Metal Detector Rental Oak Island NC Tag | The Ring Finders

Man’s Platinum Wedding Band Lost in the Surf – Found and Returned Caswell Beach N.C.

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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On Tuesday night, about 7:30 p.m., I received an email from Richard. It stated, “Hi Jim, I found your name on theringfinders.com. My family and I are in Caswell Beach/Oak Island for the week and I lost my wedding ring in the ocean today so wondering if you have any availability to help us look for it. I lost it around 2:30-2:45pm today (7/14), I was jumping waves with my 5 year old so we were in knee deep water. The ring is a platinum wedding band. Let me know what other info you need from me, Thanks for your help, Richard.”  I knew he lost it right at high tide, and with the hour drive to Caswell Beach, I could get there about an hour before low tide. I responded to his email with my phone number and said “call me.” I grabbed my Equinox 800, and headed north. Along the way, I emailed Richard again saying I was on my way, with an ETA of 8:30 pm. Within a few minutes, Richard called me and gave me the address.

When I arrived, Richard was waiting outside; we introduced ourselves, and headed for the beach. Richard showed me the area where he had lost his ring, pointing out his wife, Kathryn, who was in the wet sand. I asked Kathryn what she remembered, she pointed to a sand castle where they had been sitting. She said her and their other 2 children were out a little farther in the water, while Richard and their 5 year old were to the right of the sand castle and in more shallow water. I told them I expected the ring to be closer to the higher tide line and then started a perpendicular grid search in the middle of the search area. As I’m working my way out from the center line, I look down and see my coil dangling from the shaft. This was not good, from all aspects! The rabbit ears holding the coil to the shaft had broken and there was no way to fix it. I always take 2 metal detectors on ring searches, but I was so confident that this would be an easy, 10 minute search at the most, that I just grabbed one detector. To keep from having to come back in the morning, I wrapped the cord around the shaft as tight as it would go, and literally drug the coil on top of the sand to detect. It wasn’t the best solution, but it worked. About 45 minutes into the search and almost at the end of the search area, I got a great signal. I dug a scoop of sand, tried my best to check the hole with the coil, and was sure I had it. I took my foot and spread the wet sand out, turned my headlamp on in the pitch black night and nothing. This was definitely not my best showing, especially in front of the person that lost their treasure that I’m trying to find. Ok, I used both hands to pick up bits of the sand and shells, crushing it between my fingers in hopes of feeling the ring. Bingo, felt it in my hand.  I held the ring over my backlight to confirm it was what I was looking for, it was. I walked up to Richard, giving him the sad story about not being able to find it. He understood and as he was saying it was time to call it a night, I held the ring up. With the help of the detector backlight he could see his ring. He texted Kathryn real quick, and she comes back out on the beach. Richard had his treasure back on his finger where it belonged.

Richard and Kathryn – thank you for allowing me to help find your lost treasure. Have a great rest of your vacation and a safe trip home.

Jim

     

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Man’s White Gold Wedding Band Lost and Found on Oak Island N.C.

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Matt called me at 5 p.m. on Friday, July 3rd saying he had lost his wedding band around 4 p.m. A quick check of the tide tables and it showed he lost it right at the mid tide line. I asked him how deep he was and he told me that at low tide the ring should be in the wet sand. We worked out the details and I told him I’d be there the next morning at 10:30. Knowing that he seemed confident he knew where the ring slipped off his finger; my only concern was trying to find a place to park at the beach on the 4th of July.

When I got there, parking was non-existent, and I found a spot on the side of the road, hoping I wouldn’t get a ticket. I met Matt and his wife, Kim on the beach in the same area he had lost his ring the day before. Matt showed me the area and I started a parallel grid search along the slope to rule out the top of the beach. After 4 or 5 row, I changed to a perpendicular grid working from ankle deep to about thigh deep straight out from where Matt and Kim were sitting. My 4th trip out to deeper water, I got a solid 15/16 on the Equinox 800, telling me I had a ring. I wasn’t sure I had Matt’s ring because he had originally told me his ring was platinum. So I was looking for a lower number somewhere from 3-7 on the 800. After some consideration of the description Matt gave me. Plus, the likelihood of two men’s wedding bands lost on this portion of the beach, I was confident I had Matt’s ring. Sure enough, as I’m asking him what his ring looked like, he described it to a tee. I asked him if was platinum, and after looking and seeing the 14K stamp, he conceded it wasn’t platinum. Made me feel better and confirmed the numbers on the machine.

