#SouthernMaine Tag | The Ring Finders

Sterling Silver Necklace And Pendant Of Father’s Fingerprint Lost In Sebago Lake, Maine, Found In The Water With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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✨ LOST AT THE BOTTOM OF SEBAGO LAKE: A PIECE OF A FATHER’S MEMORY ✨

On August 9th, my phone started blowing up. Tag after tag, notification after notification. The Ring Finders of Maine community was rallying, and they were pointing me directly toward a heartbreaking post on the « I Boat on Sebago Lake, Maine » Facebook group.

A woman named Gretchen had posted a plea that instantly brought a lump to my throat:

« This might be a long shot but if anyone is at the Sandbar today and happens to find a necklace that looks exactly like this, please send me or Jacob Burns a message, he lost it yesterday we think around 5:00pm and it is very special to him. Thanks in advance! Apologies for the blurry photo but it should say dad on one side and has a thumbprint on the other. »

The post included a few blurry photos, but the gravity of what was lost was crystal clear. It was a heavy sterling silver chain and pendant. On one side, a deeply etched fingerprint. On the other side, the word « DAD » followed by his birth and death dates.

WOW. 💔

🌊 AN IRREPLACEABLE LOSS

My heart sank. Jake and Gretchen have been dating for a few years now, and as his girlfriend, she knew exactly how much that piece meant to him. Jake’s father had passed away less than a year ago.

This wasn’t just a piece of jewelry. This wasn’t something insurance could replace. This was a priceless, irreplaceable piece of his dad—and right now, it was sitting somewhere at the bottom of the vast, shifting sands of the Sebago Lake Sandbar.

Thankfully, the amazing people of Facebook knew exactly what to do. The comments section exploded with people urging Gretchen to call in the reinforcements:

  • « The ring finders of Maine! They are amazing at finding all the special lost things. »
  • « I love to watch their adventures. Jacob Burns reach out to them, they’re your best shot. »

Gretchen and Jake did exactly that. When they reached out to me, they explained that while they knew the general area where they’d been hanging out on The Sandbar, Jake hadn’t realized the necklace was gone until much later. They had already gone back and tried searching on their own, but their efforts proved futile. By now, the heavy sterling silver pendant was most likely swallowed up by the sand in waist-deep water.

With thousands of weekend boaters, shifting currents, and the endless sand of Sebago, the odds were heavily against us. But looking at the photo of that thumbprint, I knew we had to gear up and give this family everything we had.

🛑 THE CURVEBALLS BEGIN

Planning this recovery was about to throw us a few major curveballs.

Jake’s first thought was that Gary and I could simply wade across the lake from the Sebago Lake State Park shore to reach the sandbar. Right away, my alarm bells went off. As a rule, it is highly advised NOT to attempt to reach the sandbar from the state park. The water levels change rapidly, and the area is full of dangerous drop-offs and hidden troughs.

Our safety is always paramount. Picture two « old guys » carrying heavy, expensive detecting equipment through deep, unpredictable water without knowing where the bottom drops out—there was absolutely no way I was going to let us attempt that.

Jake then offered a backup plan: he had a boat and could take us over himself. But with his intense work schedule, he only had a few specific days available, and it would have to be a 6:00 AM launch.

An early morning start was critical. If you know the Sebago Lake Sandbar, you know it gets incredibly busy fast, with boats lined up down the entire area. Trying to swing detectors around anchored boats and crowds of swimmers is nearly impossible. More importantly, the sandbar is massive. If Jake couldn’t be right there with us to point out the exact grid where they had been standing, we would be looking for a needle in a water-covered haystack.

Once we finally locked in a date to search, all we needed was a little cooperation from above. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans. Our first attempt was completely rained out, forcing us to push the mission back a full week until Jake’s next day off.

By the time the big day finally arrived, that precious sterling silver pendant and necklace had been missing at the bottom of the lake for over two weeks. Two weeks of shifting waves, churning sand, and endless boat traffic.

🛥️ THE 6:00 AM LAUNCH

Gary and I met up with Jake and Gretchen promptly at 6:00 AM. The lake was completely calm as Jake navigated us out of Jordan Bay. We cut through the cool morning air, passing between Frye Island and the towering heights of Fryes Leap, heading straight across Sebago Lake toward the state park and the massive sandbar just to the west.

The boat ride took about 15 to 20 minutes, and the moment Jake threw the anchor into the shallow water, Gary and I were in the zone. In less than 5 minutes, we had our gear ready and stepped down into the water.

There wasn’t much sun that morning—just a few stray rays cutting through a cloudy, heavy, and overcast sky. The boats hadn’t arrived yet, and the water was quiet, but the gray light made it hard to see anything beneath the surface.

Having never been out to the sandbar before, I was secretly incredibly concerned about what lay beneath the sand. Knowing the insane amount of boats and beverages consumed out there, I was preparing for the absolute worst. A massive carpet of trash—bottle caps and aluminum pull tabs—would completely slow us down. Metal detectors read those items similarly to jewelry, meaning we would have to stop and dig every single piece of junk to make sure we didn’t accidentally sweep right over the sterling silver necklace.

Jake didn’t just sit on the boat and watch; he jumped right into the water with us. He thought we should head east, parallel to the shore, keeping in the waist-deep water.

To battle the clock and the threat of hidden trash, Gary and I decided to perform a synchronized « snowplow » grid search. I took the lead in front, and Gary locked in right behind me and slightly to my left. By overlapping our detector swings in this tight formation, we were able to clear a massive 10-foot-wide path with every single step we took forward.

🕵️‍♂️ THE SEARCH IS ON

We set out with Jake leading the way, guiding us along their path from two weeks ago. As we swept, our detectors would beep, and we’d scoop—digging a coin here and there, and the occasional pull tab or bottle cap. But after about a half hour of grid searching, Gary and I stopped and looked at each other in total shock.

We couldn’t believe just how little trash we were actually digging! We were so incredibly surprised and happy to see how beautifully clean the lake bed was. It turns out the boaters out here are incredibly responsible, respecting the waters and not polluting the lake with trash. A BIG SHOUT OUT TO THE BOATERS!!! 🙌

Right around this time, Jake suddenly redirected us. He had been standing in the water studying photos on his phone from the exact day he lost the pendant, trying to line up landmarks. Realizing we were a little too far in toward the shore, he had us adjust and move further out toward the open water.

With our original snowplow grid broken by the move, I formulated a new plan on the fly. I told Gary I would head out deeper and slightly closer to the boat, while he could stay closer to where we were. We would grid this brand-new area from opposite sides, cutting a path through the sand and meeting each other somewhere right in the middle.

The Sandbar was not giving up many targets. We waded into our new positions under the overcast sky, lowered our coils back into the water, and kept swinging.

