lost ring pensacola Tag | Page 5 of 6 | The Ring Finders

Lost Ring in the Gulf – Orange Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

This was an awesome return!  My new friends Kathryn and Matt has been down from Ohio enjoying beautiful Orange Beach. Kathryn learned that there are positives when you solder your rings together but the big negative is that if you were to lose one, you lose all three. That’s exactly what happened when she was throwing a ball in about chest deep water and her rings went flying in the Gulf. She found out about me 2 days later and when she called she was very worried that she had waited too long and the rings were lost forever. I told her that I had a really good track record with rings in the water and that as long as it was still there and hadn’t sunk too deep in the sand, I thought I could find it. When I got there, the whole family was in attendance and although Kathryn was trying her best to appear optimistic, I could tell that she was truly worried. I felt for her and Matt and I got in the water on a mission. I heard a couple of higher tones which would not indicate gold but I always like to dig a few things so I can get idea of depth. I got a couple of coins in a row and I realized that I had told Kathryn and Matt that I would probably dig some other things but I had not told the whole family. I saw (maybe the brother-in-law) checking out my coin digging and I thought to myself that I needed to make sure I dug everything very visibly. I was excited when the very next tone I went over sounded like gold. I very gently dug it up and put it on my finger and starting wiggling my fingers so the bro-in-law could see. When he realized I had it by the smile on my face, he yelled to Matt and Matt yelled to Kathryn. They all sprinted down to me and before I was even out of the water Kathryn was in tears and had her arms spread wide open for a hug. When Matt got choked up too I told them I knew how they felt and that’s why I do this. That will never get old. I’m so very happy for y’all!  Congratulations! 💍

Lost Ring at the Blue Angels – Found!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

This was a neat return!  Sarah was down from Huntsville, AL enjoying the Blue Angels show with some friends when unfortunately her solid gold University of AL School of Nursing ring slipped off of her finger. To make matters worse, it came off in about 3 feet of water. Luckily for Sarah, a few days later, I was in the area looking for another lost ring and I found it before she even knew about the Ringfinders. I am always telling my wife that if she will put her name in her jewelry, there’s a good chance that if someone like me finds it, they will make their way back home. Sarah helped me illustrate that point because she had her last name and her date of graduation inside the ring. I went into “Facebook Detective mode” 😄and quickly tracked her down. I think she was a little shocked when I sent her a PM that I had found her ring. When I learned that she has recently accepted a position as a nurse in Hematology Oncology in Nashville, I wouldn’t even let her pay for the shipping to get her ring back to her. As you can see by her picture, she was thrilled to get it back. Sarah, I hope God blesses you in your chosen profession and you have your ring for many years to come. 👍