Matt and Kim, thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. Have a great weekend and a safe trip home.

Jim

    

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Lady’s Family Heirloom Platinum Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean on Oak Island, NC. – Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I received a call at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Father’s Day, from Julie saying she had lost her platinum wedding band in the ocean sometime between 1 – 4 pm. She also said that during that time she had ridden a boogie board, and played some football. I asked how deep she thought she was and she stated from ankle to about 4 ½ feet. A quick check of the tide tables and it didn’t look good. Low tide was right around 2 p.m. and the hour drive would get me there almost at high tide, I didn’t have a chance. I told Julie I’d be there the next afternoon before low tide at 2:55 p.m.

I had a lost ring search in a back yard set for the next morning, but was able to reschedule. I texted Julie and told her I’d be there close to noon. I figured I could start at the high tide line and work my way out to the low tide line and beyond. When I arrived the next day, Julie met me in the driveway of their rental and led me around to the beach access and out to meet her husband, Lonny. This is about when Julie shared that the center stone in the ring belonged to Lonny’s grandmother, and that they were here on vacation to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. I felt the pressure!! Standing on the beach, I asked Julie to tell me how she lost the ring again, what she was doing and where she was at. She showed me the area of a sand bar that she had been boogie boarding around and thought that it may have been where she lost it. I then asked Lonny what he remembered. He thought she probably lost it in the area where they were playing football, because that’s where they had been rough housing, too. I found it helps when I get everybody’s story and piece it together, what one forgets the other remembers – sometimes!

I had brought a couple of detectors, and PVC pipes to mark the areas. The pipe was to help me keep a better grid line. I had Julie and Lonny show me where they thought were the outside bounders for the area. I started at the high tide line and worked my way out pass the low tide line, grid searching both parallel and perpendicular to the shoreline. I made it out to the sand bar and did a good grid with nothing. I knew if the ring was lost on the ocean side of the sand bar, I had little chance of finding it in the washing machine action it’d go through. After what I felt was a very thorough search with no luck, I took a short break and came up with plan B. I asked Julie when she noticed that she didn’t have the ring on and she said it was after getting cleaned up and in the house. So now I’m thinking the soft sand may have to be searched just to rule it out. I asked Julie and Lonny if they wanted to help search, which they agreed to, and showed them how to use my White’s PI. Shortly after, I saw Julie pass the detector off to Lonny, it’s a pretty heavy machine, and he made his way back out towards the sand bar. He was struggling, and without a scoop, if he did get a target he had nothing to dig it with. At some point I decided I’d expand the search area, both on the east and west sides. I knew the platinum ring would show a VDI on the equinox 800 somewhere between 6 and 9, depending on the weight. Lonny’s thinner platinum wedding band rang up as a 3. After about a 3 hour search, and running out of real estate.  Just outside the original search area, I got a solid target showing a 9 on the VDI. Bingo!!! Two scoops and I had the target out of the hole. I gently washed the sand out in the surf and heard the special “twang” you get when there’s metal in the scoop. I looked in the scoop and there it was. Lonny was close, so I called him over. I told him don’t get excited but is this Julie’s ring. He wasn’t positive, because he’d never seen it off her finger, but thought so. I told Lonny, let’s surprise Julie, but I had to get my camera. When we got back up to where I had my gear, I made it sound like I was getting a drink. Lonny put on a great performance telling Julie I had another question. The video tells it all!!! Her response is why I love being a Ring Finder.