🚨 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH

We had been in the water searching for close to an hour when the quiet morning air suddenly shattered. Across the gray water, I heard Gary and Jake getting incredibly animated.

Then Gary yelled the words we had all been praying for across the open water: HE HAD FOUND BOTH THE NECKLACE AND THE PENDANT! 🎉

Even from 60 feet away, the smile on Jake’s face was absolutely unforgettable. It split across his face, bright and clear under the cloudy sky. OUTSTANDING!!!

I quickly waded my way over to them, and the sheer joy and exuberance radiating from Jake’s entire body was unmistakable. He was yelling across the water to Gretchen on the boat, his voice booming with pure relief and happiness, telling her that he had his father’s pendant once again.

What followed was a blur of celebratory handshakes, triumphant high fives, and a wave of pure emotion that I will never forget. Jake loved his father so deeply and wanted this pendant back so badly. It wasn’t just metal—it was a literal, physical piece of his father. Two long weeks of worrying, a rained-out search, and a massive body of water couldn’t keep them apart.

Once we finally made it back on shore, the celebration didn’t stop. Gary and I were showered with an endless stream of « thank you so much, » heartfelt handshakes, and massive hugs from both Jake and Gretchen.

❤️ WHY WE DO THIS

Standing there on the shore, watching the relief wash over them, it hits you right in the chest. There is something profoundly sacred about a father and son’s love for each other—a bond so powerful that it transcends even death.

That connection is exactly why Gary and I do this. Our passion isn’t just about finding lost pieces of metal; it’s about bringing irreplaceable memories back to the surface.

You see, objects can be replaced by insurance, but this item is different. This piece is the memories. It’s the tangible reminder of a father’s hand, a dad’s guidance, and a lifetime of love. Now, those precious memories are exactly where they belong—resting safely in the sterling silver thumbprint that Jake wears around his neck, held close to his heart forever. ❤️

Gary and I truly have the best job in the world, and we love every single second of what we do. It’s moments like this that remind us of our promise to all of you: If it matters to you, it matters to us.

Another priceless memory recovered by The Ring Finders of Maine. Never lose hope! 🙏 🔍 ✨

🎬 WATCH THE CELEBRATION!

Want to see the exact moment the magic happened? 🎥 We released the video Reel last night right here on The Ring Finders of Maine Facebook page!Head over to our Reels tab to check it out and see the pure joy and celebration in the waters of Sebago Lake just after the recovery. You won’t want to miss it!

🚨 LOST SOMETHING IRREPLACEABLE? WE CAN HELP! 🚨

Have you lost a wedding ring, a sentimental heirloom, or a priceless memorial piece in the water, the sand, or the snow? Don’t wait, and don’t give up hope! Shifting sands and moving waters can hide items quickly, but our heavy-duty metal detecting equipment and decades of experience can find what you thought was gone forever.

Call Dennis at The Ring Finders of Maine today:

📞 207-423-3027

  • Let’s get your memories back where they belong!
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Tungsten Wedding Ring Lost In The Wells Beach, Maine Ocean Surf, Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

« You’re the man to save a husband who lost his wedding ring. » 💍

That was the exact text that flashed across my phone from a guy named Brooks, right while Gary and I already had our metal detectors swinging in the sand at Wells Beach.

The full message read:

« Hi Dennis, a Facebook group said you’re the man to save a husband who lost his wedding ring. It was at Wells Beach right below the parking lot on the north side. Are you available to help me out? Hopefully this helps with the location. It flung off my finger at high tide when we were moving our stuff and was instantly buried. »

Brooks also sent along four crucial photos—one of the ring itself and three of the location.

I immediately called Brooks back to give him the ultimate good news: Gary and I were already on the beach, and we would absolutely be happy to help « save a husband! »

As we spoke, Brooks explained the exact chain of events that sent his ring flying. He let me know it was a heavy Tungsten band with his name, « Brooks, » engraved right on the inside.

Unfortunately, he was already back home from vacation and working from home, so he couldn’t meet us at the site.

I told him Gary and I needed about a half hour to finish up the search we were currently on, and that I’d text him a few photos as soon as we arrived at his drop zone.

🚗 The Roadblock & Pure Luck

After wrapping up our first search (unsuccessfully, unfortunately), we made the move.

The spot Brooks described was at the opposite end of Wells Beach from where we had been standing—directly at the end of Mile Road, right in front of Lafayette’s Oceanfront Resort.

Call it pure luck, or call it a higher intervention working some serious magic, but Gary and I had been literally less than a mile away!

We drove the two minutes over to Lafayette’s, only to run into a classic southern Maine coast roadblock: the parking situation was just horrendous.

We circled around for a few minutes looking for a spot, but there was absolutely nothing open.

Thankfully, I spotted a few open spaces at Forbes Seafood Restaurant and Takeout. I pulled in and went inside to explain our mission to the staff.

I told them we had a very tight search area and that the ring was either right there or already gone, having been lost 3 to 4 days ago.

I promised them we’d only need about 15 to 30 minutes and asked for permission to park. The awesome crew at Forbes was more than happy to let us park to help « Save a Husband » and wished us the best of luck!

🏖️ Shifting the Beach Setups

So, Gary and I grabbed our gear and hit the beach.

The sand was extremely packed with people, and I immediately got that sinking feeling that the lost wedding ring could actually be buried under a beachgoer’s setup.

If that was the case, it meant we would have to come back late when the beach was empty. But we were already there, and as any good detectorist knows, you will never find a ring if you don’t try.

I snapped a few photos of the beach and sent them to Brooks, and he quickly confirmed we were in the right spot.

Gary and I immediately mapped out our plan and set up our grid sections. I took the high section, working my way north along the rocks and the seawall. Gary took the line slightly lower on the beach, also sweeping his grid line toward the north.

As we started searching, a few of the beachgoers actually recognized us and asked what we were hunting for.

When we told them we were trying to locate a missing wedding ring and « Save a Husband, » they went above and beyond—they actually helped us out by shifting their beach setup slightly out of our search zone.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!! We absolutely love the Ring Finders of Maine community assisting us when we are out on a mission! 🌊❤️

🔎 Target ID: 50

Now, let’s « Save a Husband » and find this wedding ring.

Within 5 minutes, I had finished searching along the wall and rocks. I looked over at Gary and saw him already digging something.

I started moving down to search one step lower on the beach when Gary called me over.

He told me he had a really good signal but just couldn’t get it out. It was deep, and Gary’s back was starting to act up.

I checked the hole with my detector and got a very strong target, exactly like Gary mentioned. It rang up a 50 on my Target Identification (TID). That’s definitely in the Tungsten range, but it’s also right in the fishing sinker range.

