After some beach wrestling between our son and his mom over a football disaster struck and her wedding rings went flying into the sand.
We searched for hours with help from others, but still no luck. As the sun began to set, we reached out to John at Ring Finders South Jersey for help recovering the lost wedding ring and anniversary band.
Sean wrote « 📞 John showed up in less than 30 minutes, a metal detector in hand, and a headlamp on his head totally focused and determined.
After a careful grid search and lots of patience, John recovered BOTH rings! 🙌
He’s not just great at what he does he’s also down to earth, respectful, and truly cares about helping people. 💯
If you ever lose a ring on the beach in South Jersey, don’t panic. Call John at Ring Finders South Jersey. Highly recommended! »
On 8/21/25 at 3:20 pm I received a text message from Nataly saying, “Hi! How much would you charge to find a ring? I’m at n Myrtle Beach.” I called Nataly at the number attached to the text and told her I do this on a reward/gratuity basis. I asked her the details of the loss, and she told me the ring had been put in a shirt pocket and then in a bag. At some point the shirt was taken out of the bag not knowing the ring was in the pocket. That’s when the ring fell into the soft sand and disappeared. At first, I thought she was in Myrtle Beach (because I didn’t see the small ‘n’) so I told her I could be there in 30-40 minutes. I asked her to send me the address and was out the door. When I got the text with the address, I called her to confirm it was in North Myrtle Beach, which she did. So, my drive time was down to 15 minutes.
When I arrived on the beach, I met Nataly (big sister to Rebekah) and Jondavid (gave the ring to Rebekah) under the umbrella, in the area where the ring was lost. I turned on my Equinox 800, took 2 steps and hit a solid 21 on the VDI (visual display indicator). Being a silver ring, I knew I had the ring. Took a couple of shallow scoops of sand, shook it out and saw the ring. I held the scoop up so Jondavid could reach in and grab the ring. Nataly told me that Rebekah was in the hotel pool, so I decided we walk up and surprise her. When we got to the pool, Nataly said to Rebekah, “Look at the ring I found.” Rebekah instantly knew her ring was found. Big smiles all around!
Nataly – Thank you for calling me and allowing me to help find Rebekah’s promise ring
This adventure started on 8/18/25 at 11:31 am, and what an adventure it turned out to be. I received a text message from Heather saying, “Hi, looking for help. Lost my wedding ring and anniversary ring today.” I replied for her to call me and sent her my number. When she called, I asked her what time she lost it and where she was on the beach. She said she lost it about 45 minutes ago and she was sitting at the water’s edge. A quick check of the tide tables for North Myrtle Beach, and she lost it about an hour after low tide. I told her I was on my way, knowing that I missed my chance with the tide. I had little chance of finding her rings at that time, but it gave me a chance to see what I was up against. When I met Heather on the beach she showed me a picture of the rings. She stated the wedding band was yellow gold and about 3mm in width. The anniversary ring was thinner and had 5 diamonds on it, both rings were 24 Karat yellow gold. She pointed out where she had been sitting and mentioned she had moved a little south for a while and then back again. She also mentioned she had been knocked over by a wave. I tried doing an east west grid perpendicular to the surf but wasn’t making any progress. After maybe 45 minutes of getting pounded by the waves, getting my metal scoop slammed into my shin causing a cut, and getting knocked down twice. I decided now was not the right time! I told Heather I’d be back for the evening low tide which was just before 11 pm. On the way home I called my buddy Burwin to see if he was interested in a nighttime hunt. He jumped at the chance. Having someone to help on night hunts, helps with covering the area twice as quick. It’s also good to have someone watching your back, literally. Burwin and I hit the beach later that evening and the conditions were worse than earlier. We had no luck and called it a night after about 2 hours of searching. So, I already decided I’d be out the next morning an hour or so before low tide.
