low deck, I searched the bushes thoroughly with my AT Max. I found the usual hidden trash, but no ring. I then concentrated my search under the deck.

 

 

 

 

There were only a few inches of space to work. I detached my shaft and reached under the deck with my sniper coil. I borrowed a leaf rake from Mike as the one I brought was too large to fit under the deck. I heard targets and raked them out, then used my pinpointer to scan the debris.

Tight Access Under the Porch

It was then I had the pleasure of meeting Hazel. She remembered precisely how the ring sounded when it rolled on the wooden deck. From her description, I redoubled my efforts to search farther under the deck.

 

 

 

 

 

Found!

I stretched my arm and extended the coil to the limit when I heard a promising target. Mentally marking the spot, I used the leaf rake and pulled out more debris. I waved the pinpointer over the dirt and leaves and dug down to find the ring!

 

Andrew’s determination to help his friend resulted in a happy ending!

 

 

 

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Lost Cell Phone Found After Fire, Fredericksburg, VA

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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April 20th, 2020. During the Wuhan virus pandemic. John called me to help find his lost phone. A few days prior, there was a fire in the wooded area behind his house.

What the fire looked like.

 

John assumed his phone fell out of his pocket while he was extinguishing the flames. To complicate the search area, the woods are bordered by a lake and the phone could have fallen into the water. The phone is precious to John because it contains many photos and passwords. He and his family searched through the ash for many hours, with no luck.

I packed up all the tools for land and shallow water detecting, and made the hour long drive. When I arrived, I put on my boots and followed John as he showed me the search area. As we were walking through the blackened trees and ash, I saw the phone next to my foot. I picked it up and handed it to John and asked, “Does you phone look like this?”

 

 

 

 

 

As you can imagine, John was in disbelief, and then elated. He couldn’t believe he had just walked past it. We went back up to his house and I could clearly hear his wife scream with delight. Although several people had searched the burnt ground for many hours, nobody else saw the phone. To me, the phone really stood out. I have a strong red/green color blindness. So, I have always seen things differently than most people. That may be why I saw the phone when others did not.

Smile!

 

 

 

 

 

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Lost Gold Wedding Ring Re-recovered Vienna, VA

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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March 30th, 2020. Matt again called to report he’s lost his ring. He was doing some habitual, unplanned weeding in the yard when he realized too late that he forgot to remove the ring. After searching for about 30 minutes I found the ring at the base of some liriope grass. It was barely visible in the dry mulch, but un-findable without a detector. Go ahead and enlarge the photo…you really can see it!

It’s Right There

Enlarge the Picture and You Will See

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd Time Recovered

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole time, Matt had a great sense of humor about the situation and vowed to put the ring on a necklace until he had it resized. No “smile” photo as requested.

 

 

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Lost wedding ring recovered on the first swing, Vienna, Virginia.

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
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March 24th, 2020. Matt called me about a lost wedding band. He had made healthy life style changes and lost over 50 pounds since last summer. Matt didn’t remember the ring falling off, but reasoned the most likely place in his backyard while he was mulching. The 30 minute drive was surreal with so few cars on the road. It would normally have taken me up to an hour on a normal day.
Matt showed me a 10 x 20 foot area of the yard wet with leaf mulch and mud.

I changed into my boots and geared up with my AT Max, ready to get dirty. In a well-defined search area, I like to start from one side and work my way across. I turned on and calibrated my AT Max and started to sweep the left edge. My first sweep resulted in a clear signal in the gold range! I dug into the muck about 5 inches, and there it was.

Although I did very little work, Matt insisted I accept his generous reward, a portion of which went to Fisher House. He was extremely happy, but preferred not to have his “smile” taken for the Book of Smiles.

 

 

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Lost Class Ring Recovered From Farm Pond, Tappahannock Virginia

  • from Fairfax (Virginia, United States)
Contact:

Rob Ellis: Underwater Ring Recovery Specialist. Call or text 703-598-1435

November 19th, 2019
John, who recently returned from an overseas deployment, had lost a lot of weight. He was fishing on his farm pond with a young friend. While helping his friend remove a fish from his line, John’s Virginia Tech ring slipped off. As you can see from the photo, this is a treasured reminder of his beloved alma mater and he rarely took it off his finger. John had the foresight to immediately take note of where he was when the ring fell off.
Due to other obligations, it took a several weeks before Mrs. E and I could make the trip to Tappahannock. After a two hour drive we met John and his friend Billy. We immediately bonded with these awesome patriotic Virginians.
John decided to drain half the water out of the pond. He and his friends developed an ingenious method and spent many hours nursing the home-made pump. The depth was about 15 feet lower when we arrived. John and Billy placed a ladder so I could get safely get in and out of the water. John also launched his boat to give me a platform from which to work. I’m so grateful for his ingenuity and thoughtfulness.

 

Setting up in the woods

 

Half Drained & Boat

The pond had steep sides, zero visibility, and is over 25 feet deep. John and Billy helped me get my SCUBA gear into the boat and I snorkeled over to the opposite bank. As you can see from the photos, there were tangled branches interfering with the potential search site. I explored the area around, under, and through the tangle as best I could using my Excalibur detector.

To search in the water under the tangle I realized we would have to remove the branches. I decided to search the bank before undertaking the difficult task of removing the branches. It was a slippery, but there was little trash and the search went quickly. It felt wonderful to hear that beautiful tone when I located the ring and dug it up from the mud.

John’s help in draining the pond and putting me so close to the drop was extremely helpful. His generous reward was much appreciated and I donated a portion to Fisher House.

For help to recover your item, please text or call 703-598-1435

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