I plunged my scoop deep down into the hole Gary had started and threw the sand up onto the beach.

Gary quickly searched through the pile and pulled out a heavy Tungsten Wedding Ring!

A quick glance inside the band, and Gary smiled and confirmed the magic words: « Brooks » was beautifully engraved inside.

🕺 The Wells Beach Happy Dance

Mission accomplished! 🕵️‍♂️✨

Gary and I immediately did our happy dance, breaking out into high fives and total, tension-breaking laughter.

The nearby beachgoers saw the recovery happen live and broke out into applause! Our awesome supporters who had moved their gear earlier came right over to congratulate us. Gary and I were beaming from ear to ear!

I quickly recorded a video of the ring and shot it over to Brooks. Within two minutes, my phone rang.

A very happy and relieved Brooks was on the line, completely flabbergasted that Gary had found it so incredibly fast!

As I always say, if we are put in the right area, there is a very good chance we will find it. Brooks put us in the exact right spot.

🌟 The Stars Align (Again)

Since Brooks was all the way home in Vermont, I asked if he wanted me to mail the ring back to him.

He then told us that his brother actually lives in Kennebunk, just off Route 1, and asked if it would be too much out of our way to drop it off there.

Talk about the stars aligning once again! Gary and I would literally be driving right past his brother’s house on our way home. We wouldn’t even have to make a detour. 🚗💨

Brooks’s very appreciative brother met us a few minutes later, and the wedding ring was safely handed off. He told us Brooks would be coming to visit in a few weeks and would get his ring back then.

Another husband saved, another ring heading back to the finger! Gary and I truly have the best job in the world—we love what we do!

« Remember, if it matters to you, it matters to us! »

Lost something valuable in the sand, water, or grass? Don’t wait! Contact The Ring Finders of Maine right away. A proud member of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬.

📞 Call or Text Dennis: 207-423-3027

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Titanium Wedding Ring Lost In The Ocean Water, At Short Sands Beach, York, Maine. Found With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL RECOVERY IN YORK, MAINE! 💍🌊🙌

Just at 1:29 PM today, I received a text from Brian with a message that every married person dreads. Around 1:00 PM, he had lost his wedding ring in the water at Short Sands Beach in York, Maine.

Brian had been out in the ocean playing volleyball with his children when the ring slipped off. Fortunately, he was able to provide incredibly precise details about exactly where he was. His text read:

« Hi Dennis, my name is Brian W*******. I lost my wedding ring today in the water at Short Sands Beach in York. It was around 1pm, high tide was 12:30. I was only waste deep at the time, about 30ish yards from the rocks on the left side, the Union Bluff Hotel side. Is it at all possible you might be in the area? »

🕒 The Quick Reply & Setup

I immediately replied: « Hi, I am at a Dr appointment, with my mother. We should be finished very soon and I can come as soon as she is done. Do you see or feel it coming off? »

Brian quickly texted back: « I was standing in one spot hitting a volleyball. I didn’t see it come off but it definitely did while playing. I know the tide goes out pretty far. »

I let Brian know that my mother would soon be done with her appointment and I would be on my way to meet up with him. Once I brought my mother safely home, Cheryl and I geared up and headed straight to York, Maine.

🏖️ Formulating the Strategy

We arrived at Short Sands Beach around 3:15 PM and contacted Brian to get his location. We walked down past Fun-O-Rama to meet him, and he immediately took us down to the area where the volleyball game had taken place.

With low tide still three hours away, it was time to formulate a strategy. Brian told me the lost band was a Titanium Wedding Ring. He knew exactly where he had been standing to play volleyball, but as any ring finder knows, a ring can fly off a finger in absolutely any direction when you strike a ball.

Because the beach was far too busy to navigate the crowds on the dry sand, my game plan focused exclusively on the wet sand. I decided to grid search north to south, parallel with the shoreline and the receding water. I told Brian I would start about 20 feet closer to the shore and sweep an approximately 60-to-75-foot width of the wet beach. This would ensure I covered everything straight through his playing zone and all the way down to the low tide line.

🔍 Ok, Let’s Go Find a Wedding Ring!

Fired up and ready, I flipped on the metal detector, dialed in the settings for the wet salt sand, and took my first sweeps.

Almost immediately, a challenge popped up. The wet sand was still packed with people, beach chairs, and gear. Since I couldn’t sweep right under active beachgoers, I had to pivot my technique. Whenever I ran into a crowded spot I couldn’t access, I dug a couple of distinct holes in the sand right next to it. This was my marker system—a visual reminder of exactly where I needed to double back and search later as the crowds packed up for the day.

Slowly, I worked my way down toward the surf. My detector was singing, but it was just the usual beach junk—pull tabs, foil, and the occasional coin. After nearly two hours of relentless swinging, I hit the low tide line. I doubled back to sweep every single area I had previously marked with my holes. Still nothing.

🛑 Facing a Football Field of Sand

Brian and I huddled up to rethink our plan. There was no way that titanium ring had rolled all the way down to the low tide mark on its own. Since he never felt it slip off, I suggested a new theory: the ring might be sitting much higher up on the wet beach, or even in the dry sand around his family’s original setup.

I estimated it would take me another hour to grind out the space between my starting line and their beach blankets.

Expanding the grid meant I was now staring down a search area the size of a literal football field. It was a massive amount of ground to cover alone, and I knew that if the ring didn’t turn up here, we would have to completely reassess the situation.

🚨 The Best Tone of the Day

By now, it was just after 5:00 PM. The beach was finally starting to clear out as I worked my grid back up towards the dunes.

Suddenly, about 30 feet higher up from my original starting point, my machine let out a beautiful, crisp low tone. It was easily the best-sounding target of the entire day.

Could this be it?

I looked over at Brian and told him the signal was incredibly promising, but I didn’t want to guarantee anything until it was out of the ground. I scooped deep into the heavy, hard-packed sand and flipped it over.

There, nestled perfectly in the clump of sand inside my scoop, a silver band caught the light. I just knew it had to be his!

Brian hurried over, took one look into the scoop, and instantly verified it was his missing titanium wedding ring!

The beach immediately erupted! High fives and hugs were exchanged, and a nearby group of beachgoers who had been silently pulling for us the entire afternoon broke out into wild cheering and clapping. Brian was absolutely ecstatic, smiling from ear to ear with his ring back where it belonged.

(🎬 If you haven’t seen it yet, make sure to check out the Reel we posted last night to see Brian’s live reaction, the beach crowd cheering, and all the high fives!)

❤️ Why We Never Give Up

That exact rush of emotion is precisely why I refuse to give up on a hunt. I knew the ring had to be out there somewhere. When you hit the two-hour mark with empty pockets, you just have to dig deep and push onward until every single avenue has been explored.

