North Myrtle Beach Metal Detecting Service Tag | The Ring Finders

Yellow Gold Wedding Band and Engagement Ring Lost on the Beach, Found and Returned Carolina Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

This adventure started out with a text message at 10:28 am on Saturday, August 19th. The text read, “Hi! My name is Samantha. I saw you on ring finders and was wondering if you’d be interested in a hunt on Carolina Beach? Or could you put me in touch with someone if I’m out of your range? I lost my wedding rings sitting on the beach yesterday. I would appreciate any help or advice!” The text included her number, so I called for more details. When we talked, we agreed we’d meet in a particular parking lot at 3 pm. I had already made arrangements to meet another lady on a different beach for a separate search at 12:30. I was finished with that search in time to drive the hour plus to Carolina Beach and meet Samantha on time.

As we’re walking the block to the beach, I learned there were actually 3 rings missing. She had lost her wedding band, her engagement ring, and a gold ring her parents had given her. Samantha said that she was in town to attend a bachelorette party. She had come a day early to enjoy a peaceful day on the beach reading her book. Once she had her chair in place, she took her 3 rings off and put in the cup holder to apply sunscreen. She had moved her chair once during the day. When she was ready to go, she folded the chair up and walked to the water’s edge to rinse the sand off the chair legs. When she got back to the car and looked at her hand, the shock set in. She immediately returned to where she was sitting and did a visual search and then did a pin drop on her phone for the location. When we got to the beach she walked us through the Saturday afternoon crowd to the spot of the pin drop. Surprisingly, there was only one guy sitting in the way. I turned my Equinox 800 on and started a perpendicular grid search from the dry sand to the incoming tide line. Within a grid line or two, I hit a 10 on the VDI (visual display indicator), a great number for a small yellow gold ring. I dug a scoop of sand out, checked the hole and had the target in the scoop. I dumped the sand on the beach and ran the coil over it and hit the target. I got down on my hands and knees and spread the sand out until I saw the ring. When I first showed it to Samantha, she didn’t think it was hers until she got a closer look and exclaimed (loudly) “that’s my wedding band.” She was so excited; I almost saw a tear, but she held it back. Ok, 1 ring down 2 to go. I showed her the hole and asked her if that was where she had been sitting. She replied that’s about where she was when she washed the chair legs off. I started the grid again from the hole, which had now filled in from the incoming tide. A few more steps and about ankle deep in water, I got another hit showing 10 on the VDI. I dug the target out and carefully washed the excess sand out at the water’s edge. I saw the engagement ring in the bottom of the scoop and walked over to Samantha and let her reach in the scoop and pull her ring out. That put her over the top with excitement, still no tears through, she was really trying hard not to cry. I continued the search for the 3rd ring for another 20 minutes or so and Samantha said she had to go. I told her when I found it I’ll call her and we’d work something out to get it back to her. I searched for another 30 minutes doing a complete search then did a cross grid and wasn’t able to find her 3rd ring. By this time the tide had come in enough that the water was covering my tracks. Although disappointed I couldn’t find the 3rd ring, Samantha was overjoyed she had her wedding and engagement rings back.

Samantha – Thank you for letting me help find your lost rings. So excited you got them back.

Jim

   

Man’s White Gold Wedding Band Lost in the Ocean, Found and Returned Sunset Beach NC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

I got a text message at 10 p.m. Thursday, July 27th saying, “Hi Jim! I found your info on the Ring finder’s website. I lost my husband’s wedding ring at Sunset Beach this evening. Are you available to help search?” I called the number on the text and spoke with Ashley. She explained she had put her husband, Jonathan’s ring in her phone case for safe keeping. At some point she took the phone out of the case and was pretty sure the ring fell out into the ocean. I asked what time and she said about 3 hours ago. The timing was good because the tide had just reached low tide so now was the time to try. She asked if it’d be better to search in the morning. I told her that there’d be a good chance the ring wouldn’t be there because of all the early morning detectionist out hitting the beach.  I also told her I didn’t need light, per se because I had a head lamp and the machine beeps when I hit a target. I told her I’d be there in about 30-35 minutes and she agreed to meet me. It just happened that my youngest daughter, Lisa, her husband and my grandson were in town visiting, so I asked my daughter if she wanted to go. She quickly said yes so we were on our way.

When we arrived, Ashley and Jonathan were on the beach with flashlights hoping for the best. Ashley showed me a big hole that her brother had dug to give us an idea of the line the ring was lost on. Ashley moved me over a few steps east of the hole and I started a perpendicular grid line to the surf. I made my way down to the low tide line, which had now shifted and was coming back in. I made the turn to come back up the slope and got to about the mid tide line. All of a sudden I got a solid signal that rang up a 15 on the Equinox 800 VDI (visual display indicator).  It was a little higher number that I expected but it was within the range of a white gold man’s wedding band. I dug 2 big scoops of sand before I got the target out of the hole. I spread the sand out with my foot and started feeling around in the sand. Bang! I felt the ring and the big hole in the middle. I walked down to the water line and washed the ring off and walked over to where Ashley, Jonathan, and Lisa were standing and asked Ashley, “Is this it?” She handed the ring to Jonathan who checked the engraving and said, “It’s it!” Think they were all a little shocked that it was found, in the dark, and probably within 5 minutes. Ashley and Jonathan were so grateful and happy.

Ashley and Jonathan – thank you for allowing me to help find your lost treasure.

Jim

   

Metal Detecting on the beach in North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

Lost and FOUND Lady’s White Gold Wedding Band at North Myrtle Beach SC

  • from North Myrtle Beach (South Carolina, United States)

While out shopping with my wife, daughter and granddaughter I received a call from Allison who was very upset that she lost her wedding band. She said she was digging in the sand with her son and thought she should take both her engagement ring and wedding band off. She told me she put them in a bag next to her towel and when she went to retrieve them only the engagement ring was in the bag. I told her I could be there in about an hour to hour and a half.  When I arrived at the beach behind the resort where she was staying I called her and she quickly met me. I also met her husband Gordon who had already marked a 15X20 foot square in the sand around the area they had been sitting. I asked her to describe her ring, what exactly happened and the general area she was in. I set a north/south grid and started searching. The first grid line produced a beer cap, the second grid line produced a house or room key and when I looked at her I could see her hope in finding the ring was fading. There was nothing on the third grid line and as I turned to do the fourth line I got a good signal with my White’s PI dual field and took a shallow scoop. After shaking out the sand I couldn’t see anything with the sea grass in the scoop so I  shook the scoop one more time – bingo!!! There was her size 5 wedding band. I reached in the scoop, looked at her, gave her a little smile and a wink and nodded my head for her to come over to me. She covered her mouth with both hands and I’m pretty sure tears started rolling out of both of our eyes. I held my closed fist out and dropped the ring in her outstretched hands and then got one of  the biggest hugs I’ve ever had. I got extra hugs and handshakes from her husband, dad and a couple of other relatives. It was truly amazing and something I’ll never forget. Total search time was less than 5 minutes.