Texas A&M Class Ring Recovered from Murky Tiki Island Waters
Today, Houston Metal Detecting Services successfully reunited a 1985 Texas A&M class ring with its rightful owner—Tim, a Colorado resident—after it spent the last several months buried beneath the murky waters of a residential canal on Tiki Island.
Back in March, Tim was visiting friends on Tiki Island when the unexpected happened. While standing on the second-story deck of the home, tossing chips to a flock of eager seagulls, Tim said he felt his ring slip off his finger mid-throw. He watched in disbelief as it arced through the air and disappeared into the water—about 25 feet out from the balcony into the canal below.
Despite making several attempts to retrieve it himself over the following days, diving into the canal’s zero-visibility water, Tim quickly learned that the bottom was a thick, mucky mess—making the task next to impossible.
Months passed. Unsure whether recovery was even feasible, Tim contacted a local metal detecting club in the Galveston area, who referred him to Houston Metal Detecting Services, recognizing the technical difficulty of such a recovery: deep open water, zero visibility, and a silty bottom.
Tim and I spoke about the challenges, and he mentioned he was planning another visit to his friends’ home on Tiki Island. We agreed to meet that weekend to evaluate the area. A bottom probe revealed a 2–5 inch layer of soft muck resting atop a firmer base—making the ring potentially recoverable with the right equipment and precision technique.
With a plan in place, the actual search took place today. After carefully marking the suspected drop zone, suiting up, and working methodically through the silted bottom, the unmistakable ping of the detector confirmed what we were hoping for: Tim’s class ring was still there.
The ring was successfully recovered and, as the attached photos show, Tim is once again the proud owner of his cherished 1985 Texas A&M ring—and he’ll be taking it back home to Colorado as a symbol of both Aggie pride and persistence.
Another recovery complete. Another story added to the adventure.
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Houston Metal Detecting Services
Professional Land & Water Recoveries | Evidence Recovery | Cache Searches
