#OgunquitMaineMetalDetectorRental Tag | The Ring Finders

Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Ocean and Sand, Found In Ogunquit, Maine, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

🚨 THE OGUNQUIT MIRACLE: A Sign from Above & A Mind-Blowing Connection! 🕊️🌊💍

On Saturday, July 3rd, I had just recovered a lost engagement ring on Mother’s Beach in Kennebunkport Maine , Maine.

As Cheryl and I were standing around talking to Lucy and her family about the recovery, my phone rang.

The caller identified himself as Patrick. He was at Footbridge Beach in Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea , and just an hour or so earlier, he had lost his wedding ring of nine years.

Patrick had been floating in the water when a large wave knocked him into the surf.

He was actually underwater when he felt his wedding ring slip off. He tried to grab it but couldn’t.

Patrick, his wife Kendra, Shaunna (Kendra’s sister), and her husband Pete immediately started searching the water, but it was too late.

The ring had disappeared into the surf and sand.

Patrick asked if I was available to search, and I told him I was less than ten miles away and would be right there!

Cheryl and I quickly said our goodbyes to Lucy’s family and raced to Ogunquit. It was now 6:20 PM, and low tide was in just two hours.

Time was of the essence before the tide turned back in and covered the search area. ⏳

⏱️ Racing the Clock at Footbridge Beach

Once we arrived at Footbridge Beach, we were promptly met by Patrick.

He walked us down to the area where his family had marked out boundaries and placed some « X » marks in the sand to see who would guess closest to the ring’s location.

The area to be searched was maybe 75’ x 100’, but my main concern was the tide. It was now 7:00 PM—leaving us only an hour and twenty minutes until low tide.

I decided to start the search at the lip of the sandbar, closest to the shore, where the ring was lost. I knew I could cover the entire area down to the low tide mark if I grid-searched parallel to the water from north to south.

The sandbar was extremely clean of targets—just a few pieces of small aluminum.

As I made my way toward the water, some of the family members thought I was too far out.

But Patrick, who was walking along with me, confirmed he had been out that far.

So, I kept marching toward the low-tide mark.

🎯 A Signal in the Sand & A Sign from Above

By 7:35 PM, we had only 45 minutes left before the tide would start coming back in.

Suddenly, I received the unmistakable sound of a low-conduction, non-ferrous metal—the exact tone of gold. 🎧✨

I told the group I couldn’t guarantee it, but I knew in my gut this was Patrick’s wedding ring. I held off on digging until everyone gathered around to watch.

I pushed the scoop into the hard-packed wet sand, threw it up onto the surface, and heard Pete yell:

👉 “Holy sht man, it’s right there!”*

He rushed over, pointing directly at the pile.
Kendra and Cheryl rushed in to get photos of the ring, still embedded in the sand.

Once Kendra saw it, she started to cry, releasing all the built-up stress and anxiety of the past few months.

Kendra and Shaunna’s father had sadly passed away earlier in the year. It was at his house in Ogunquit that the family had gathered for the first time since the funeral.

Emotions were already running high for the sisters, and losing the wedding ring had been deeply upsetting.

Kendra then told me something that gave me literal goosebumps.

Just seconds before I found the ring, a bird flew in circles directly around me and the exact spot where the ring was buried. Kendra was absolutely convinced it was a sign from her father. 🕊️❤️

📊 An Unbelievable, Serendipitous Connection

Patrick was taking in the entire emotional scene before he and Kendra, still crying happy tears, shared a long, loving embrace (See video posted yesterday).

What a beautiful sight to see. I was so incredibly happy that Cheryl and I got to be a part of it.

With a big smile on his face, I asked Patrick if he would like the honors of removing his wedding ring from the sand.

With a huge grin, he nodded and pulled it out.

As Patrick was cleaning it off, Cheryl told me something that was truly hard to believe.

While I was searching, Patrick and Cheryl had struck up a conversation.

Patrick mentioned that he and Kendra had just celebrated their 9th wedding anniversary a few weeks earlier.

Cheryl replied that we had also just celebrated our 9th anniversary.

After a few more questions, our jaws hit the sand.

🤯 We had gotten married on the exact same day and year as Kendra and Patrick 🗓️

Talk about a serendipitous connection!

