Man’s Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Kure Beach, NC
At noon on Sunday, July 23rd, I received the following text message, “Hello Jim, my name is Robin and was given your name and number in the Kure Beach Locals group. My Husband, Jason, wedding ring came off in the ocean, he was sitting and a wave knocked him over and it came off and we were unable to find it. I didn’t know if this is something you would be interested in helping us with? I appreciate your time and any guidance! Thank you!” I called her for some additional details. Thinking it was probably lost in the last day or two I asked what day and approximate time it was when it came off. I was a little stunned when she said it happened the previous Monday. With all the locals and tourist hitting the beaches daily with detectors, it’s unusual that a ring wouldn’t be found in a 6 day period. She also said it happened around 7 p.m. which was good because high tide that day was at 8 p.m. I told Robin I’d give it a shot and see what I could do. She sent some pictures and gave me a great indication of where the ring would be behind the condo they had rented. I grabbed my gear and started the hour and 35-minute drive to Kure beach.
When I arrived, there were quite a few people having fun in the sun. There wasn’t much beach between the high tide line and the outgoing tide with a pretty steep slope. My plan was to start on the south side of the 6-8 unite condo and work my way north. Although the tide was going out, the waves were crashing on the beach and the current was rough. I got about half way across the beach, when a family decided to move closer to the water and was directly in my grid pattern. It must have been a sign from God. I moved to the north end of the condo to work south. About my 5th grid line I got a solid 19 on my Equinox 800 VDI. This ring, being a Tiffany and Co yellow gold wedding band, I expected a VDI in the high teens. It took me a couple of scoops to dig the target out of the sand. When I had the target out of the hole, I spread the sand out with my foot. As I was checking out the sand, I saw the glistening of gold staring up at me. I cleaned the ring off, took a picture of it and sent it to Robin with a text that read “BA BOOM!!!” A few minutes later I tried calling with no answer. I loaded up the car and headed back home. About 5 minutes into the trip, Robin called. She was so excited and overcome with emotions she could hardly talk. These types of reactions are what make this all worthwhile.
Robin and Jason – Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Wish you two all the best!
Jim