-Dave

4 Lost Rings In One Night! – FOUND! – Pensacola Beach

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Last night was definitely a first for me. I got a call at 8:45 from Kerem telling me that his wife Kara had lost her ring on Pensacola Beach earlier in the afternoon. They are over here from Texas celebrating the week of Independence Day and this was definitely throwing a kink in the festivities. I started asking a few questions and quickly realized that this was not one ring but three separate rings and all they knew was they had been lost somewhere between the parking lot and the water. 😳I almost bowed out but I’m sentimental about wedding rings and when Kerem also explained that one of the rings was a silver and diamond band from Kara’s grandmother, I knew I had to go. An hour later I was at the beach meeting my new friends and listening as they excitedly tried to tell me where to start. I suggested that they let me ask them a few questions and moments later Kerem and I were headed down towards the water while Kara promised to follow after a quick  phone call home. Kerem had marked where they had been sitting and based on our talk, I thought that would be the best place to start. When I got to the mark I could see all the digging marks where they had been trying to find them earlier and I started to do a spiral pattern. I didn’t go five feet before I had a strong gold signal in my headphones and scooped up a small solid gold band. Kerem had turned to look at something else and didn’t see me do it in the dark so I got his attention and said, “is it ok to start with this one?” and I opened up my hand to show him the ring. Kerem absolutely freaked out and yelled “You just found my wife’s wedding band!” He literally picked me up hugging me. 😄  I quickly got back to it and didn’t even get a full swing in before I got the next signal. Kerem dropped down to his knees to watch as I unearthed a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. All that was left was the silver ring that belonged to Kara’s grandmother. I only had to make a few more passes and about 3 feet away I got another tone. In less than about 3 minutes a very happy Kerem and I were headed back to the parking lot with all 3 rings in my hand. When we got back to Kara we had a little fun with her saying we didn’t want to get started without her and she hurriedly started towards the beach. When I told her that I would save her the walk and opened my hand, the tears and the hugs started immediately. Kara put the rings on and when I told her that I still needed a picture, she took them off and immediately dropped one in the parking lot. I told them both to freeze so they wouldn’t step on it and got down on my knees with my light. I saw the little gold band underneath the car and handed it back to her. She exclaimed that she was still missing one and Kerem told her that she had all three. She quickly told us both that she had lost four and not three rings and Kerem had told me wrong. To make matters worse, it was still the Grandmother’s silver ring that was still missing and Kara promptly burst into tears again. I reassured her that I could find the spot on the beach again and we double-timed it back down to the beach. Luckily once we found the spot, it only took about another minute and I was able to hear a high tone indicating silver. I reached down and sifted through the sand and pulled out a beautiful little ring. In the light of my headlamp I could clearly see the 925 stamp for silver and Kerem and I were able to give back the fourth and final ring to Kara. Even though the actual search time wasn’t that long, I’ve never experienced the emotional roller coaster that this hunt was and I have certainly never found four different rings for someone in a night before. Kara and Kerem, y’all are awesome people and I’m so glad you gave me a call to come help. Keep those rings where they belong.  😃💍

Lost Rings at the Beach – FOUND!!! – Pensacola

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

I’m late on posting this one but a few weeks ago I got a call from Chris and Heather. They had been enjoying one of our local beaches here in Pensacola looking for shells the day before when Heather’s rings came off of her hand. Unfortunately, this was both her engagement ring and her band together and they fell off somewhere on the beach in all that sand.  When Heather told me where they were I immediately headed out because I knew that it was a popular beach and I had to find them quickly. Chris sent me a google pin and when I got there something didn’t look right based on my conversation earlier with Heather. A quick phone call and some telephone detective work got me to where I thought they had been and I started my search. It wasn’t very many passes laying out grid lines until I looked over just a little outside where they thought the rings might be. I remembered them saying that they were looking for shells and I saw a little pile of broken shells. These were the kind that you might pick up and then discard later when you realized they were broken. I decided to walk that way and sure enough, moments later I had the rings in my scoop. I love it when people trust me enough to have me look for their rings even when they can’t be there. When I send them that initial picture and talk to them on the phone you can hear the pure happiness coming through the line. Congratulations Chris and Heather and thank you so much for trusting me to help you out. 😃💍

Lost Ring, Pensacola Beach, FL – FOUND!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Friday night I got a call from a man named Wes saying that his wife had lost her ring on Pensacola Beach. I talked to him for a bit and got some info. He told me that they had tried to look for it already and said that they might try again. I explained to him that searching for it can usually drive a gold ring deeper into the sand because of the differences in density. I also told him that I was going to be in the area the next morning dropping off my son at Lacrosse practice. Wes asked if I would head across the bridge after and we set a time to meet. When I walked down onto the beach I got a bit concerned because I could see the fresh tracks of the machine that drags the sand to pick up trash, etc.  However, when I found Wes and he pointed to the area where the ring was lost, I started to get the feeling that this nice couple was going to be lucky since the tracks stopped about 50 yards away. When Wes told me that they were sitting 37 steps away from a landmark and he had brought a 100ft measuring tape, I knew that there was a great chance of finding his wife’s ring. Sure enough, in less than 10 minutes on my third pass I got a nice tone and gently pulled up her ring in the first scoop. Thanks for calling me Wes and thanks for being so thorough. I’m very glad y’all got your ring back. 👍😃💍

Lost Ring in the Gulf, Orange Beach, AL – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

