lost wedding band Waikiki Tag | Page 23 of 37 | The Ring Finders

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.

This ring find began when I got a call from Carlo who was on vacation from Seattle Washington and enjoying the day with his lovely wife Lizzie on Waikiki Beach. Lizzie was putting on suntan lotion and took her rings off to apply. When she got up from her chair the rings fell into the sand. She and Carlo were able to spot the engagement ring but the platinum wedding ring disappeared. After a futile 30 minute search Carlo & Lizzie decidedto search the internet and found the ring finders and gave me a call. It was quitting time at work so I told Carlo to relax on the beach and I would be there after I picked up my gear from home. I was lucky enough to find parking when I arrived and Carlo & Lizzie were about a 5 minute walk down the beach from Hilton Hawaiian Village, As I arrived Carlo and Lizzie helped me clear the area of the metal lounge chairs and then I fired up the Excal. In less then 10 seconds I had a nice tone that was growling like Platinum. One scoop down and there was Lizzie’s wedding ring. Its great to happen so quickly but sometimes we enjoy a little hunting time. They texted me later that « Your kind service saved our trip ». Aloha to Carlo & Lizzie.

This ring find began when I got a call from Paul who lost his Platinum Wedding ring while paddling out to surf on a South swell Tuesday morning. As he was approaching the reef his next stroke he noticed his ring fall into the water and slowly fade from view. He had taken this route out to surf many times so he knew exactly where the ring had fallen off. It was a low tide and the water was slightly murky but he had a good idea of the location so he got some goggles and attempted to free dive for his ring. It was 3-8 feet in the area but the ring was no where in sight. I told Paul who is a local resident we could meet in the AM and I would scuba for his ring. That morning the water was calm but the sky was overcast. I would have preferred some sunlight but you got to work with what you got. Paul and I surface swam out to the spot and Paul described to me again the details of the ring loss. I decided to start shallow and work deep although Paul was thinking the ring would be on the deep end. I fired up the Excalibur then released the air from my BC and submerged for the search. There were several coral chunks in the shallow area so I had to work around them when after only 20 seconds in the water « BOOM » a tremendous tone came over the Excal as I was passing the loop over a chunk of coral. It was about 2 feet by 1 foot in size and had several holes from the urchins throughout. There was just enough light to see down into one of those holes and there was Paul’s Platinum Wedding ring all nice and cozy perfectly fitting into the circumference of the hole. I reached inside with my finger and was able to retrieve the ring thankfully the two nubs inside the ring helped. I stood up to show Paul who was sitting on the reef no more then 15 feet away. « Here’s your ring. » Paul looked at me astonished and said, « No way really? » I handed him the ring and he was seriously relieved. Paul was kind enough to help me rinse off all my gear and get it back to my car. Paul had a big smile on his face as I saw him depart. Aloha to Paul!

This ring find began when I got a frantic call from Rebecca who was visiting from Happy Valley, Oregon on her 20th Anniversary celebration in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. While her husband Levi was reproposing to her in waist deep water her original Diamonds & Gold Engagement Ring dropped into the water. With Rebecca running ashore Levi stood on the spot where the ring fell. He looked with goggles but the ring disappeared in the soft sand. Levi continued to stay on the spot when Rebecca went to the Concierge Desk for help. After a short Google search they found « The Ring Finders » and gave me a call. I had just returned home when my daughter Jodi handed me the phone and said Hilton Hawaiian Village is on the call. I spoke briefly to Rebecca and told her I’d load my detecting gear and be there in about 15 minutes. When I arrived Rebecca met me on the beach and Levi was still standing on the spot in the water. I immediately entered the water and talked to Levi for some details. He admitted that he may have moved a bit over time but was in the general area. This beach is heavily detected and Levi had been standing in the water for over an hour so I was sure the ring was still there. I had a great sounding target but it fell through my scoop twice so I moved on knowing it couldn’t be the ring. Searching around Levi didn’t pan out so I decided to do a grid search. I started at the furtherest point to the East and worked West. Levi was a real trooper and stayed in the water with me as my seaward marker. I looked toward shore and saw Rebecca with the saddest expression ever on her face. I thought to myself I really need to hurry up and find this ring. BOOM!!! A few seconds later I had great tone and in one gentle scoop there was Rebecca’s ring. Levi is a big dude and he gave me a crushing hug and a « thank you so much ». « You are most welcome » I said. Several tourists on the beach were stunned and made many of the standard remarks. « Cool, Awesome, Way to go detector man » When Levi presented Rebecca with her original Engagement Ring tears of joy ran down her face. These are the best moments of this hobby. Another Anniversary vacation in Hawaii has a sweet ending. Aloha to Rebecca & Levi!