Lost ring Hanauma Bay Tag | Page 34 of 35 | The Ring Finders

I just finished detecting a favorite swim hole when I got a call from my wife Wendy. She told me that Sydney from Mililani, Hawaii was at Laniakea Beach with her boyfriend Darren when her ring fell off into the sand. The ring had been passed down to her from her Mom and she was very distraught when it was lost. I was about 30 minutes away so I called Sydney to see if she could meet right away. The North Shore surf is blasting at 25 feet so my fear was we weren’t going to have an opportunity with high tide approaching. Sydney assured me that they were well up on the beach in the dry sand. So we met at McDonald’s in Haleiwa Town then proceeded to Turtle Beach. Thankfully we were able to park right across the street from where the ring was lost. Sydney, Darren, Charlie (Sydney’s dog) & I walked over to the sandy area under a tree where the ring had fallen off. No bigger then two parking stalls I was able to locate the ring on the second leg. Nice gold tone and since there were gem stones I carefully moved the sand and there was the beautiful blue sapphire shining in the sunlight. I asked Sydney, « What did your ring look like again? » « This must be it! » With a sigh of relief she gave me a big hug and a very sincere « Thank you » That’s what really makes it all worthwhile. Aloha to Sydney & Darren.

While relaxing at home Saturday afternoon Matt from Sydney Australia called. He told me that he lost his Platinum wedding band in waist deep water at the Royal Hawaiian Beach two days prior. They had been looking with goggles for many hours. Then they found « The Ring Finders » on a Google search. Its Pro Bowl weekend in Hawaii and Waikiki is packed. I told Matt if he could secure parking I’d be there in 20 minutes. He did and we met at the hotel parking garage entrance. After parking we grabbed the gear and headed down to the beach. Matt’s lovely wife Talitha met us there. We marked the extreme edges of the grid and I went to work. Matt was my beach-side marker and after about three legs of the search Matt noticed another detectorist in the water slowly coming our way. It was Sergey! UGH! He doesn’t return rings. So I had to get rude and put myself on the other extreme end of the grid hopefully between him and the ring. I started walking backwards and wham a screaming platinum target. This had to be Matt’s ring. After two scoops I looked in and there it was a big fat platty. I yelled to Matt got it! Talitha came running over and after seeing the ring gave us both a big hug. Elapsed search time less then 10 minutes. After searching for two days and no other detectorists stumbling across their ring a look of relief and big smiles said it all. Aloha to Matt & Talitha

First off Happy New Year ring finders. It was 1039 PM New Years Eve and I was on Facebook when an email from Jemma came in. Jemma and her husband Lachlan from Sydney, Australia were on their honeymoon and staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. While swimming in the ocean Lachlan’s Platinum wedding band came off. They were in chest deep water near to where the beach drops off to 15 feet deep. They spent until sundown trying to find it without any luck. The tone of Jemma’s email was desperation. Knowing this area is detected heavily day and night I immediately called Jemma to see when they could meet. We agreed first light 0530 AM. When I arrived at the beach in the morning it was apparent they had stayed up all night. I had them mark off the extreme ends of the grid and I went hunting. The tide was high so the surf was pushing me around a bit. I was able to go in to my neck but only found a pendant and two pennies. There was a target that got too deep and I had to abandon that target for later. I explained to Jemma & Lachlan that it would require scuba at this point and I brought my gear just in case. They went and got me a hot coffee as we had to wait for the sun to come up. It was going to be another hour so I told them to go eat breakfast and I would give them a call when I found the ring. Three other detectorists showed up hunting the sand and my friend Mike was entering the water with his Dual Field. I needed to hurry. Just as the sun crested Diamond Head crater I entered at the extreme east side of the grid. I started at chest deep and went out to about 8 feet deep. First target a Lincoln cent. A few moments later a beaver tail. Hope Mike ain’t getting too close! Then on about my 6th leg I got an awesome tone and there was Lachlan’s ring. I was going to detect some more but decided I didn’t want them to wait. I hiked back to my truck and called Jemma’s cellphone. I told her I found the ring and asked if they could meet me at my truck as I was cleaning off my scuba gear. She said they would be there in 10 minutes. As I saw them approaching I held out the ring to Lachlan and with a look of amazement he said « thank you so much. » Jemma gave me a big hug and gracious thank you too. Of course we all were smiling and thought what a great way to start the New Year. Aloha to Jemma & Lachlan.