On the same day that I returned Don’s ring I was lucky enough to get a call shortly after from my new friends Eddie and Meryl from Kentucky. They were vacationing in Orange Beach and Eddie was playing in the waves when his gold wedding ring was knocked from his hand. It had been about 24 hrs when they found my info but I assured them that we could still find it. They met me on the beach and Eddie thought he had a good idea where he lost it. Unfortunately, it was about chest deep on me and I’m 6’3” and to make matters worse, there was a significant swell that would float us off our line as we walked out to where Eddie thought it was. On our way into the surf we had about 5 young boys come over and excitedly ask about 35 questions in 30 seconds. We assured them that if we found some treasure we would show them when we got back in. I started swinging my detector as we got closer to the area and got a signal. Eddie said we weren’t quite there yet but I told him we should dig it since sometimes it’s hard to know exactly where you are in the surf. Eddie wasn’t surprised when I pulled up a piece of a can and told me to follow him. Well when we got to where he thought it was, I immediately heard a good gold tone. I think Eddie must have had a gps in his pocket when the ring came off because that was the most impressive recall of where a ring was lost in the Gulf of Mexico I have ever seen. 😃. It took a few tries in the waves but eventually I saw gold in the scoop and knew we had it. I headed to the beach with the scoop over my head so as not to lose it in the surf. When we got to the beach Eddie immediately pulled it out and placed it on his hand. One of the little boys from before asked Eddie what he had found.  When Eddie said that it was his wedding ring the little boy wrinkled up his face and said “Eww!”  😆. Luckily Eddie and his wife were much happier about it than the little boy. I’m very glad you got your ring back Eddie!  😃

Lost Ring, Pensacola Beach – FOUND!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

I got a call from a gentleman named Don that said he had received my card from the front desk of Margaritaville on Pensacola Beach. I was excited to hear that they gave him a card because I had dropped some off several months ago and it was great to hear that they were saving them in case someone needed me. Well Don definitely needed me!  He had dropped his wedding ring somewhere out in front of the Hotel while staying here in Pensacola Beach. To make matters worse it was his solid Platinum band given to him by his wife to commemorate their 20 year anniversary and he didn’t know whether he lost it in the water or in the sand. Luckily for him, I have detectors that work equally well in both spots. I’d love to tell you amazing stories about finding it but the fact is that once I walked Don through where he was and what he was doing, it was a no brainer to start in an area on the sand. Sure enough, in about 5 minutes I told him that I had a tone that didn’t sound right but it was safer to dig them all. When I pulled it up, he was expecting to see trash when he looked in the scoop. I love watching someone’s face when the realization hits them that their precious ring has actually been found. Don high-fived me and immediately called his wife with the good news. He thanked me about 100 times and I can honestly say that I was thrilled to be able to help.  👍 

2 Lost Rings – Fort Walton Beach, FL – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

This past weekend I got a call from Brad and his wife Sky from Louisiana. They were in Fort Walton for a Volleyball tournament. What started out as some fun and exercise in the nice weather quickly turned into a fiasco when Sky realized that not one but both of her rings were missing. She had taken her engagement ring and her wedding ring off and tucked them into her swimsuit for safekeeping. Somewhere during the course of the day she realized they were gone and that’s where I came in. They had actually left me a message the day before while I was out finding the ring for the newlyweds in Orange Beach in my last story. I sent Brad and Sky a text once I was done and offered my services.  Luckily they reached back out the next day. Brad did what a lot of people do and he went to Bass Pro Shops to buy one of their metal detectors. Unfortunately he quickly learned that the average detector will simply not work right on a saltwater beach. I got some information from them and I decided to ask my Father-in-law, Tom to join me as he has been getting into detecting. I am glad that I did! 😃  When we got there I quickly gridded out the outer edge of where I thought the rings might be based on the couple’s info. I asked Tom if he would start going around the outer areas just in case the rings weren’t where we thought they should be. It would also be a good opportunity for him to get some experience with a detector in the sand. We were out there for a long time and had to take a break and get some water. We weren’t giving up though and we headed back down to resume our search. Before too much longer, Tom waved to me to get my attention and I came over to see that Tom had found his first ring!!!  Low and behold it just so happened to be Sky’s diamond wedding band. 😃I am so glad that he joined me because I was then able to adjust my search based on what Brad had said earlier and after another 20 mins I found Sky’s engagement ring! 💍👍. What a great day, I got to experience my Father-in-law’s first ring recovery and return two precious rings back to a beautiful young couple. 😃Congratulations all around!

