Wallet, Keys, and Cell Phone Lost at Santa Monica Beach, CA...Found and Happily Returned.

Wednesday night before Thanksgiving about 10:00 PM I received a call from Gabrial. He had lost his wallet, keys, and cell phone at the beach, and was wondering if I could help. We talked, and I asked questions, and I had many. What happened was that he had gone surfing, and wanting to make sure that no one absconded with his belongings he put them in an old sock and buried them in the sand and then put his towel over the spot. Well after coming out of the water, grabbing his towel and drying off, he turned and walked away to go home. It wasn’t until he had gone a long way off that he remembered that he had left his wallet, keys, and cell phone in the sand. He went back searched and searched digging up the sand where he remembered burying everything, but could not find them. Someone tried to help with a « Find My iPhone » app, but that didn’t work either, so after a long time of searching he finally gave up and went home. He was able to find my number, and called. He was thinking we might be able to go the next morning (which I was unable to do), I said the only other day I could get there would be Friday, and I knew that would be too late because the county would be dragging the beach before then with mechanical rakes and sifters, and his stuff would be gone for sure. I told him we had to go that night because his loss was on the towel line, the first place the county cleans. He lived about 45 minutes away and needed to get a ride, but said he would meet me there, so I was on my way.

I got to the beach and met Gabrial and his friends at the spot of the loss about 11:15 PM. It was dark on the beach, but with my headlight I could see where Gabrial had been searching. It looked as though he had plowed a half an acre of sand with his hands. I realized he had to be exhausted and discouraged, but I felt pretty certain that because I was able to convince him to go back the same night that we had a very good chance of finding everything. I asked him to show me where he believed he had his towel, and started my search there, going out of the box on every pass. I was working along and had made about 6 passes finding tons of bottle caps but nothing else. Not too soon after he came over to me showing me a black sock stuffed with things, his wallet, keys, and cell phone that was making a noise. It seems that while I was searching he was able to find someone else (at 11:30 PM!) with an iPhone, and they tried the « Find My iPhone » app again with success. I wasn’t the one to make this recovery, but I am sure that if I had not convinced Gabrial go to the beach that night his belongings would have gone for good. So glad to have played a part in making a great smile on Wednesday. We had some good fellowship afterwards which was also a blessing. It was great to meet him and his friends and be a help.

If you lose your ring or other metal item of value, call as soon as possible. I will work hard, using the most up to date metal detectors, to help you find what you thought might never be found again. I search,  Beverly Hills, Hermosa Beach, Huntington Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Newport Beach, Northridge, Pasadena, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, Seal Beach, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Venice Beach, and all parks, yards, gardens, and ponds (to 5 foot depths) in all of Orange County, all of Los Angeles County, and Ventura County.