The ring was sitting perfectly within that original 75-foot width we mapped out—it was just sitting a lot higher up the beach than Brian ever realized. Was it thrown that way when his hand struck the volleyball? Was he standing a bit further up than he remembered? Did the incoming tide push it landward? We will never know. But that unpredictability is exactly why expanding your grid is so vital. You can never truly predict where a flying ring will land!

By the time we pulled it up, Brian’s wife and kids had already headed back to the room to get ready for dinner. After another celebratory handshake, Brian took off in a hurry to go surprise his family with the incredible news. Dinner was definitely going to taste a whole lot better tonight with that ring back on his finger.

I love my job—it truly is the best job in the world.

Remember, if it matters to you, it matters to us! 🌊💍❤️

 

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Gold Engagement Ring Lost In The Sand, Found In Ogunquit, Maine With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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🌈 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐁𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋! 💍✨

I received a call from a distraught Cara, and her voice carried the kind of panic every married couple dreads. 😰

Cara and her husband of 7 years, Bruce, had been enjoying a beautiful day on the main beach in Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea , setting up right in front of the Norseman Resort. 🏖️🌊

As the afternoon progressed, the blue skies began to bruise. It appeared a heavy storm was rolling in from the west. ⛈️

Deciding to beat the weather, they quickly packed up all their beach gear and headed back to their room. 🎒🚶‍♂️🚶‍♀️

But once inside, Cara’s heart completely sank. 💔

She suddenly remembered taking off her precious engagement ring earlier in the day to apply lotion. For « safekeeping, » she had tucked the ring into the cup holder of her beach chair.

As any of my regular followers know—the cup holder is far from safe! 🛑

Folding up those chairs launches anything inside straight into the shifting sands. 🪑💥📿

Cara and Bruce rushed back down to the beach, frantically scanning and digging through the sand where they had been sitting. But a manual grid search in loose sand usually produces nothing but panic and frayed nerves. ⏳🕵️‍♂️

That’s when they called me. 📞

Cara asked if I could come down immediately. With the weather forecast looking nasty—and lightning and heavy thunder threatening to roll through—I knew time was running out. ⚡🙏

I jumped right into the Ring Finder Mobile 🚙💨 and headed south toward Ogunquit Beach , fighting the notorious Maine summer traffic and praying the storm would hold off just long enough for me to get a coil over that ring!

Once I arrived at the Norseman, I was promptly met by Cara and Bruce. With the sky growing darker by the minute and the wind picking up, we walked down to the area where they had been set up for the day. This was the spot where the chair had been picked up—and hopefully, where the ring had slipped out. 👣☁️

As I geared up, my concern was twofold:

1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤-𝐎𝐮𝐭 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤: If the ring didn’t drop right where they sat, but instead fell out of the cup holder while they were carrying the chair away, there was a good chance it hit the hard-packed sand. Out there on the open path, anyone walking by could have easily spotted it, picked it up, and walked off with it. 👀🚶‍♂️

2️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: I was also highly concerned about other metal detectorists. As I walked onto the beach, I could actually see two of them detecting not very far away. 🕵️‍♂️🌾 Had they already swung their coils through Cara’s grid?

Cara and Bruce showed me the exact area they had been in. You could clearly see the disturbed sand where they had been frantically searching earlier. Interestingly, a family of beachgoers was still there, sitting right next to the spot where Cara and Bruce had been set up next to them all afternoon. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦🏖️

With Cara and Bruce’s guidance, I established my grid line perimeters. To be absolutely safe and cover all bases, I extended the perimeters to search an extra 10 feet out on all sides. 📐📍

I fired up the detector and went to work. I completed a thorough North-to-South grid search over the entire area. Nothing. ❌

Refusing to give up, I turned 90 degrees and began searching the same exact area again, this time meticulously swinging East-to-West. Still, the detector remained dead silent. 🔇

The ring was not being found, and I could feel the nervous tension rising from the couple. Honestly, with the dark storm clouds looming closer, I was getting pretty nervous myself. 😰⛈️

Since the primary blanket area was clear, it was time for Plan B. 📋 I asked Cara and Bruce to recreate their exact exit. I wanted them to walk the same precise route they had used when they packed up and left the beach earlier in the afternoon. 👣

I would follow directly behind them, grid searching the path step by step. We headed out of the original blanket area where they had spent the afternoon, moving right toward the hard-packed sand and, further out, toward the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean . 🌊🐚

With the clouds getting darker by the second, I started feeling a few drops of rain on my face. 🌧️

I was praying hard that the downpour would hold off just a little bit longer. Once we reached the hard sand, we took a right turn, walking parallel to the Norseman Resort —half on the hard-packed wet sand, half on the dry sand. 🚶‍♂️

About 20 to 25 feet after making that right turn, my machine suddenly gave a sign of life! 🎉

I received an extremely low tone reading a 𝟎𝟓 on my Minelab Manticore. 🦾

In the world of metal detecting, a low number like that usually screams foil or trash. But a seasoned detectorist knows that thin gold rings can masquerade as low conductive targets. I absolutely needed to check it. 🧐

The target was buried right there in the dry sand, perfectly nestled on the cusp where it meets the hard-packed wet sand. 🔍🏖️

I grabbed my handheld pinpointer and located the exact target under the sand. I started carefully brushing away the grains and—𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆!!! 💥💥💥

An engagement ring was staring me right in the face! We had found it! 💍✨🏆

Cara instantly burst into happy tears 😭❤️ and threw her arms around me in a huge hug. Bruce’s worried look vanished, replaced by a beaming, giant smile, and I was grinning right along with them. 😁

Through her happy tears, Cara told me that she had been wearing her beautiful engagement ring for over 7 years, and she just couldn’t fathom the thought of losing it forever. 🥹💍

Well, Cara, you no longer have to worry about that! 🎉🙌

But as we were celebrating, the moment had to cut short. 🌧️

The sky opened up, and the rain started pouring down. We all quickly made a break for the parking lot and our cars. Looking back to the north, the sky was already starting to clear from the fast-moving storm, and a beautiful rainbow stretched across the horizon. 🌈✨

Would Cara’s engagement ring count as the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow? I definitely think it does! Now, I just had to make it into the truck to get out of the downpour. 🚙🌧️

So, another happy client and another ring back on the finger where it belongs. 💍❤️

I truly have the best job in the world—I love what I do! 🦾⚓

Remember, if it matters to you, it matters to us. 🛠️🌊

🍂🍁 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐍-𝐔𝐏 𝐈𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄… 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐀 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐋𝐈𝐏 𝐎𝐅𝐅🍂

                                                                                                                    Beach season may have wrapped up in Maine, but a whole new ring-hunting season has just begun! 🌬️ As the temperatures drop, fingers shrink, and jewelry becomes incredibly easy to lose during autumn chores. 🪵🧤

Did your wedding band or heirloom ring slip off while you were:

* 🍂 𝐑𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬?