The next morning, I was getting ready to leave when I noticed I had a voice mail and text message from Katie H. Her text message read, “Hi Jim, My name is Katie H. and I’m a reporter with WBTW news 13. I just left you a voice mail trying to get in contact with you. We are hoping to do a story on you and your company and the recent ring you just found for a visiting couple in North Myrtle. I would love to shadow or follow you for a day and to interview you regarding your process and why you love to do what you do. If you’re able to speak today please text or call me back and even if that isn’t possible but you are available sometime this week, let me know that as well and we can set something up! Thank you! Kindest Regards, Katie H.” I called Katie back and she explained what she wanted to do. I told her, “it just so happens I’m on my way to a ring search and she was more than welcome to come along.” We agreed to meet at the location, and I was on my way. I got there before she did and started my east/west grid search. The sea and weather conditions were better, and I thought I’d have a much better chance of finding Heather’s 2 rings. When Katie showed up, I met her at the top of the slope, and she did my interview. When she finished, I told her how I do my searches and started an east/west grid from the high tide line to about knee to waist deep. On my second line and as Katie was recording, I hit a solid 14 on the VDI (visual display indicator). This is what I was looking for on a gold wedding band, but it’s also where pull tabs ring up as. I dug a scoop, shook the wet sand out of it and saw Heather’s gold wedding band. I pulled it out of the scoop and showed it to Katie. We walked up the beach so I could call Heather. When I called it went to voice mail, and I told Heather “I’ve got something for you.” Katie and I walked back down the beach to where I found the 1st ring, and in just a few more steps I hit Heather’s Anniversary ring. Katie and I walked back up the beach so I could call Heather again. This time Heather answered and said, “I’m right behind you.” I turned around and handed Heather her 2 rings and got the biggest bear hug. I told Heather who Katie was, and Heather agreed to being interviewed. This entire search, recovery and return couldn’t have gone any better. After Katie’s interview with Heather, I turned around to Katie and said something like, “This is why I do this.” Katie got the message! I’ll post the news story when I get it.
Katie – Thank you so much for the opportunity to show what it is I do and why.
Heather – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasures. It was great to get them back to you where they belong.
August 19, 2025 Richard, a Horticulturist at heart, was doing what he loved to do. That was helping a friend out by doing some gardening, pruning and clean-up when what could happen, did happen his wedding band slipped from his finger. He had no memory of it coming off, it was just gone, somewhere in the yard.
Telling his wife was a bit stressful when done they returned to the property, with hopes of finding the ring. Not finding the ring, they turned to the internet to find someone that could help. That is when I got involved via a text message that read “Maybe you have availability this week? I answered by a phone call and set up a time for the next afternoon.
I am glad I had set it up for the afternoon as another call for help came to me to find a ring lost in a local swimming beach. I asked another Ring Finder to go along…two could find the ring twice as fast. Sure enough Leighton found the water ring in less than 5 minutes. All said and done we were off to search for Richard’s ring at 2:30.
We pulled into the driveway right at 2:30, what timing! Introductions and then a walk thru the area that should be holding the band that matched his wife’s band, but one with a bigger and with a looser fit. As always a Ring Finder is always alert to his surroundings. About 30 feet from my car and our detecting gear a bit of glitter caught my eye. UNBELIEVABLE! It was the ring. This was my first find without even taking my equipment out of the car.
Now it was up to Tobe to take the ring home and have it resized so Richard could wear it with a bit of confidence that he would not loose it again. This return will be in the memory of several people for a long time. I wish all searches were this easy. No, not really, if they were, my hobby would lose my interest in very little time. But on the other hand, it would be quicker outcome for those that had made the loss. In the end, it matters not who or when a lost object is found, but that it is returned to the rightful owner.
August 12. 2025 A beautiful day a the beach was coming to its end and Matt had the urge to get a few more splashes in the rough waves before the sun set. But as it happens more than one can imagine he was hit by a wave and in that moment his wedding band slipped off his finger onto the wet sand. There was nothing Matt could do but watch it get swept away by the receding wave. The next morning he reached out to me for help. My first thought was that of it being on Federal Property, on which metal detecting is illegal. But, it may be possible to get special case by case permission to search one small area for a specific amount of time for a specific object. Or at times a Park Ranger may do the search themselves. The only other determining factor for me to go for the search would be the surf action, it can be so rough it could be life threatening.
All that being said, Matt wanted to get his ring back to his finger. He started the “Try to get the right person to give permission” which proved no easy task. First a phone call, no success. Second in-person visit to the NSS Visitor’s Center, again no success. Back to the phone, this time to a emergency number he found on the internet site. The dispatcher said she would have someone call him back. Success. Permission was granted for a “TheRingFinder” to search in the area he lost the ring during the one evenings low tide time and that the Rangers on duty would be informed of the situation. It was a go for me.
I had been on another such search about a month ago. I did not find the ring and was beat up by waves, that for a detectorist concentrating on the searching endeavor, could rip him off his feet. If it happened, his scoop could be ripped from his hands and lost into the surf. Likewise a detector may be lost. I know my limits, the dangers and to give up when the object is not worth tempting such dangers.
This search started with only short boots and a detector that had better trash rejecting tuning capabilities. That did not go well as I thought it might. But I had to go with the best equipment for the given search area. So, when I got to the water line with only two iffy targets, I went back to the car and got ready to detect in the water as far as I felt safe. That also did not go as I thought it would and as the sun was setting I was going call it a bust but I would make one last pass. In the surf wash of only 2 inches the only good signal hit my ears. One shallow scoop, a quick rinse and there it was, Matt’s wedding band. As I walked to Matt, I told him I though he was the luckiest son-of-a-mother and that’s a lot of sons to be luckier than. His reaction was such that I knew I was the lucky one to have retrieve and returned such a sentimental ring and return it. You now know why I enjoy my metal detecting hobby so much: Memory making emotions top the list.