What are the odds of that happening?

It is an incredibly rare, statistical anomaly. Absolutely unbelievable!

We meet all kinds of people from all walks of life doing this, and we always find some kind of common bond with our clients—but this one took it to a whole new level.

With the happy tears now turned into smiles and laughter, Cheryl and I walked off the beach in Ogunquit knowing, without a doubt, that we have the best job in the world. We love our job. 🥰

👉 Remember: “If it matters to you, it matters to us.”

🚨 LOST IT? DON’T PANIC—WE CAN FIND IT! 🌊💍🔍

Did a rogue wave sweep away your wedding band?

Did your car keys slip out of your pocket into the deep sand or tall grass?

Time is critical, but you don’t have to search alone!

Whether it’s hidden under water, buried deep in the sand, or lost in your own backyard, The Ring Finders of Maine are ready to help recover your missing treasures.

🤿 What We Recover:

* Wedding Rings & Fine Jewelry 💎
* Car Keys & Key Fobs 🔑
* Cell Phones & Smartwatches 📱
* Family Heirlooms & Sentimental Items ❤️

We use top-tier, professional underwater and land metal detecting equipment to pinpoint your items fast.

📞 Call or Text Dennis, Right Away: 207-423-4027

👉 Remember: “If it matters to you, it matters to us.”

 

 

Two Sterling Silver Rings Lost In The Ocean Water, Found With A Metal Detector, At Casino Beach, Cape Elizabeth, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

🚨 UNBELIEVABLE RESCUE AT CASINO BEACH! 🚨

It all started with a voicemail on June 30th at 12:08 PM…

“Oh, hi, I’m looking to reach somebody from The Ring Finders of Maine… I lost a ring about a day and a half ago at Casino Beach in Cape Elizabeth, Maine… Please give me a call back. The name is Meg.” 📞

🕒 Lost for 3 Days in the Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine Ocean waves
When I called Meg back, she told me a heartbreaking story. Two very sentimental Sterling Silver rings were gone. 💔

She, her husband, and their young daughter had been enjoying a beautiful day at Casino Beach. When it was time to leave, Meg took her rings off, tucked them into her shirt pocket, and went to wash her hands in the surf. 🌊

As she got back to the beach blanket, she bent over to grab something—and saw one ring fall out of her pocket! She snatched it up, but when she checked for the other two, her heart sank. They were gone. 😭

She and a friend searched the dry sand and the water’s edge for two days straight. Nothing. That is when her friend told her about us! 🕵️‍♂️✨

🌅 The Strategy: Beating the Morning Tide
Gary and I knew we had to act fast. We looked at the charts and determined Meg had been in the shallow water around mid-tide.

📈To stand a chance, we needed to hunt at the absolute lowest tide. We met Meg at the beach at 6:00 AM on Wednesday, July 1st. ⏰ 💨

She showed us the setup area and the path she took to the water. We had a massive grid to cover:

* Gary started on the dry sand where the blanket had been. 🏝️

* I started at the water’s edge, planning to work my way up toward him.
* The Goal: Meet in the middle, then jump out further as the tide dropped!
“Alright, now let’s go find some rings!” 🚀

⚡ Metal Detecting Science & A Sudden Storm
Almost immediately, Gary’s machine screamed with a high conductor reading in the 80s! He dug… a quarter. 🪙

For those wondering about the science:
* Sterling Silver is highly conductive. It rings up between 70 and 90+ on a Target ID (TID).
* Quarters & Dimes ring up in that exact same silver range.
* Gold & Nickels are lower conductivity, ringing up much lower.

To make things harder, this beach was loaded with iron trash—likely rebar from old storm repairs on the concrete seawalls. 🏗️🗑️

After an hour of digging pull tabs, the sky opened up. 🌧️ Gary and I had to take shelter under an overhanging deck for 20 minutes until the storm passed. 🌩️

🎯 Double Target! The « Eureka » Moment
As soon as the rain stopped, we got right back to it. The tide had dropped another 20 feet, exposing brand-new ground. 🌊💨

On my third grid pass along the wet sand, my detector went crazy. It wasn’t just one loud beep—it was a double target! 🔊🔊

One registered in the 80s, the other in the low 90s.
I yelled across the beach: “Gary! I think I found them!” Two silver targets, two missing silver rings. What else could it be?! 🤞

💍 The Miracle in the Sand

Gary ran over with his pinpointer. I scooped a massive chunk of wet sand and threw it onto the beach.