* 🪵 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝?

* 🏡 𝐏𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝐬?

* 🧤 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬?                                                           

Finding a ring in a massive pile of leaves or dense compost by hand is nearly impossible—but The Ring Finders of Maine have the specialized, high-tech metal detecting equipment to pinpoint it in minutes! 🔍🦾

Before you accidentally bag up your jewelry with the yard waste, give me a call. 🍁袋

📱 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝟐𝟎𝟕-𝟒𝟐𝟑-𝟑𝟎𝟐𝟕, 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲! 💬✨

 

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Engagement And Wedding Rings Lost In The Ogunquit Beach Surf, Found In Footbridge Beach, With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚: 𝐀 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭-𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐠𝐮𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐖𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 🌊💍

Imagine watching a video of your family playing in the ocean, only to realize you captured the exact millisecond a family heirloom vanished into the sea…

It was a picture-perfect, hot Maine summer day at Footbridge Beach in Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea . Brett, his wife Kaitee, and their two young children were playing in the ocean, laughing, and enjoying some quality family time together.

Kaitee and her oldest daughter were out in the water, splashing around and jumping over some decent-sized waves while Brett and Kai were near the shore, filming the happy memory.

But in a split second, the ocean changed everything. 🌊As a big wave rolled in, Kaitee lifted her daughter up high to clear the crest. The moment she put her daughter back down, she felt that sickening emptiness on her finger. She immediately pointed to her hand, looked toward Brett on the shore, and mouthed the words every married couple dreads hearing:

« 𝙈𝙮 𝙬𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜. » 💔

Her beautiful wedding and engagement rings, which were soldered together into one precious piece, had vanished into the surf. In the video, you can see Kaitee immediately looking down into the water, frantically trying to search through the waves. But as anyone who has been to the beach knows, it is virtually impossible to find anything in churning sand and crashing waves. 🌪️🏖️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐧 🔍

Devastated, they knew they needed help. While the video didn’t show any landmarks or depth to prove exactly how far from the shore they were, it did provide one crucial piece of evidence: 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩.

With that exact time locked in, we could calculate the exact state of the tide. Armed with that vital piece of data, Brett jumped on the phone.

At around 𝟏:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌 𝐨𝐧 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟒𝐭𝐡, my phone rang. 📞

As I listened to Brett’s story, I quickly checked the tide charts. My heart sank a bit when I saw that high tide wasn’t until 3:47 PM. Because the tide had already been coming in when Kaitee lost the rings an hour and a half earlier, the water in that area was already way over my head. Searching right then was physically impossible.

I gave Brett the honest reality of the situation: our absolute best bet was to wait for the morning low tide. I told him I could be on the beach by 𝟕:𝟎𝟎 𝐀𝐌 to follow the receding water out.

But I also had a major concern. Because Kaitee was already deep out in the water when the rings slipped off, and with the rough ocean waves pounding the shore, I wasn’t sure if the morning tide would recede far enough for me to safely reach the spot.

Still, we had no choice but to try. We agreed on the plan: meet at 𝟕:𝟎𝟎 𝐀𝐌, chase the tide out, and hunt as much beach real estate as humanly possible. 🤝

To make sure we didn’t waste a single second of precious low-tide time, I pulled up a satellite map. I marked up an aerial view of Footbridge Beach and sent it over to Brett. He looked it over and confirmed the exact grid section we needed to target. Now, we had a localized game plan. All we could do was wait for morning. 🗺️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐭: 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 ⏳

The next morning, Gary Hill and I arrived early at 𝟔:𝟒𝟎 𝐀𝐌

. Knowing we had a massive area of beach real estate to cover, we wanted to get a serious jumpstart before the tide fully bottomed out. Brett was scheduled to meet up with us around 𝟕:𝟑𝟎 𝐀𝐌, but there was no time to waste. It was time to get going!

Gary and I decided to divide and conquer to max out our chances. Using the beach access path way up on the shore as our central halfway point, we split the area in two.

Gary took the north side, executing a tight grid search 100 feet to the north of the path, parallel with the water. I took the south side, mirroring his 100-foot grid search to the south of the path.

Our strategy was simple: start closer to the shore on the wet sand and tightly follow the tide as it receded, fully prepared to grid right into the surf if the conditions stayed safe. With our detectors fired up and our scoops ready, we began swinging. 🔍

The beach itself was very clean of targets. We dug a coin here and an aluminum pull tab there, but as our first hour on the sand came to a close, the rings remained elusive.

Around 7:30 AM, Brett arrived on scene. We paused to bring him up to speed on our progress. Looking out at our patterns, he confirmed we were spot on for the location. Our 100-foot grid lines to the north and south had the primary target area completely covered.

With the plan validated, Gary and I fired our machines back up and returned to the grid. Brett stayed close by, visually scanning the shifting sand along the moving tide line.

A few hours later, we finally approached dead low tide. The window of opportunity was shrinking, and despite our best efforts, the rings had still not been recovered.

Desperate to reach the deeper drop zone, I stepped directly into the churning ocean surf. Unfortunately, the sea wasn’t making it easy. The rough, pounding waves made it incredibly dangerous to push too far out. 🌊💥

With Brett looking on anxiously from the shore, Gary and I pushed as hard as we safely could, but the water simply wouldn’t let us get past knee-deep. Realizing we were out of beach real estate and at the mercy of the conditions, we had no choice but to call the search.

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 💔

Brett was deeply disappointed, and honestly, so were we. Gary and I carry this kind of disappointment hard. When something precious is lost to the endless moving energy of the ocean, there are simply no guarantees. We give every single hunt everything we have, but sometimes, heartbreak is the outcome—temporarily anyways.

I broke down the reality of the situation for Brett before we left. I let him know that Gary and I would absolutely come back to search again, but we were fighting the upcoming tide cycles. Over the next few days, both the high and low tides were going to be higher up towards the shore. We simply wouldn’t be able to get out as far as Kaitee had been standing.

Our next real window would be a week or so later when the negative tides arrived. Those ultra-low tides would expose much more of the beach and give us the access we needed. 📉

Brett was very dejected, but I gave him my word that we weren’t giving up. I promised him we would be back, and reassured him that heavy rings generally don’t move very far on the ocean floor unless a major storm hits the coast and makes the surf much rougher than it already was. I reminded him that we have successfully made recoveries many, many days after a ring went missing.