While I was wrapping up my work day I received a call from Tyler from Alaska. He was playing catch in the water with his Dad at Hilton Hawaiian Village. During one of his catches the football popped his wedding band right off his finger. He went ashore and got some goggles but the search was fruitless. The sand there swallows rings constantly. That’s when their Google search found The Ring Finders. I dropped off at my house and picked up my Excal and a few other necessities. Tyler met me in the parking lot. He told me he watched a Canadian guy’s website videos, I said you mean Chris Turner? Yes! That’s the guy. That’s the gentlemen who started the Ring Finders I said and actually let me join in for Oahu. We then walked down to the beach where his family was enjoying a day in the sun. Tyler and his father took me out to where they were in the water, it was chest deep. I told Tyler to stay put and I would start a grid search around him. I started about 30 feet to the West and seriously 15 seconds later I had a screaming target. One quick scoop and there was Tyler’s wedding band. The look on Tyler’s face of amazement was priceless. I have to say that was the easiest ring find ever. Aloha to Tyler and his Family.

While sitting in my truck Sunday morning I turned on my phone and realized there was a ring finders call Saturday AM that didn’t hit my phone until now. I listened to Megan from Kauai say she wanted me to meet them at Waikiki Beach to look for her White Gold with Diamonds Wedding Ring. Being just two minutes away I called and left a message saying I was on another ring hunt but should be done by 9AM. When I returned to my truck there was a voicemail from Megan saying we could meet whenever I was ready. I called and we arranged to meet at their hotel and walk to the beach. We met Megan’s husband Mike who was waiting on the beach to show me where the ring was lost. Mike & I walked out into the water and the South swell was just enough where I was going to need scuba as it was over chest deep. Fortunately, I had my scuba gear with me so we went back and got my truck to unload the scuba gear as close to the beach as we could. Mike and Megan had two different locations where they thought the ring came off. We are talking 30 yards or more. My experience I explained to them was the wife always seems to have better bearings in the water. And I’m here to find her ring so I better go where she thinks it is. Megan found a 3 foot by 15 foot cut in the reef she remembered seeing while they were hunting the previous days. So I started there. The small surf was throwing us around but between sets I was able to detect pretty well. In the reef cut the first target was a quarter, second target was deep so I gave up on it, then another quarter. Nothing else in the reef cut so I started working the sides. Another deep target couldn’t find then in a small dished out area in the reef I ran the Excalibur over and it gave a familiar sound and with one wave of my hand the sand washed away and exposed a glistening white gold ring and the diamonds on both sides were sparkling in the sun. I wasn’t sure if this was their ring because I was thinking from the description something different. But as I surfaced to show Megan & Mike the look of joy told me it certainly was. Thank you Jesus! Elapsed dive time 4 minutes. Megan had put me on the exact spot and the Excal did its job. Another vacation ends with smiles and Megan commented she was glad not to have to leave a part of her behind. Aloha to Megan & Mike!

I got a call from my fellow ring-finder Don saying that Zak & Heidi from Minnesota staying at the Sheraton Waikiki lost her White Gold & Diamonds Engagement ring in the water while floating on a cushion. They were leaving the next day and Don had to work. I had some free time so I looked at the Tide & Surf Chart and gave Heidi a call. We arranged for a low tide Thursday AM around 9:30. This hunt didn’t start off on good footing so to speak. As I was putting on my felt bottom dive booties that I like to walk in the water with I felt something unusual. Thinking some stones & sand remained in my bootie from the previous hunt I started to take it off when something bit the tip of my big toe. Ouch! A damn 5 inch centipede fell to the floor. I grabbed a razor knife from my desk and cut it in half. Both halves remained alive in my office until I returned 3 hours later. I phoned my wife and let her know in case I went into some type of allergic shock she could tell the paramedics what happened. Nothing ever came of it other then it felt like I had a piece of sharp glass stuck in the tip of my big toe.
At the Sheraton I met Zak & Heidi and they got me parked and we proceeded down to the beach. We marked off the extreme East & West points of the grid and I started my search. Zak and Heidi took turns being my seaward marker. The area was really clean except one bottle cap and three tungsten carbide rings two were Koa Wood inlaid. This wasn’t fun I was finding rings but not Heidi’s. I could see the look of despair coming over Heidi’s face. After no luck doing the entire grid ever so carefully I talked to Heidi and decided the only way to go would be a little more to the East. BINGO! On about the third leg I got the Gold ring growl tone and one scoop down was Heidi’s ring. What a beauty! I told Zak and he shouted to Heidi on the beach, « Joe found it! » Heidi was bee-lining for us crying from being emotionally drained. She gave me the biggest hug and thank you. This vacation was going to end on a high note. Aloha to Zak & Heidi!