Julie and Lonny – thank you so much for trusting me to find your lost treasure. It was great to meet you both.

Jim

   

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Wedding and Engagement Rings Lost in the Dry Sand, Found and Returned Myrtle Beach, SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Matt Fry’s (TRF Myrtle Beach) wife, Sunny saying that Matt and she were on the highway and Matt just got a lost ring call. She asked if I could take it for him. I asked her to text me the man’s phone number. Shortly after getting the number, I called Randy to get the details. Randy told me his wife had lost her rings and wondered if I could help. I told him I’d be there in an hour.

When I arrived at their location and was walking out on the beach, I text Randy saying I’m here. As I walked on the beach I saw Randy waving his hand, so I made my way over to them. I introduced myself and asked what happened. Randy’s wife, Lesa, said the rings were within about a 6 ft radius and she had taken them off and put them on the towel, forgot them until she shook out the towel. I asked if the rings were separate or soldered together, she said they were separate and both rings were yellow gold. I turned my Equinox on and took 6 steps. First signal was a VDI of 16 so I knew I had one of the rings. Took a few scoops to get it, but as I lifted up the scoop I saw the small wedding band. I turned around and handed it to Lesa, who was trying hard to hold her emotions. A couple more swings and I got another signal, 12 on the VDI, scooped it up and had her beautiful engagement ring. As I handed her the second ring there was no more holding the emotions, a few tears fell, but they were happy ones! Total search time was about 30 seconds.

Lesa and Randy, thanks for calling The Ring Finders and so glad we could help. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!

Matt, thanks for the call, happy I could help.

Jim

   

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Lost Gold Wedding Band in the Ocean on Caswell Beach, Oak Island NC, 100th Return!

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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This ring call came as I was walking out the door en route to help find a lost Rolex watch, which wasn’t found and turned into a much longer search than I anticipated. When Matt first called, I explained the situation to him, but told him that I expected to be finished in time to meet him at his location during low tide. By the time I finished the first search, and arrived at the beach, where Matt had lost his gold wedding band, it was an hour and a half before high tide. I met Matt and his wife, Mary and we walked out to the beach. Matt pointed out the area he lost his ring, and told me he and a friend had been playing catch with a football. Matt said he noticed his ring felt a little loose. A couple of catches later, he felt his ring slip off his finger and disappear in the ocean. Matt was savvy enough to immediately get some land marks, which helped. From his description on when and how he lost his ring, I knew I didn’t have much hope of finding it on this trip. I went ahead and started a grid line, trying to get out as far as I could without dying. I checked with Matt on whether I was going out far enough and he said both Mary and her friend thought he was farther out when he lost it. After being hit and thrown by three consecutive waves, the last one, making me lose my grip on both the scoop and detector, and having my swim suit down around my thighs, I decided to call it a night. I felt so bad that I wasn’t able to give Matt a descent effort in finding his ring that I promised him I’d be back at the next low tide, which just happened to be at 3:24 a.m. We had one more chat before I left so I was sure I had all the details.