Newlyweds Lost Ring – Orange Beach, AL – FOUND!!!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Can you imagine how upset you would be if you didn’t even leave the scene of your marriage ceremony before you lost your wedding ring?  That is exactly what happened to Anthony and his brand new bride Katelyn on Orange Beach last weekend. They tied the knot on the beach with friends and family coming up after to congratulate them. They walked down to the water’s edge after that for some pictures and before they even made it back to the dunes, Katelyn had dropped her brand new and already cherished gold and diamond wedding band somewhere in the sand. Needless to say they panicked and started looking everywhere to no avail. The Pastor who performed the ceremony had a unique suggestion and went home to get a security wand like those used to identify metal on passengers at an airport. Unfortunately, this kind of detector like other common store bought models will just not read deep enough and will not work on a saltwater beach. Luckily for Anthony and Katelyn they were honeymooning in OB as well and a quick Google search put them in touch with me the following day. I came out and did a large grid search where the ceremony was performed with no luck. I moved to the water and started searching and came up on two sunbathers with their eyes closed. I moved the coil as close to them as I dared without disturbing them and sure enough I got a signal that was the same number as Katelyn’s engagement ring. It has been my experience that most people are nice and eager to help once you explain what you are doing and these two were no different when I abruptly woke them up and asked to dig near their feet. They were the first to shout happily when I dug up Katelyn’s ring but they were quickly outdone by Anthony and Katelyn who came running from the shade of the lifeguard tower. I love the smiles on both of them in the picture but I think Katelyn’s face says it best. She is so thrilled to have her ring back to its brand new home. Anthony and Katelyn, I hope you both are blessed with happy, long lives together and I thank you for letting me be part of starting out your marriage with an exciting story rather than a sad one. God Bless!

Lost Rings at Night! – Pensacola Beach – FOUND!

  • from Orange Beach (Alabama, United States)

Well, I’m not sure if this counts as 2 rings or more but I am sure that Kelly and Bill are absolutely thrilled that I was able to put them back on her hands where they belong. Kelly and Bill have been married for 25 years and have been down vacationing from Michigan. Kelly folded her rings into her swimsuit early in the day for safekeeping and forgot they were there when she got up later to meet her sister. You can imagine her shock when she realized they were gone that evening. Kelly went ahead and called me even though it was nighttime and I’m glad she didn’t wait. Bill had gone out with a sand flea rake for fishing and combed the area already to no avail. I told him later that he had actually just made the rings go deeper and deeper every time he disturbed the sand because of the density of gold. Luckily for Kelly and Bill, I have a wonderful wife and even though we were at dinner 30 minutes away, she offered to ride with me and we immediately went home and grabbed my gear. I met Bill in the parking lot and he walked me down to the area he thought they had lost them. I could see all of the rake marks and I told Bill I would start my search there and then fan out if needed. I absolutely love night searches on the beach. It’s nice and cool and you can hear the waves over the hum of the machine in my headphones. You can enjoy the stars without bumping into sunbathers and it’s just a great time to enjoy what I do. I also knew that I had a very anxious couple waiting on the outcome so I was very glad that as I made my first pass I heard a faint gold sound. I was a little surprised at how deep it was even though I knew Bill had thoroughly raked the area. When my first gentle scoop to five inches came back empty I thought to myself that they were very lucky they called me and I had the machine that I was using. The second scoop was the charm and I reached down and dug the first ring out of the scoop to make sure I didn’t scratch it. When I saw that I had them both in the scoop, I smiled and handed them to Bill. With a shaky hand, he asked me to hold the light and he took a picture and sent it to Kelly in the room so she could stop worrying immediately. We walked back up and told my wife that I was already done in less than 10 minutes and Bill asked us both to come up and meet Kelly. When we walked in the door I was quickly reminded why I do this. Bill and Kelly both got choked up remembering how much those rings had been a part of over the last 25 years. I was glad that my wife got to witness that and I hope Bill and Kelly have many, many more happy years together. 👍😃