Lost ring in Lake Harris, Florida…..Found and Returned!


Dawn and her son, Tristen, were swimming at their favorite spot on Lake Harris and enjoying the cool water and digging clams. They would feel in the sand with their toes and when they found a clam they would dig it up and put it in their bucket. Now and then they would find old bottles and an assortment of junk. Some of the items were down right dangerous to be stepping on, especially in the water, and this made Dawn and Tristen tread very lightly. One of the clams was buried rather deeply in the sand and as Dawn tried to dig it up she actually felt her ring slip off of her finger. She frantically dug down into the sand trying to feel for it and after numerous failed attempts she gave up. This special ring was her son’s birthstone ring and Dawn had been wearing it for at least 8 years and now it was gone. Dawn’s heart was broken and she felt she would never see her ring again and that thought led her to do an internet search on « How to find a lost ring in the water »!
Dawn found one of my stories on theringfinders.com and sent me an email that morning. As she waited for my response she decided to just give me a call. I could tell by her voice how anxious she was to get her lost ring back, so I made arrangements to meet her later on that afternoon. If she was fairly sure of the exact location in the water and where she was standing when she lost her ring–then I told her that her lost ring was still there waiting to be found and that gave her some much needed HOPE!
Two hours later I met Dawn and Tristen at their special swimming location and as I waded into the cool water it was obvious why they loved this spot so much. The large cypress trees provided the perfect shade from the warm Florida sun and the sandy bottom felt so soft under my scuba boots. My first signal was the top of an old beer can and along with the aluminum target were various pieces of glass. Then my second signal was another piece of aluminum accompanied by more glass! I soon realized that this peaceful looking place could be very dangerous and I needed to be real careful. It took a total of maybe 10 minutes and there in my floating sifter, surrounded by pieces of glass and clam shells was Dawn’s beautiful ring! She was shocked that I had found it so soon but oh so thrilled to have her lost ring found.
Maybe you know where you have lost something that you would really like to have found and returned? If so, send me an email or better yet, give me a call ASAP! I am here to help!
Mike McInroe—honored to be a member of theringfinders.com

Last Friday I received an e-mail from Iain asking if I could help him look for his lost ring. Apparently Iain was playing goalie for his young son who was kicking his soccer ball in an area with very soft sand that the Disney Caribbean Resort provides near all of their pool locations. Iain found himself diving to the left and to the right, blocking the ball with his hands. And having put on sun screen beforehand, added to the soft sand and sweat…well, that usually adds up to « Lost Ring! »
The other day my good friend Chris texted me about a lost ring in a small lake in the Heathrow area. In casual conversation a neighbor mentioned to Chris that she had lost her precious silver ring while feeding bread to the fish. It happened just after Christmas and Tina could not get her mind off of loosing the very ring her brother had given her just a few years ago. After hearing her story Chris told her « I know just the guy to help you get your ring back! » So the following day—Valentines Day–I made arrangements to meet Tina and have her show me where she lost her ring. The original information I received was that the ring was lost only a few days ago so when I arrived and got set up–I concentrated my search efforts in the water from the shore out to about three feet deep. After a thorough search in the water and coming up empty handed I called Tina to come out and explain to me again what all happened the day she lost her ring. Come to find out she actually lost it a few days after Christmas, so that turned out to be 6 weeks ago and we have had very little rain and the water level had dropped a good two feet or so since then. I realized just where she would have been standing and the drop zone area would be up the bank further. And sure enough after a few sweeps of my coil over the dry ground–there was Tina’s lost ring just under a thin layer of dirt and mud! Tina could not believe I had found her lost ring and was thrilled to get it back on her finger!
Amy was visiting the grave site where her precious little one–Jean Francis Butterfly Butler– was laid to rest. It was a rather warm January day and the rings on Amy’s ring finger were feeling tight so she removed them and slid them into her pocket-along with the keys to her van. It was a quiet and peaceful time, sitting there by her little one’s grave site, as Amy reflected on the many things she had to be thankful for. Soon it was time to pick up her 7 year old daughter from school, so she folded up her lawn chair and headed to the van, pulling out the keys from her pocket as made her way across the short grassy area. As she slid into the drivers seat she remembered her rings and reached into her pocket and discovered–NO RINGS! Frantically she retraced her steps to where she was sitting and after a thorough search she was able to find her wedding band, but no diamond engagement ring. She walked back and for over the small area–but could not find her precious ring.
Can you imagine it’s your wedding day and everything is ready?! The chairs are all set up, the guests have arrived and the ceremony begins. It’s the perfect day to be outdoors, in the gazebo, on the lake. And partway through the ceremony the bride’s sister-in-law is holding the rings in a small box and just to make sure they are ready, she opens the box and somehow the brides ring drops to the deck and bounces off into the 9 foot deep water! Stunned and in shock, she cannot believe what just happened. After the ceremony the sister-in-law actually jumped into the cold water hoping to be able to retrieve the ring, but with all the weeds and soft muddy bottom, plus being 9 feet deep—it was hopeless!
David was playing a lively game of « keep away » on his driveway with his two children and never even realized his wedding ring had come off! During the action of throwing the ball and jumping around, his gold wedding ring came off of his finger and landed on the concrete. At that exact instant his son, Jonathan, actually inadvertently kicked it and what they heard was the « clink » of his ring hitting the driveway and then the clink, clink as it bounced off into the grass. No one realized what it actually was–thinking maybe Jonathan had kicked a nail or screw or some other metal object. They finished up their game and went inside for the evening.
Jason called Thursday morning to see if I could help him find his wife’s lost engagement ring in some bushes at their apartment complex in Orlando! I asked a few pertinent questions to help determine where the rings might be hiding and if there was a good chance they could be found. Jason briefly explained what happened and mentioned that Amber, his wife, had actually lost both her wedding and engagement rings. And after a frantic search they were able to find the wedding ring but not the lost engagement ring! He went on to say that they contemplated renting a metal detector but then found theringfinders.com web site and decided to give me a call.
Trev was playing a lively game of volleyball with a couple of friends when he lost his ring. As he swung at the ball—barely hitting it—he felt his ring slip off his finger. He immediately stopped and yelled « I lost my ring! » He and his friends spent the next two hours running their fingers through the sand hoping to find his lost Tungsten wedding ring.