Right there in the hole… a glimmer of silver. AWESOME!!! 🎉

Gary grabbed the first ring!

But the hole was empty when we checked for the second one. My heart skipped a beat. I swung my detector over the pile of loose sand I had just dug up.

Right there on top of the pile, staring back at us, was the second missing silver ring! YES!!! 🥳 🙌

Gary took them down to the surf, washed off the salt and sand, and they shined like brand new. ✨

❤️ An Unforgettable Family Reunion
I snapped a quick photo of the rings resting on some seaweed and texted it to Meg. No response—she was rushing to get ready for work! 📲

When I called her and told her the news, she went dead silent in pure disbelief, then exploded with excitement! 😭🎉

Gary and I drove straight to her house 10 minutes later. Meg and her husband, Tom, came running out, smiling from ear to ear.
Meg told us her young daughter had been heartbroken because she loved those rings and hoped to inherit them one day. They were special gifts from birthdays and Christmases past. ✨👧

Seeing those rings back on Meg’s fingers where they belong is exactly why we do this. 💍❤️

💌 A Final Message from Meg

Later that day, Meg sent us the sweetest text:

“You guys are amazing! Thank you again! Have been spreading the word! Thank you thank you!!” 🥹

Gary and I love our jobs—we truly have the best job in the world. 🌊 🛠️

Remember: If it matters to you, it matters to us. 🤝⚓

Gold Engagement And Wedding Rings Lost Swimming At Moody Beach, Wells, Maine, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

🌊 Lost at Moody Beach! 💍

I received the following text on Sunday, June 28, at 5:36 PM:

“Hi Dennis! My name is Jillian, and I lost my engagement and wedding rings today at Moody Beach.

I believe they may have come off while I was swimming earlier this afternoon.

I heard from many people you were the guy to reach out to. I’m sorry for the Sunday evening text! These are pictures of the rings:”

⏱️ Race Against the Tide

To speed the process up, I immediately called Jillian back.

Jillian told me that she had been enjoying the last day of her trip at a friend’s beach house along with her husband, father, and a few others.

While in the water swimming and throwing a football around, she noticed her gold engagement and wedding rings were no longer on her finger.

🌊 The Search: Jillian, her family, and friends went back out as the tide was receding.

⏳ Time spent: They searched for two to three hours.

🔍 Equipment: Someone even searched with a metal detector, but all to no avail.

Jillian and her husband then had to return home to New Hampshire for work the next morning.

With the tide now coming in, I told Jillian I could be at Moody Beach at 5:00 AM for the 5:41 AM low tide.

Since Jillian had been in the water at mid-tide, arriving prior to the morning’s low tide would give Gary Hill and me plenty of time to search the area.

I sent Jillian an aerial view of the beach, and once she verified our target area, we were ready to go.

🌅 A Beautiful Sunrise & Double Signals

Gary and I arrived at Moody Beach the next morning and were greeted by a beautiful sunrise.

We decided to search north to south, moving vertically toward the water.

My Strategy: I started in the wet sand near where I thought the waterline would have been the prior day.

Gary’s Strategy: Gary started up near the seawall.

We both worked our way toward the water, with Gary covering the sections I skipped.

This way, we could cover the entire search area in three or four hours, but hopefully, we would find them in less time.

As we started searching, we weren’t finding many targets at all—it was a very clean beach.

I was finding an occasional pull tab and small pieces of aluminum.

Gary found a few coins but no treasure, except the treasure of the sunrise.

It was a very quiet search with very little digging until around the 40-minute mark.

Suddenly, I received a very strong low tone giving me two separate readings.Signal 1: 17

Signal 2: 29

This definitely got my attention. Two targets, both in the gold range, and two missing rings!

What are the chances of these being the lost engagement and wedding rings?

🎯 Found! Double Gold!

I thought they were very good, so I yelled over to Gary,

“I think I got them!”

