IPhone Lost in the sand, Found and Returned in the Wet Sand at Garden City Beach SC
Right around 10 am, Monday, March 23, 2026, I got a phone call from Luke saying he lost his IPhone on the beach in Garden City and asked if I would be able to help. Luke sent me a couple of pictures and the coordinates. He also sent me the address of the Resort. I told him I’d give it a shot and grabbed my gear and headed out on the 45-minute drive. Along the way Luke text me, “The phone should be about 1/3 to ½ from the hotel to the water and if you’re facing the hotel with your back to the water, it should be more towards the left side of the hotel.” He didn’t say and I didn’t ask about what time it happened, but I knew I’d be working against an incoming tide with high ide in a couple of hours.
I arrived on site and took and sent him a video to make sure I was in the right spot. He replied that I was, so I started a perpendicular grid line from the top of the beach to about knee deep in rough surf. I knew an IPhone rings up crazy, anywhere from high 20s to mid 30s on the Equinox 800 VDI (visual display indicator). I think I was on my 6th grid line and got the high signal (34) I was looking for. It took me 3 scoops of wet sand to get to his phone, but I got it. I tried turning it on with no luck. I was concerned the phone may have been under too much water to work. I took a couple of pictures of his phone and sent him a text saying, “This it?” He immediately called me and confirmed it was his. We discussed how to get it back to him in Charlotte, NC the fastest way possible. I told him I’d go to the Post Office and call him back. I took my equipment and his phone back to the car and decided to get one more picture. I walked back down to the beach just in time to watch a guy with a detector walk within 2 feet of where I had found Luke’s phone. Glad I found it first. Ended up sending the phone thru USPS and he got it back within 3 days. Luke let me know he got the phone, charged it up and it works perfectly. A little back story is that Luke, his wife; brother-in-law and his brother-in-law’s girlfriend were enjoying the beach. Luke took a little nap and soon after waking up, they packed up to go home. They checked the area and it wasn’t until they got about ½ way home before he realized he didn’t have his phone. He did call the local police, who sent a couple of officers down to see if they could spot the phone, with no luck. The next day Luke was able to find me on The Ring Finders and gave me the call.
Luke – Thanks for trusting me to help find you phone. Best wishes to you and yours.
Jim