I got back to the search area at 2 a.m. a little tired but ready to go. We’re in the moon phase just after a new moon, so there was absolutely no moon light to search by and it was darker than dark out there. I started a grid line search trying to keep the lines straight and in line with each other with the aid of my head lamp. I went from an invisible line I had paced off earlier, from the top of the beach next to a “Keep off the Dunes” sign. I knew then the beach was going to be a lot different almost 6 hours later. I started a little west of the landmark Matt gave me and went back and forth from the top of the beach to the low tide line and nothing. I kept expanding the search area both east and west and still came up empty. By now, it’s 4 a.m., I’m tired, sweaty, and sore, I’ve done close to 4 miles of walking in two separate searches. I’m 100% positive Matt’s ring was lying in the sand someplace on this beach. So, I was having a little chit-chat with the Big Man upstairs and I was a little cranky, to say the least. So out of nowhere, the idea of searching the area again, doing a cross grid popped into my head. I cut the search area down; concentrating on the area Matt gave me in the first place. On my third line, BOOM, I got a solid signal. I dug a scoop of sand, dumped it on the beach, and spread it out with my foot. I ran the coil over the area, found the signal and scooped it up. There it was, all covered in sand, but I had it. I looked at the hole and saw my grid line that ran right beside it, so I had walked right over the top of it and missed it, so I must have zigged instead of zagged. Matt told me the inscription on the inside of the ring, so I had to go back to the car and use the light so see it. It was a perfect match. I had asked Matt earlier if he wanted me to text him if I found it in the middle of the night, or hold on to it and contact him a little later in the morning. I knew his answer before I asked but I let him make the decision. At about 4:20 a.m., I sent him two pictures of his ring, one of them the inscription, with a text saying: “Good Morning Sunshine, I’m sitting in the parking lot, let me know you’re awake.” I got an immediate response “I’m up, be down in 5.” As soon as I handed Matt his cherished ring, all my self-pity disappeared and I remembered exactly why I do this. There’s no better feeling!

Matt and Mary, thank you so much for trusting me to find your lost treasure. Have a great rest of your vacation and a safe trip back home. This is another chapter you two can add to the long story this ring will carry.

   

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14K Gold Family Heirloom Wedding Band Lost at Oak Island, NC, Found and Returned

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got an email around 9:30 pm Sunday night from George saying that he had lost his gold wedding ring that had originally belonged to his grandfather. His email also stated that he had placed the ring into a zipped pocket of a beach bag on Friday, but didn’t discover the ring was missing until he and his wife, Jen, started packing up to leave on Monday morning. As Jen was packing the beach bag, George remembered his ring was in there and told Jen. Jen checked the bag, didn’t find the ring but did discover a hole in the pocket the ring was suppose to be in. He was wondering if I could meet them tomorrow, before they left to see if I could find it. Unfortunately, I’ve got to go out of town the next morning for a day trip so I wouldn’t be able to make it. I called him, letting him know I couldn’t make it tomorrow, but I could make it tonight. He agreed, gave me the rental house address and I hit the road for the hour drive to Oak Island.

When I arrived, both Jen and George were sitting on the front stoop of the house waiting for me. I got a few more details from Jen and George, and George and I crossed the street to the beach access. Once there, George pointed out the area they had been sitting at over the course of the last 3 days. I started doing a grid line parallel to the surf. I was on my 6th or 7th line when I got a strong signal showing up as a VDI of 18 and I knew it had to be his gold ring. Dug a scoop of sand, dumped it on the beach, and spread it out with my foot. Ran the coil over the sand and saw the outline of his ring at the same time my Equinox rang out. I reached down and picked up his ring, turned towards George and held my arm out. I had my headlamp on and saw the expression on his face like, there is no way he’s holding my ring. He seemed hesitant to come see what I was holding and when I handed him his ring he was completely overwhelmed. Think we both dropped a tear or two. We left the beach and were going to surprise Jen, but George couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. At some point after we found his ring, he made a comment that he was sure it was lost forever.

George and Jen, Thank you for trusting me to help find your lost treasure. I’m sure the ring has a very long history and story attached to it, and now that story can continue with just a little added anxiety thrown in.

Jim

      

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Lady’s Yellow Gold Engagement Ring Lost in the Sand, Found and Returned Oak Island NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I, my wife, and youngest daughter were on our way to dinner when Brandon called wanting to know if I could help find his wife, Marli’s, ring. He explained that she had taken her rings off to apply sunblock to their young baby. He continued saying that she placed both the engagement ring and wedding band in her shirt. A little while later she saw her wedding band laying on the towel she had been sitting on, but no engagement ring. I told him I could be there around 8 p.m., about an hour and a half later. He told me he would check with his wife and call me back. As soon as I hung up, both my wife and daughter, almost in unison said, “You have got to go find her ring.” So I turned the car around and headed back home to drop them off and pick up my detector. I called him back and told him I was on my way and to text me the address.