Lisa sat quietly at the edge of a dock she had been visiting since she was a little girl. While recalling all the fun memories, Lisa felt the need to feel the cool water of the lake one last time before her vacation was over. With a quick jump Lisa dove headfirst in the deep green water. The rush of the coolness and the excited arm movements brought Lisa back to the surface but sent her late mothers heirloom ring sinking deep into the abyss. The quick fleeting elated feeling she had, vanished as she actually felt the ring slide off of her finger. There was no time to waste. The news of the lost ring made it back to her family at the lake house. The idea of a lost ring sparked a memory in the mind of Lisa’s daughter Samatha. She had seen The Ring Finders videos and looked up the website.
As I sat baking in the warm morning sunshine, I got an unknown number on my cell phone calling me. Samatha was the caller and had found my finders page and was asking for my help. However, the urgency of the call became apparent, when she said she had to take a flight home at 4pm that day. As quick as a comic book superhero could change out of his street clothes and into his super suit, I packed up all of my gear and headed to Deer Lake. I met Samantha and Lisa at the dock, and we went over the details of how Lisa lost her ring. Then the meticulous task of a solo dive began. No step can be missed. Hook up regs to the tanks, turn on air, check mouthpiece and pressure, spit in face mask, put on fins and Bcd. Double check the air and pressure. Then over the edge of the dock I went. I searched for about an hour with no luck. I came back to the surface to let the silt die down and realign my search grid. The second dive turned up a bunch of cans but no ring. With 1000 psi left in the tank I came back up. As I was looking for Samantha, she came walking up to the edge of the dock. She had to go catch her flight. So, as she left, she told me to look more to the left of my dive line. I took her advice and moved my line a few feet over. As I started searching again, I found another can but after that signal a low but steady signal screamed in my headphone. After pinpointing the target, I activated my patent pending grab and pull method. As the silt clouds plumed over my head, I felt a hard object touch my fingers. As it bobbled around in the mud, my finger slipped through the hole in the middle of it. I frantically moved my hand towards my mask to turn on my GoPro so I could capture the moment I found Lisa’s ring.
After quietly celebrating, I heard the urgency clock ticking in my head. Had Lisa and Samantha left? Can I catch them before they leave? All these thoughts ran through my head as I slowly ascended to the surface. The dock was full of people that knew I was looking for a lost ring. So, a small celebration happened as I popped out of the water saying, « I Found it ». After, I had to make my way back to shore to shed off my gear and then make the all-important call to Samatha. « Are you still here? » I asked her after she said hello, she replied with a » Yes », so I said, « I found it « . The news spread through the family’s home like emotional waves and Lisa and her sister embraced each other as they both cried happy tears.
Lisa and Samatha came back to the dock to reclaim Lisa’s ring. I was so happy that I didn’t have to spread my wings to catch them in midair. I would have gladly done so to see the smile Lisa had on her face. That beautiful sapphire ring was the last item her late mother had given her before she passed away.
If not for Samatha’s redirection I would of ran out of air and postponed the search. Sometimes the smallest adjustments make the most profound changes, always listen to what is being said and react accordingly.
On 8/17/25 at about 1:30 pm I got a text message from Faith saying, “Hi Jim! My cousin just lost his wedding band in the ocean. How does this process work?” I replied with, “Call me so I can get the details.” Her response was, “OK thanks. I’ll have him reach out.” Then about 5:30 pm, I got a text from Michael saying, “Hello, hope all is well! A group of family members told me about your page, and they might have already messaged you about my wedding band. It was 1-1:30 pm on 8/16 (yesterday) when I lost my band in the edge of the water. I was at public beach access on 15th Ave S to the right of the storm/sewer pipe. I wasn’t past the storm/sewer pipe in the water and my wedding band came off my finger. I know it’s a long shot but if you ever find a ring that looks like this let me know. Thanks for the help! (He included a picture of his ring). » I immediately text him back saying, “You were right around high tide when you lost it yesterday. I could come out about 8 tonight to look for it. I’d like you to meet me to show me the right area. Call me and I sent my number.” When he called, I confirmed basically everything he told me, and we set it up to meet at 8 pm. About 6:30 pm I got antsy and looked at the tide tables again. I figured the tide should be low enough that his ring should be out from under the water and in the wet sand. I text him and told him I’d be there at 7 and he responded he’d see me there.