I waited for Gary to arrive before I dug the targets. I threw the scoop full of sand up onto the hard-packed wet sand and let Gary use his pinpointer to probe it.

🥇 Ring #1: Once he located the target, Gary pulled out the engagement ring. YES!!!

Now to find the wedding ring. I swung my detector over the hole and found the second target was just outside of it

.🥈 Ring #2: Gary used the pinpointer to locate the target, put his fingers into the sand, and pulled out Jillian’s wedding ring.

Gary and I high-fived each other, smiling and laughing at our good fortune.

It was now 5:39 AM. I took a photo of the rings and texted it to Jillian, simply saying, “Got them.”Less than a minute later, I got Jillian’s reply:

“OMG, you’re incredible!!” 🙌

❤️ A Huge Relief for a Growing Family

I then asked her if there was someone at the house we could give the rings to.

Jillian replied, “I’ll have my Dad come out! I’ll call him right now,” and she then sent another text:

“He’s coming out. Thank you SO much! We even metal detected that side, you are incredible.”

Her excitement made Gary and me very happy. Soon after, we saw her father, Jim, making his way onto the beach.

Jim was also incredibly happy and excited, telling us he truly thought the rings wouldn’t be found.

Jim also told us that Jillian had been devastated and he was especially worried because she is expecting her first child in November! 🍼👶

WOW!!! We were so glad we got down here and found them just 15 hours after they were lost.

Jillian could now stop worrying and put all her energy into her pregnancy.

💌 A Few Days Later…

Jillian sent me another text a few days later saying:

“Good morning! I can’t say enough how much I appreciated your efforts and have been telling the story to everyone I know. Thank you so much again.”

😊Gary and I are still on cloud nine with this recovery.

Unfortunately, Gary and I were not able to meet Jillian ourselves to return the rings.

Jillian tells me she is now were her rings once again, after receiving them from her father.

Knowing we were able to help Jillian in her time of need and relieve her worry is a huge reward for us.

We have the best job in the world, and we love what we do!

🧲🏖️Remember: “If it matters to you, it matters to us.”

📞 Lost Something Valuable? Call or Text Dennis!

If you or someone you know ever loses a ring, keys, or valuable items on the beach, in the grass, or even in the water—please don’t wait!

Time is critical, especially with shifting sands and tides.

Call or text Dennis right away at  ⁨(207) 423-3027⁩

The sooner a search begins, the higher the chance of a successful recovery!

📈🔍Remember: “If it matters to you, it matters to us.” 🤝❤️

Tungsten Wedding Ring Lost Swimming In The Ocean, Found With A Metal Detector, Old Orchard Beach, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)

🌊 THE RING SHOULD HAVE READ 50… IT READ 21. WHY? 🤔💍

The Ring Finders of Maine, With Recovery and Return #231

I received a call from Kevin late Sunday afternoon. He told me that approximately five hours earlier, he had lost his tungsten wedding ring while in the water at Old Orchard Beach. 🏖️
Kevin was not far from the Oob Pier lifeguard stand, right in front of the carousel at Palace Playland. He had lost the ring at high tide, and as the tide receded, he searched the area where it had come off.
After hours of searching, the ring was nowhere to be found.
As you all know, once a ring comes off in the surf, it settles under the sand and out of sight. 🌊⏳
Kevin wasn’t giving up, though. He asked the lifeguards what else he could do to find his ring. The lifeguards told him to call The Ring Finders of Maine—and here we are! 📞✨
I told Kevin that I could be down there in about a half hour, at 5:15 p.m., and Kevin agreed to meet me there.
He told me he would meet me after helping his wife get their four children back to the cabin they were renting for their week-long vacation in OOB. 🛖👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

