Grasonville MD. Salt water, SCUBA 3 mil wetsuit, Excalibur detector, Garrett Pro and Vibra-quatic probes. Time 1:45 hours depth 4 to 7 feet.
I think it is important to also post the unrecovered calls. I suggest that even the rare “misses” are successful, in that the client knows he or she did all they could to find the item. I detail these events so you can learn and apply to your own experience.
After calling two other searchers, a very nice lady called about her lost her engagement ring. Two weeks before, while at Harris Crab House (a great restaurant) the diamond ring went missing. She was pretty sure that when the ring slipped off, it dropped in-between two boards, and went into 8 to 10 feet deep water below the dock. She immediately got a local diver (without a detector) to search, but he couldn’t find the ring. She then had a wading metal detectorist look, but he didn’t have SCUBA.
I called the manager and got permission to dive on the next Sunday morning. When I arrived, managers Bob and Mike were very accommodating. Bob told me the previous detectorist had been there twice. He also told me that he had experienced two other lost rings which were eventually found in the trash.
The entry depth was about 7 feet, but under the dock it was 4 feet deep. I asked the client to re-enact what happened. I then dropped a weighted line between the boards to where the ring fell. Before submerging, I checked the boards under the dock in case the ring landed on a cross beam.
The target area was small and had visibility of about six inches, so I initially used a 3’x 3’ PVC grid with the probes. I then searched the area again with the Excalibur detector. In the event the ring rolled off the dock or was moved, I extended my search area by several yards, but I only found trash.
I suppose it’s possible the ring didn’t actually make it into the water, or one or the other searchers accidently moved it. Being on SCUBA allowed me to get within inches of the bottom and have visual conformation on all targets. No matter what, I feel really bad I couldn’t find this nice lady’s ring.
If I can be of service, the fastest way to get me is by text at 703-598-1435. I will contact you back ASAP.
