An epic ring call with an amazing recovery in a cobble rock beach at Emerald Cove, Catalina Island, CA. four days after lost in the ocean. Catalina Island, sometimes known as the Island of Romance but this time it was not too romantic when Jacky lost her wedding ring at the island.
Dave Shenbaum’s sisters-in-law Jacky believed that her diamond wedding ring came off as she lifted her two small children into a shore boat. She was standing in knee deep water with a gravel type beach at Emerald Cove. Although she didn’t feel the ring slip off, she knew it was missing after getting into the dingy.
Dave put on his dive mask to search for over an hour to no avail. He knew he was not equipped with the right tools to ring a ring in this environment. This happened Friday and they returned to Redondo Beach the next day 26 miles across the channel. They had resolved that the ring was lost forever.
Dave, Manhattan Beach Fire Captain and lifeguard has used TheRingFinders to help people find valuable items for their owners. He contacted me Sunday at 4:30pm, asking if I’d be willing to go over to the island on his friend’s skiff or another larger boat.
We checked the tides and weather forecast to choose the best time to get to the site. Monday seemed the best but only allowed us a few hours to prepare.
I have never met Dave Shenbaum or Joe Bark retired fireman and I was a little apprehensive about jumping in a boat that I have never seen with strangers to cross the Catalina channel.
We met at the next morning to take the Joe’s ocean skiff to Emerald Cove. It would be the fastest and most maneuverable getting us to shore. Everything went like clock work we were almost like Navy Seals on a mission. I was on a small boat with trained first responders that have been on many rescues and other emergency situations. Can’t ask for better partners than that.
After an hour and fifteen minutes we landed on the gravel beach. Dave and I went ashore where he showed me his landmarks to where the loss occurred. It was low tide so I started at the waterline gridding parallel along the beach. Halfway on the third pass after I had dug two trash targets the next signal was the beautiful white gold diamond wedding ring. We took a few photos at the location then jumped in the boat for the return trip.
Arriving back a Redondo Beach King Harbor four hours round trip, including our search and photo-op. Steve and Jacky Shenbaum met us at dockside not knowing we had already recovered her wedding ring. Dave held out his hand with a few pebbles from the beach and her ring. She did a quick double take then the tears of joy started to flow her husband Dave Shenbaum could not believe that his brother had set this recovery up and kept it a secret till he could surprise the both of them. This was definitely an epic ring recovery. I could not have done this without the help of Dave Shenbaum and Joe Bart two of Manhattan Beach’s finest.
“I WILL TRY ANYWHERE “