I promised Brett I would contact him directly before we headed out for our next attempt. The three of us walked off the beach together—down, but definitely not out. 🧗‍♂️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐝𝐞 📉📱

True to my word, a week later, the tide charts lined up perfectly. I fired off a text message to Brett:

« 𝑯𝒊 𝑩𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕, 𝑮𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑭𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒈𝒆, 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒕 5:00𝒂𝒎. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒂𝒕 -0.9. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕. 𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘𝒍𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘. 𝑰 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒖𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅. »

Brett fired right back with a text that read, « 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉!! » 🙏

Gary and I arrived in Ogunquit pre-dawn the next morning and immediately got down to business. It had been 𝟖 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬

since our first attempt, and 𝟗 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 since Kaitee’s rings had vanished into the sea.

The 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 -𝟎.𝟗 𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐞 opened up an incredible amount of the ocean floor. It was finally time to put the coils to the sand! 🪙🤠

We tightly followed the receding waterline, sweeping carefully. For the first stretch, it was just the usual beach trash and a few more scattered coins. But we kept our focus.

After about 50 minutes of searching, my detector let out a very low, solid tone. I didn’t hesitate. I scooped up a heavy load of wet sand and threw it up onto the beach to sift through it. 🛡

𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄?! 🤯🚨

I stared down at it. I could instantly see the diamonds flashing—it was the wedding and engagement rings, beautifully soldered together, exactly as Brett had described.

𝐖𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐊𝐀𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐄’𝐒 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒! 🥳🎉

Ring hunting AFTER nine days in the relentless Atlantic Ocean, and there it was. Gary and I immediately traded high-fives and burst into those huge, stress-releasing laughs that only happen when a high-stakes hunt finally pays off.

Instead of a standard text message, I decided to show him. I pulled out my phone and recorded a video. I started by showing him the vast expanse of beach we had been gridding, and then I slowly panned the camera down to the rings, still resting perfectly in the wet sand. 🎬

𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕? »  I said into the camera. « 𝑾𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔, 𝒎𝒂𝒏. 𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒇𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒐𝒓 𝒘𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚. 𝑨𝒍𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍. »

I hit send. Because it wasn’t even 6:00 AM yet, I knew it might take some time for him to wake up and see it. But we didn’t sit around waiting. With a rare negative low tide like this, you just never know what else might be hidden in the sand, so Gary and I kept right on metal detecting to make the most of the morning.

𝐀𝐧 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐥𝐞 ✨🥂

Sure enough, about an hour later, my phone lit up. ⚡️

Brett and Kaitee were both on the line, and they were completely in shock to wake up to the unbelievable news. They were over-the-moon happy and bursting with excitement, thanking Gary and me from the very bottom of their hearts. 🥺❤️

Then, Kaitee dropped one more mind-blowing piece of information on me. She realized that the exact day we found her rings happened to be the 𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞! Talk about a true anniversary miracle!

Standing out there on the beach, Gary and I were just beaming. Hearing the pure joy and relief in their voices is exactly why we do this. Bringing that kind of closure to people is simply the best feeling in the world.

Because Brett and Kaitee live three states away in Connecticut, they had already headed back home from vacation. But as luck would have it, Kaitee’s friend and co-worker, Erica, was currently vacationing just down the coast in York Beach, Maine!

We quickly coordinated a plan, and Erica and her family drove up to my house in Saco, Maine  to pick up the precious rings. When they arrived, we all talked about just how completely improbable this whole story really was.

After Erica left to safely escort the rings back to Connecticut, I received a wonderful message from her: 💬

« 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝑫𝒆𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒔! 𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒕𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 & 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔! 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒋𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒆𝒘 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔!  😂

I couldn’t help but smile and replied:

« 𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑹𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔! 😀 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐 ❤️🙏 »

A few days later, I received a beautiful family photo from Kaitee with her rings finally right back where they belong, resting safely on her finger. 📸

Gary and I truly have the best job in the world, and we love every single second of it.

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬. 🤝

🚨 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐄 🚨

Have you lost your wedding ring, keys, or valuable jewelry at the beach, in the grass, or on your property? Don’t wait—time is of the essence when dealing with shifting sands and tides! Call right away to get experienced metal detecting professionals on the job.

📞 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞: 𝟐𝟎𝟕-𝟒𝟐𝟑-𝟑𝟎𝟐𝟕

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Newlyweds Gold Wedding Ring Lost In The Kennebunkport, Maine Surf, Found With A Metal Detector On Goose Rocks Beach

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

🚨 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐖𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐒𝐄 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇! 😱👇 (𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬!)

Gary Hill and I were driving home from West Bethel Maine, feeling a bit let down. We had just spent hours searching the Androscoggin River for a lost engagement ring, but unfortunately, we came up empty-handed.

Just as we were processing the tough search, my phone rang.

On the other end was Ellen. 📞

As a loyal follower of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞, Ellen knew exactly who to call when disaster struck! She was calling from 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡, in Kennebunkport Maine and she was in a panic. She was there with her family, and her son-in-law, Vincent, had just lost his wedding ring in the ocean.

Ellen explained that Vincent had walked down to the water line to wash his hands. As the water swirled around him, the unthinkable happened—his wedding ring slipped right off his finger and vanished into the shallow surf. 🌊

The family scrambled. A frantic search ensued.

But as we all know, once a ring disappears into the moving surf and shifting sand, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than finding it with the naked eye. The rolling ocean hides secrets fast. ⚡

But then, Vincent did something incredible.

Instead of panicking and pacing around, 𝐕𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦🧠✨

He looked around, grabbed a large stick, and jammed it into the ocean floor—exactly where he was standing when the ring came off.

A brilliant, textbook move! 📍

I told Ellen we were just over an hour away from 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 in Kennebunkport Mainet. Without hesitation, Gary and I made a quick decision. 🗺️🏎️

We completely skipped our original plan of heading home. We pointed 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞 toward Kennebunkport Maine, told her we’d be there ASAP, and stepped on the gas.

When a ring is lost in the ocean, every single minute counts before the tide changes and swallows it forever! ⏰🌊

When Gary and I arrived in Kennebunkport, we were promptly met by Vincent up at the house. He walked us down to the beach where his wife, mother-in-law, and the rest of the family were still trying their best to enjoy the day despite the stress. 🏖️

As we stepped onto the sand, the first thing I noticed was that the tide had receded way out.

And there, standing completely exposed, was that large stick—shooting straight up toward the sky! 🪵✨

It marked the exact spot where Vincent had been standing in the water when his ring came off.

OUTSTANDING!!! 👏👏👏

Because the tide went out, what was once a search in the rolling surf was now sitting on dry, damp sand. Vincent’s brilliant move just turned a needle-in-a-haystack ocean search into a highly target-rich environment. 🎯

Gary fired up his 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐛 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 and immediately started grid searching the north side of the pole. 🦾⚡

Thinking this was going to be a super quick recovery, I decided to lay low. I pulled out my phone, hoping to capture Gary on video making the ultimate save for the family. 📱🎥

But the ocean sand always has a way of keeping you humble.