After the 45 minute drive, I arrived at the beach at 7:30 p.m. I met Marli and Brandon, and we walked to the area in the dry sand where the ring was lost. Marli pointed out the area she had been sitting on the towel and applying the sunblock to her baby. I tested her wedding band with the Equinox 800 and got a VDI of 11, so I knew what I was looking for. On my fourth grid line, I got a strong tone and a VDI of 12 so I knew I had her engagement ring. I looked up and smiled at her and Brandon, and took a small scoop of sand. Her small size 4 or 4 ½ engagement ring was still hidden in the sand, so I lightly shook the sand out of the scoop and saw her ring peeking up through the small amount of sand left. Bingo! I took the ring out of the scoop and handed it to her. Big Smiles all the way around. She told me that she thought the ring was gone for good. Another chapter to add to their ring story.

Marli and Brandon, thank you for trusting in me to help find your lost treasure. Best of luck to you both, and your baby.

Jim

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Man’s White Gold Wedding Band Lost, Recovered and Returned at Oak Island, NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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Sunday night I got an e-mail from Daniel G. telling me he had lost his wedding band on the beach at Oak Island, NC the previous Friday. In the e-mail he asked if I would be willing to drive to Oak Island and see if I could find it. I responded saying yes that it’d be no problem and then asked the normal questions – where on the beach, the time he lost it and the ring description.

The next morning Daniel had followed up with his responses as well as calling me. He knew exactly where he had been, what time it was and even down to the number of paces it was from the soft sand into the high tide line. Looking at the current tide tables, I saw I had about 4 hours before high tide so I headed out for the hour drive up there. Once I got to the beach I followed his directions and he couldn’t have been more exact on where it was. On my third grid line, in ankle deep water I got the signal. Two scoops and I had his wedding band in my hand. I took a picture of his ring and sent it to him with a text saying “Bingo”. While I’m standing on the beach waiting for his response, I noticed two ladies walking towards me. They walked up to me and introduced themselves as Daniel’s mother and his Aunt and informed me that Daniel had called them that morning letting them know I was going to be looking for it. They thought they’d come down and watch. I told them I had already found it and had sent Daniel a picture and text and was waiting for his response. Neither one of them could believe I had found it and were really surprised and excited for Daniel. Shortly after Daniel called and was very excited about his ring. He told me to go ahead and give it to his mother, which was good so it didn’t have to be mailed. A great ending to another lost ring story.

Daniel – Thank you for trusting me to find your lost treasure.

Jim

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Lost Car Key in the Sand – Found and Returned Oak Island NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)
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I got a call from Harrison on Saturday, May 20th around 6:15pm stating he had lost a key in the sand on Oak Island and asked if I could help find it. Unfortunately, I was out of town and couldn’t personally help, but assured him I’d find someone that could and would call him back.

I first called Matt Fry, TRF Myrtle Beach who didn’t answer. I then called my son-in-law Donnie, who has helped me with finds in the past and he didn’t answer either. By now I’m thinking this isn’t looking good. I called my daughter who told me Donnie would probably be home in a couple of hours. I called Harrison back and brought him up to speed on what was going on and again assured him that someone would be up there to help find his key. Matt called me back sounding sick saying that he couldn’t make it.

I sent Donnie a text with all the details including Harrison’s phone number and told him to contact Harrison and let me know. A little after 8 Donnie texted me back saying he just got the text but wasn’t able to contact Harrison but did leave him a voice mail. I contacted Harrison, told him Donnie was going to call him right back, got a hold of Donnie and told him to call Harrison again.

At 10:40 I got a text from Donnie saying it took him 45 seconds to find the key. Outstanding!! I later learned that the missing key was Harrison’s car key, and with no spare he had to leave it parked at the beach. Donnie had to pick Harrison up at a rental house, drive him to the beach area and then find the key.

Great job Donnie, thanks so much for helping out and finding/returning the lost key.

Harrison, thank you for trusting The Ring Finders to help find your lost treasure!

Jim

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