When I got there, I met Mike and his mother-in-law, Terry, on the beach. Mike pointed out the area and Terry helped with a couple observations she had. I started north of where Mike said he was. I do that so I’m not skipping around the beach from area to area. I started an east/west grid and worked across the beach. Finally, I got an iffy signal, nothing solid but a signal. I started taking scoops of sand out of the hole until I finally got a good steady signal. A couple of more scoops and I had the target out of the hole. When I dumped the sand out of the scoop and spread the sand out with my foot, I saw Michael’s ring sitting in the sand. I took the ring down and washed the sand off in the surf and made my way to where Michael and Terry were standing. I held the ring up and smiled. Michael was so relieved and happy.
Michael – Thanks for giving me the chance to help find your lost treasure. Enjoy the rest of your vacation.
17 August 2025. About three weeks ago I recovered a man’s wedding ring for Dave at a local private beach. Dave had been referred to me by Bill, and today Bill gave me another call for help. This time a guest, Maggie, had lost her diamond engagement and wedding rings, most likely at the same beach where Dave’s ring had fled his finger. (Is there something about that beach that grabs rings off fingers?). In any case he gave me Maggie’s phone number and I called her and left a message. She called back within a short time and we met a half hour later to search for her rings.
Maggie explained that the rings had disappeared yesterday but she was not certain where they were lost. She, her husband Jerry, and friends had searched the house where they were staying, with no result. The remaining options were the yard, the walking route to the beach (a few hundred feet), and the dry beach sand. Although she had gone into the water for a time, Maggie was certain that the rings were not on her finger when she entered the water. After some Q&A and discussion, the dry beach sand appeared to be the best option for where to start the search.
I walked down to the beach with Maggie and Jerry, and when we arrived they described the relatively limited area where they thought they’d been sitting and where their activities were on the previous day. There was a bit of a complication because other beach goers were on the spot where Maggie and Jerry surmised that they’d been sitting, but those folks were kind enough to let me ‘play through’ as I did several search swaths through the area. There were some good signals but those invariably were from bottle caps (Corona is a popular one – they seem to ‘find your beach’) or aluminum pop tops (you know, the ones people insist on wresting from the top of a can so they can throw them in the sand); both of these can give a signal close to that of a gold ring.
As I finished covering that prime search area Jerry came over and proposed that they may have been sitting farther north near a different set of beach-grass clumps, so I shifted my search to that area. It then took only a couple of minutes before I hit a target that sounded just like what I was looking for. I took a scoop of sand and shook it out, and Maggie’s diamond engagement ring was lying on the bottom of the scoop pretty as you please. Her wedding ring was still sitting on the sand at my feet. I held up her engagement ring and motioned her over. She and Jerry arrived in disbelief and as she glanced down she also found and picked up her own wedding ring from the sand. As you can imagine, the celebration was intense and was joined by some nearby beach folk who’d been monitoring the proceedings.
Maggie and Jerry celebrated their second wedding anniversary only a couple of weeks ago, and they were just preparing to return to their home from vacation. I’m really happy that Maggie’s rings are back on her finger where they belong, and that she and Jerry are able to return home elated, not burdened with the sadness of broken emotional ties and beautiful rings lost, perhaps forever.
Maggie’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring and her diamond-studded wedding ring.
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A Recent Success Story at Loon Point Beach
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Georgio called Dave The RingFinder after a mishap at Loon Point Beach, located between Carpinteria and Montecito. His girlfriend, Monique, was playing volleyball near the water’s edge when disaster struck. As she served the ball, her precious class ring flew off into the sand. Despite searching for hours, the couple couldn’t find it. Desperate, they searched online for a professional metal detectorist in Carpinteria and found Dave The RingFinder.Dave rushed to Loon Point Beach, a popular spot for locals and visitors in the Santa Barbara area. After meeting Georgio and pinpointing the area where the ring was lost, Dave began a meticulous grid search using his advanced Minelab Manticore metal detector. On just his second pass, a clear tone rang out. With a precise scoop using his CKG sand scoop, Dave uncovered Monique’s beautiful class ring, safely returning it to its owner. Another successful ring recovery in Carpinteria for Dave The RingFinder!
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This ring find began as I was on my way home from Ko Olina and got a call from Brendon’s father, telling me his son had lost his Wedding Ring in shallow water at Aulani Beach. They were on vacation from Connecticut and staying at the Aulani Resort. I told him I would turn around and come back to recover the ring as I was only 15 minutes out. When I arrived, I called and Brendon & his Mom & Dad said they would meet me on the beach, to show me the area to hunt. It was a high tide and the lagoons are a bit rough this weekend. I entered the water and started my grid search with the Manticore. On about the fifth leg I got a nice loud tone and in one scoop there was a ring in the scoop. I was thinking it would be silver so I yelled ashore, « Is it black? » The response was a thrilling, « YES! » Brendon was just recently married so the lost wedding ring conversation became unnecessary and the vacation was saved. Aloha to Brendon and his family!