After five minutes of intensive sweeping on the north side… absolutely nothing. No ring. 🛑

I knew we couldn’t keep Vincent and his family in limbo any longer. I looked at Gary and told him I was jumping in. I would start grid searching the southern side of the stick, while Gary continued his grid search on the northern side. 🔍🏖️

Another five minutes passed as Gary and I grid searched our way around the stick.

Suddenly, my detector hit a target. I received a very loud, low tone. I immediately knew that beautiful sound—it was the unmistakable signal of gold! 🎶👑

I quickly alerted Vincent and Gary of the budding development. Wanting to make sure we captured the magic on camera, I asked Gary to dig it up so I could film it. Vincent also pulled out his phone, filming the recovery alongside me. 📱🎥

On Gary’s second scoop of sand, the ocean finally gave up its treasure. I saw the ring tumble right out of the wet sand.

« I see it! Don’t touch it! There it is right there! » I exclaimed. 😮✨

(𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑐𝑟𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑙-𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑡 𝑡𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑑!) 👇📸

Vincent came right over, a massive smile lighting up his face.

« 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭, » he said. And then, once again, « 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐮𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭, »

Wow. Hearing it twice like that had Gary and me not only smiling, but actually blushing! 😊

The rest of the family quickly came down to witness the moment as Vincent picked his ring out of the sand. Pure happiness, bright smiles, and joyful laughter immediately took over the beach.

As we stood there celebrating, Vincent’s wife, Samantha (Sam), shared something with us that gave me actual goosebumps down the back of my neck. 🥶✨

She told us that she and Vincent had only been married for six months, and his ring was still a little bit loose. But here is the incredible part: after Vincent lost his wedding band in the water, Sam found a random rubber ring sitting up on the beach.

She took it as a direct sign from her late father—a message sent from above to tell her that everything would be completely fine and that he was watching over them. ❤️🕊️

This actually isn’t the first time this summer that a father watching from above sent a clear sign right before a husband’s wedding ring was found.

👇𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰: 𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞? 𝐈 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨. 🙏✨

Sam also shared that Goose Rocks Beach is a massive part of their lives. In fact, the exact spot where the family sets up their beach camp is the very same spot where Vincent proposed to Sam, and she said « YES! » 💍❤️

It is absolutely incredible how much of their life together has already unfolded right there on that exact patch of sand.

With another ring safely back on the finger where it belongs, Gary and I walked off the beach, once again feeling deeply proud that we could help someone and put smiles back on everyone’s faces. 🌅👣

Later that evening, my phone lit up with a text from Vincent:

« 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉! 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒖𝒚𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕! -𝑽𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒚 & 𝑺𝒂𝒎 » 📲🙏

Gary and I truly have the best job in the world, and we love every single second of it.

𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐟 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬!

🚨𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄? 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂! 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐔𝐒 𝐀𝐒𝐀𝐏! 🚨

If you or someone you know loses a ring, keys, or valuable item, don’t wait for the tide or weather to change! Call 207-423-3027 ASAP and ask for Dennis. 📞💨

💡𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐒’𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐎-𝐓𝐈𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘:

If you drop something, follow Vincent’s lead! 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚  Stick a pole in the sand like Vincent did, drop a pin on your phone’s map to save the 𝐆𝐏𝐒 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, or take 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐬 looking back toward the beach entrance or houses. These quick actions give us a perfect starting point and drastically increase the chances of getting your lost item back! 📍📱📸

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Handmade Sterling Silver Dartmouth College Ring Lost At Goose Rocks Beach, Kennebunkport, Maine, Found In The Sand With A Metal Detector

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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FROM A DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CLASSROOM TO THE SANDS OF GOOSE ROCKS BEACH: THE JOURNEY OF A HANDMADE RING! 🟢

💍While attending Dartmouth College, Rhys took a jewelry-making class and spent hours hand-crafting a heavy, chunky sterling silver ring, detailed with a circle of vibrant green gemstones. From campus, the ring traveled home with him to California, and finally, to Maine for a family vacation at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport Maine.

Two days ago, Rhys was relaxing on his beach blanket when he started fidgeting with his ring. Suddenly… it vanished into the sand. 🏖️❌

Immediately, Rhys and several helpful beachgoers jumped into action, frantically searching the area. But after hours of brushing through the sand, the ring remained elusive.

That night, Rhys cooked up a brand-new strategy. The next morning, he returned to the exact spot armed with an essential kitchen tool: a colander! 🍝 Rhys spent a full, exhausting day scooping up heavy beach sand and sifting it out, hoping his handmade masterpiece would appear. Total result? Still missing.

By the next morning, Rhys was right back at it. His pile of sifted sand was getting massive, but by Day 2, the ring was still gone. Being from California, Rhys and his family had no idea a service like ours existed. Thankfully, a friend heard about his predicament and told Rhys he needed to drop the kitchen strainer and call me immediately! 📞💥

When Rhys reached out, I was actually down in York Beach, Maine finishing up a search at Short Sands Beach. I let him know I’d be on my way just as soon as I wrapped things up. True to my word, within an hour of his call, I was heading north to Kennebunkport Maine! 🚗💨

Once I arrived at Goose Rocks Beach, parking was a nightmare as usual. But the beach gods were smiling, and I managed to snag a spot just a short walk from where Rhys and his missing ring were. Gear in hand, I made my way onto the sand where I was met by Rhys and his father, Brad.

They immediately took me to the location. I knew it had to be the correct spot because I saw the kitchen colander resting right next to a beach blanket. Rhys had smartly covered the suspected area with the blanket so no one would accidentally disturb the sand. Brilliant thinking! 🧠💡

I set my boundary guidelines with Rhys, fired up the detector, and the search officially began. With a completely clear grid and no obstacles, it didn’t take long. In fact, within just 90 seconds, my machine screamed with a crisp, low-high tone. A possible silver ring?

As I ran my coil back over the area, I saw the undeniable outline of a ring in the sand. I reached down, plucked it out, and held it up!

🎉 « WOW!!! » « OH MY GOD!!! » 🎉

The beach erupted with cheering and clapping! Brad had his camera rolling to catch the whole thing. I heard Rhys say, « That went far! »

Amazingly, what two days of visual searching and kitchen colander sifting couldn’t locate, my metal detector found in under a minute and a half. The ring was actually hiding 8 to 10 feet away from where they thought they lost it! 🔍🤯

Did the ring get moved while they were searching? This is exactly why we tell clients not to disturb the area. When you think about it, if they had kept sifting, the ring could have easily ended up trapped directly under his giant pile of discarded sand—buried way too deep for a detector to find.

