Lost ring Hanauma Bay Tag | Page 23 of 35 | The Ring Finders

This ring find began when I got a call yesterday evening from Nick who was vacationing at the Aulani resort and hailed from Cedar Park, Texas. The surf was up at Aulani Resort and while playing with his children in the shore break his Celtic Design White & Yellow Gold Wedding Band came off. Nick wasn’t exactly sure when or where but had a strong feeling it was near the shoreline. I told Nick I’d come early the next morning at low tide so the surf would be minimal in the lagoon. When I arrived the gates to the parking lot were stuck closed and I wasn’t able to get in until 45 minutes later. It was hot and kids were already entering the water at 7:30 AM. I tried my best to do a grid search but was unsuccessful locating Nick’s ring. I called to let him know and he was still in his room so I asked him to come down to the beach and go over the hunt to see if he had any other ideas. We decided I should extend the grid to the South. Still no ring. Then I decided to go through the area at where many children were playing and I had to work around them. Boom! In thigh deep water I got a strong signal on the Equinox and in one scoop there was Nick’s stunning ring. I called Nick back and told him the good news and he rushed down to the beach so I could return his ring. Aloha to Nick.

This ring find began when I received a call from Greg who was on his Honeymoon in Waikiki and had just gotten married the day before in his hometown in Indiana. While swimming in the cool waters of Waikiki his wedding band slide off in waist deep water and disappeared. Greg & his lovely bride Mackenzie spent the next hour trying to locate the gold wedding band in the soft sand. It was too well hidden and that’s when he googled, « Lost ring Hawaii » and found the ringfinders. I told Greg I’d meet him as soon as I could get my gear together after my quick stop at the pharmacy. When I arrived Greg & Mackenzie were waiting near the beach entrance and walked me down to the area the ring was lost. Greg lined up the markers he had and was standing in about waist deep water. I started the grid search on the deep side and worked toward shore. The sand was sterile and I new his ring would scream as soon as the Excal got near it. Sure enough on about the 8th pass I got a great tone and one scoop down there was Greg’s shiny gold wedding band in the scoop. I could see a smile on Mackenzie’s face as I handed Greg his ring. Honeymoon saved! Aloha to Greg & Mackenzie!

This ring find began on June 28th when I got a text from Leilani who lives in San Francisco California. In her text she was told by the Aulani concierge to pass her ring info to me. In the text Leilani said while on vacation in February as she was rescuing her drowning son from the lagoon her Gold & Diamonds Christmas gift ring fell off into the shore break water and disappeared. She had left a lost and found report and would check back every now and then to see if the ring was found. My Excalibur must have went over the ring at least 4 or 5 times over the last few months without hitting the target. I’ve started using the Equinox 800 and I can’t say enough about this stellar detector. From where Leilani lost the ring (see pic) it migrated 10 yards down the beach and was at least a foot deep into the sand. Equinox had a strong signal and I’m positive it was just out of reach of my Excalibur. Leilani is shy so she sent me a nice Thank You note pic with the ring when it arrived back in San Francisco. Aloha to Leilani.

This necklace find began while I was detecting in the water at Aulani. I was approached by a gentleman named Juan who was on vacation with his daughter from Los Angeles, California. He asked if I was the detectorist for Ko Olina resort. I said, « Yes, did you lose something? » He said when he dove into the water the day before his Gold Cuban Necklace his Father had given to him went missing. He told the beach equipment rental team and they told him to get ahold of me but he figured the metal detector wouldn’t work in the water. He went and stood in the water where he thought the necklace came off and I said I’m working into that area now just be sure to leave your contact info at the lost and found so I can reach you if I find your necklace. Juan described the necklace as very heavy 18k Gold with 1/2 inch links. I continued my hunt for about ten more minutes when close to the shore break I got a loud but broken tone. I took a scoop and nothing came up but in the ankle deep water I saw a gold glow and reached in to pick it up. Up came a very hefty necklace that was still clasped in a loop. Wow I thought, he wasn’t kidding this necklace is heavy. I put it into my secure pocket and proceeded to lost & found. I called Juan’s contact number but it was his home in California. The land lady said Juan was on vacation in Hawaii and wanted to know if there was anything she could do. I said not now but would call again if needed. I let the lost and found know I had Juan’s necklace in my possession and was trying to track him down. I arrived home and a short time later Juan returned my call and we made plans to get him back his necklace that evening. He invited me to dinner at the resort and from the pic you can see his elation after getting his necklace back. We had a great dinner and I’m sure I made a new friend in California. Aloha to Juan & his lovely daughter!