🔍 The Search Begins
Once I arrived in OOB, I made my way down the beach to the area near the lifeguard stand.
Kevin hadn’t arrived yet, and not knowing the exact area where he lost it, I just started searching at the bottom of the beach bank slope.
As I finished my first pass without finding the ring, Kevin arrived. He said he wasn’t that close to the slope, and he sized up the area to establish the parameters of where I should search. 📐
I decided to grid search from the lifeguard stand to the carousel, going back and forth while working my way toward the water. 🚶‍♂️🔙🔛🔜
I started in front of the carousel as I made my way toward the lifeguard stand and pier. I received a few targets, including the storm runoff pipes deep under the sand.
The only non-ferrous item was a recently dropped quarter. 🪙
When I dug it up, I could see Kevin watching intently. I told him that this wouldn’t be his tungsten ring but would be a quarter. When I pulled the quarter out of the sand, he was impressed that I knew what it would be before digging it! 🎯

📱 Talking « Shop » & Target ID Numbers
I told him that modern U.S. quarters ring up on the Minelab Manticore metal detector in the 88–90 area on the Target Identification (TID) screen.
I told Kevin that his tungsten wedding ring should have a TID of around 45 to 55, although I have found them as high as the 60s. Size, thickness, and purity play a role, but for the most part, I find them in that 45 to 55 range.
I finished up my first grid pass, turned around, and headed south. Within a minute of this grid pass, I received a nice non-ferrous target of 21. 🤔
Lots of low-conducting metals can have a TID in the low 20s, including gold. I told Kevin it probably wasn’t going to be his ring, but it was too nice of a target to pass up.
I dug a scoop full of sand, and the target was out of the hole. I used my pinpointer to locate it, and once it was located, I was completely surprised to see a tungsten wedding ring! 🤩💎
I showed it to Kevin and asked him if it was his. As he took it from my hand and looked it over, he said:
“Yup, that’s mine. I can see the crack in it.”
AWESOME!!!! 🎉🥳
Kevin thanked me, shook my hand, and asked, “Can I give you a hug?” Of course! I love smiles and hugs. 🤗
Kevin then sent a photo of the ring to his wife, still smiling ear to ear. 📸😁

💡 The Science of Eddy Currents
I told Kevin that I really didn’t think a TID of 21 would be his wedding ring. But once I heard him say the ring had a crack in it, it all made sense! Metal detectors work like this:
Metal detectors rely on a phenomenon called Eddy Currents. 🌐
1️⃣ The Loop Effect: A metal detector’s search coil sends an electromagnetic wave into the ground. This induces circular electrical currents (eddy currents) to travel around the unbroken, continuous loop of a ring. ⭐
2️⃣ The Result: This unbroken loop creates a strong, secondary electromagnetic field that the metal detector detects as a highly conductive, solid object (giving you that clean 45–55 reading for tungsten). 🔋
3️⃣ The Break: The moment a ring is cracked—even a hairline fracture that goes all the way through the band—the continuous loop is broken. The eddy currents can no longer travel around the circle. 💥
Instead of detecting a large, round object, the metal detector now views the ring as a bent strip of wire or an open staple.
Because the electrical path is restricted, the detector perceives it as having drastically lower conductivity (hence the reading of 21!). 📉

⚙️ My Past Career Connects!
Now, for 26 years, I worked at Nichols Portland (NP) in Portland, Maine. 🌲
NP is a manufacturer of gerotors, among other things. Gerotors are powdered metal components that were prone to cracking if not handled properly.
Because Nichols Portland takes cracked parts seriously for both us and our customers, we actually used an eddy current machine (a crack detector) to detect cracks in our parts prior to shipping them out. Our reputation for quality parts was second to none! ✨
Eddy currents are nothing new to me, and as soon as Kevin told me about the crack, I knew immediately why the ring had such a low TID. 🧠
Sorry for my rambling, but I haven’t talked “shop” in five years since my retirement. Some things you just never forget! 🛠️👴

❤️ A Heartwarming Ending
As Kevin and I parted ways, I kept metal detecting as I walked down the beach and back to my vehicle. All of a sudden, I heard Kevin and turned around to see him running toward me! 🏃‍♂️💨
He held his phone up and said, “My children want to thank you for finding my wedding ring.” 📱
I saw four young children all smiling and thanking me for finding “Daddy’s ring.” 🥹
I told his children it was my pleasure as they waved to me over the phone.
It just doesn’t get any better than that. It warms your heart to know you’ve touched theirs. ❤️
✨ Remember: “If it Matters To You, It Matters To Us.” ✨
I have the best job in the world. I love my job! 🔍🏝️👑