Background: I received my first TRF call on 15-Oct-26 from Linda that her husband David had just dropped his gold wedding band at a dock on the Stono River at Fort Pemberton Park in Charleston SC. They were visiting from Indiana and were returning home within a few days. He was fishing at the dock, which had just opened in September and his ring slipped off and fell in the water right near a piling. I got as many details as I could and set a plan to meet the next day well before low tide. Linda estimated the water depth at 4 feet deep during an outgoing tide. Low tide on Friday 16-Oct was to occur just before 7:00 pm. Sunset was at 6:46 pm.
On Site Conditions: No Swimming Signs! Possible bull shark habitat, some chance for alligator encounters (but not concerned about either after searching incident history). The water depth was about 8-9 feet deep two hours prior to low tide. The current and water depth made a normal jump in the water and sweeps with the detector virtually impossible. No access to the water level except for climbing down to the cross-bracing right at the piling where the ring was dropped into the water. The cross-bracing being at the right spot was a game changer.
Gear: Minelab Manticore, titanium CKG scoop and carbon fiber shaft, ProFind 40 pinpointer, wetsuit, 16′ aluminum telescoping pole, duct tape.
Approach: Since the water was too deep and the sun was going down as low tide neared, the only option I could attempt was to duct tape my detector to the 16′ telescoping pole, then climb down the dock structure to sweep with the headphone coil stretched out – effectively creating a 14′ long detector! After sweeping the probable area, I hit on some good target IDs (and had to raise it up above the water quickly) to see the screen each time. Once I had some good hits, I had to climb back up, remove the pole from the detector and tape the scoop to it. After several scoops of clay-like mud and oyster shells, I pulled up a tear drop sinker, hook and leader – classic fake out target ID for gold. After another climb up to the dock, I swapped the scoop out for the detector and duct taped it up again. After finding more good target IDs around the spot at the piling, I switched back to taping the scoop to the pole again. I found another fake out item – a small, open pocket knife. As the sun was going down and the fatigue of scooping mud and oysters, shaking and sifting for what was now the 20-30th time, I began thinking I’d have to return in the morning. In the back of my mind, each time I washed the clay off my hand I was expecting a friendly nibble from a juvenile bull shark – or worse. It was near dark, mosquitoes swarming and balancing on the cross-brace while wresting the leverage of scooping and sifting each time were taking their toll. Linda was telling me to let her know when I was going to take my last scoop to take pics, etc. I had taken the last several scoops near the piling, but a little downstream to factor in the drift from the tide. I figured I would check the scoop I had and then do one more before climbing back up.
Closure: After two hours, I sifted the scoop that I knew would almost be the last – only one more would be all I could handle by then. After a little sifting and using my hand to feel the clay, in near darkness, I barely saw the unmistakeable shape and shimmer of a gold wedding band! I kept quiet and carefully put the ring on my finger, clenched my fist and yelled « I think I’m gonna come up ». Linda said « You should »…. I responded « I’m coming up because I found the ring!! ». Screams erupted everywhere. What a great moment and I was so glad to recover this ring for Linda and David! A little luck, a nod from God, and some ingenuity to use the detector and scoop in 8-10′ of water all paid off! This could not have been a better ending as they reach their 30th anniversary soon!
More pictures showing the level of difficulty for this recovery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/csnN9fJEUfibGx1P9