This ring find began when I got a call from Tim who was spending the day at Kaimana Beach with his lovely wife Bonnie. While coming back from a swim his White Gold & Diamonds Wedding Band fell off his finger at the shoreline. The surf was up a bit and his ring disappeared from view. A gentleman on the beach noticed his situation and googled lost ring Waikiki and that is how they tracked me from the ring finders. I loaded my car and was conveniently parked in less then 15 minutes from the call. Tim showed me the spot and in I went. First target sounded good but it was a nickel. Then some other detectorist with a Tesoro Sand Shark walked right over to where I was and started causing a lot of interference. I said to him, « Hey Bud how about a little detecting etiquette! » He gave me a n, « Oh OKAY » then moved on. The nerve! I started a walk towards shore and Bam! That was it. One scoop down and Tim’s ring was in the scoop. I walked the scoop over to Tim so he could retrieve his ring and applause erupted up on the beach when they all saw his elation. Aloha to Tim & Bonnie!

This Bracelet find begn this morning at 5:45 AM while eating my breakfast when the phone rang. I thought for sure it was going to be one of the recent prank calls that have been plaguing the island. But on the other end was Elizabeth from Makakilo on Oahu who was calling on her granddaughter Lexcy’s behalf. The previous day while doing back flips off a paddleboard in the lagoon the heirloom gold Hawaiian bracelet Elizabeth had given to her came off in 4 feet of water and disappeared. The high surf on the west side was making the water in the lagoon so turbulent and murky you couldn’t see the bottom even in shallow water. After a few futile attempts snorkeling to find the bracelet they contacted a relative that works at the resort and she put them in contact with Aloha Security who gave them my number for recovery. My fear was that at low tide the water would clear up enough for someone to spot the bracelet and then not return it. I decided to go that afternoon. Lexcy sent me a description and a few pictures of the location. 10 feet on either side of the rope line and 30 feet out. When I arrived the tide was high and the water was rolling way up onto the beach and I was getting pushed about pretty well. I did the entire area with only finding a single cent. I stood on the shore and watched the water roll in and noticed it was pushing hard to the right. I decided to try woking 30 feet to the right then through the original grid. When I got out to neck deep water I got a gnarly sound in the Excal and it really sounded strange. There were a few sweeps of the coil that were solid then the gnarly sound would return. I started scooping in the sightless water. Missed the target. Missed again and again and again. This was getting frustrating. Finally after about the 20th try I put my foot in front and pushed the target into my scoop. Up it came and as the scoop broke the surface of the water there was a gorgeous Gold Hawaiian Bracelet inside. Whoa! No wonder, the bracelet was nearly the circumference of my scoop. I immediately went ashore cleaned up then called Elizabeth. I asked her if the word « KUULEI » mean’t anything to her? You found it? That was her name in Hawaiian. I could hear her sobbing and it was joyful. We decided to meet at a nearby McDonald’s parking lot where I was able to give the bracelet back to Lexcy. There were a few hugs all around and many praises of thanks. These are the moments we enjoy the most about this wonderful hobby. Aloha to Lexcy & Grandma Elizabeth!

This ring find began when I came home to a voicemail from Elizabeth who resides on Oahu. While spending the day with her family at Ala Moana Beach her Keepsake ring fell off in waist deep water. The water was very murky and after hours searching the family gave up. A quick search on Google and Elizabeth found me and left a voicemail as I was out detecting. I called immediately upon returning home. Elizabeth had already left the beach and had returned home heart broken that the ring was gone. I found out the lifeguard at the shack was also informed. Unfortunately that’s not the best option and should be avoided. It’s not their job to help you in that situation, lets just leave it at that. I told Elizabeth I would grab a bite to eat and head down to Ala Moana soonest. It was getting dark so parking should be a snap. As I arrived parking near the exact spot was available and I called Elizabeth for some fine tuning on the hunt. There was a fisherman in the exact starting point so I explained to him what I was doing and would keep an eye out on his fishing line. As I entered the water in ankle deep water I got a nice low tone but choppy. I scooped once and the target shifted to the left. Second try I looked in the scoop and there was Elizabeth’s keepsake ring glistening in the bottom. Wow I thought what luck. And I was expecting to get wet to my waist at least. I immediately called Elizabeth and told her she was blessed and the ring was found. We made arrangements for her to pick up the ring from my home the next day and as you can see it’s another smile for the book. Aloha to Elizabeth!

This ring find began on 25 May when I agreed to look for Matt’s Platinum wedding band in Lagoon 3 at Ko Olina resort. Matt was visiting from Southern California with the Mrs. and his band came off will swimming in the lagoon. His flight back to Cali was leaving shortly so he sent me a pic of himself standing in the lagoon where the ring went missing. I decided to go after work and although Matt’s flight was delayed several hours we weren’t able to hook up as road repair work kept me away from Ko Olina several hours. The ring was found very close to Matt’s location in the picture and I texted him a pic after the recovery. Since I was going to SOCAL the next Thursday for a Disneyland vacation Matt & I agreed to meet at our hotel which was about 20 minutes from his home. As you can see Matt & the lovely Mrs. met me in the lobby of the hotel and I was able to hand deliver him his ring. A 2500+ mile ring return. Aloha to Matt and the Mrs.