After the hugs, handshakes, and goodbyes, I wished Rhys a great year at school. With a huge smile on his face and his custom ring securely back on his finger, he replied, « I will now. » 🥹🟢

I have the best job in the world. I love my job! It’s always a great day when we can put « another ring back on the finger. »

Remember: « If it matters to you, it matters to us. » ❤️💍

📌 LOST SOMETHING IRREPLACEABLE?

Don’t wait and don’t disturb the sand—call us right away!

📞 Call/Text: 207-423-3027🚗 Service Areas: Covering all of Maine and surrounding coastal areas.

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Gold and Diamond Wedding Ring Lost In The Drakes Island Beach Sand, Found With A Metal Detector In Wells, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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🚨 𝟔𝟎-𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓! 🚨

« Hi there! I believe I lost my wedding ring on Drakes Island Beach today and heard about your services. Are you available? »

With that incoming 6:46 PM text, the clock instantly started ticking. A frantic search for a lost ring was officially underway! ⏱️🏖️

📞 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐒

Because it was now almost 7:00 PM and daylight would soon be a distant memory, I knew there wasn’t a single second to waste. Instead of typing out a reply, I immediately called the number back. When time is working against you and the dark is rolling in, calling the client directly will always expedite the process much faster.

When the call went through, I identified myself and « Molly » thanked me for getting back to her so quickly. Molly explained that she and a group of family and friends had spent the day at Drakes Island Beach in Wells, Maine. Once the group finally packed up, left the beach, and Molly arrived home, she looked down and noticed her wedding ring was missing.

🪑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐏

Molly explained she had taken her wedding ring off at the beach to apply lotion. Wanting to keep it safe, she had placed the ring into the cupholder of her beach chair.

We all know this story too well, don’t we? And we all know exactly what happened next. Molly forgot about the ring, picked up the chair, flipped it over to carry it, and walked off the beach! 🤦‍♂️

🗺️ 𝐓𝐇𝐄 « 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐎𝐖𝐍 » 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐄

She was incredibly stressed, but I reassured her that if it was dropped right where they were sitting, there was a great chance we could track it down. I hung up, quickly loaded my gear into the vehicle, and prepared to head out. But first, I needed a plan to find the exact location on an empty beach in the dark.

I asked Molly if she would be able to meet me down there to point out the grid area. Unfortunately, she was already at an out-of-town event and couldn’t make it back. Thinking fast, I told her I would send over an aerial satellite view of the beach and have her mark up the rough area where they had set up. She agreed, and within minutes, I had my map marked with the target zone.

💎 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐯𝐬. 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂

Before heading out, I asked one more critical question: « What metal is the ring made of? »

« Gold, with diamonds, » she replied. Knowing it was a small woman’s ring meant it wasn’t going to be a massive, booming gold signal. It was going to be a delicate, low-to-mid conductor on the machine, meaning I would need to listen very closely to the faint, crisp tones to avoid missing it in the sand.

I told Molly that because of the heavy summer traffic, it usually takes me about 35 to 40 minutes to get down to Drakes Island Beach. I promised to leave immediately and told her that once I arrived, I would take a few photos of the beachfront house she had mentioned they were set up in front of to confirm we were looking at the right spot.

As any experienced detectorist knows, it is always best to have the client show you personally where they had set up. I have been on far too many searches where the client isn’t available, only to find out later that they sent me to the completely wrong section of the beach. Let’s be honest—in the dark, or even the daylight, beaches all look the same, right? 🕵️‍♂️

🎯 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐌𝐄𝐃, 𝐂𝐎𝐈𝐋 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐃

With the house description in mind, Molly’s marked-up map on my phone, and the knowledge that I was looking for a small, delicate gold ring, Cheryl and I hit the summer traffic and made our way down to Wells.

Once Cheryl and I arrived, dusk was settling in, but there were still a few lingering beachgoers enjoying the late evening air. I quickly scanned the coastline and spotted the house Molly had described. To ensure we didn’t waste a single swing on a false lead, I snapped a few photos of the property and sent them over to her. Molly replied almost instantly, confirming that it was, in fact, the exact house they had set up in front of.

With the location locked in, the correct beach zone verified, and the daylight almost entirely gone, it was time to turn on the machine and start the grid search for that small gold ring.

My game plan was to start at the southern end of my grid area and work my way north, parallel to the Atlantic Ocean. I would search the entire width of the house footprint and then head back south from where I had started. If I wasn’t able to locate the ring there, I would then expand outward.

⚡ 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝟔𝟎 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐃𝐒!

On my first grid pass heading north, I found nothing but a few pieces of aluminum trash. I turned around and headed back south. Just a few steps into the return pass, a loud, clear, low tone rang through my headphones. As I swept my coil back over the target, I looked down and could actually see the outline of a small gold ring with stones sitting right there in the sand.

𝐖𝐎𝐖!!! I had found Molly’s wedding ring in under 60 seconds of actual search time! Molly had put me spot-on the exact location and it paid off 𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄!!! 💍💥

I brushed off the sand, took a few photos of the beautiful ring, and texted them over to Molly to share the good news. She replied almost immediately: « Yes! That’s it. Thank you so much. Incredible ✨✨✨ »

🤝 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐔𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

I then asked Molly if we could meet up somewhere so I could safely return the ring to her. Because she was still stuck out of town at her event, she told me, « You can just leave it on the porch doormat. »

As a professional, that just didn’t sit right with me. I replied, « I really don’t want to leave it. My reputation is everything, and if by some chance it goes missing, I would just feel terrible. I can drive it back down to you tomorrow sometime if you like if you’d rather not have me come out to Kennebunkport, but Kennebunkport really is on my way home. It’s not a problem. »

Molly texted back, « Are you sure? We’re in a super safe neighborhood! You can totally just leave it at the doormat. »

Understanding my perspective, Molly then suggested an alternative option: leaving it with her friend Becca, who had been at the beach with them earlier in the day. Becca lived right on Drakes Island, meaning Molly would easily be able to pick her wedding ring up from her the next day.

Perfect. I received Becca’s address, and Cheryl and I drove it right over in the pitch-dark. Although I wasn’t able to meet Molly in person, Cheryl and I left Becca’s house smiling once again. 😊🚘

A short while later, I received one final text from Molly that made the whole rush worth it:

« 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐎 𝐌𝐔𝐂𝐇 .𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖!!! 𝑾𝒐𝒘 𝑰’𝒎 𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒆𝒅 »

We truly 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 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒? 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐈𝐓!

Beaches, yards, parks, or snowbanks—if you lose a ring, keys, or a priceless heirloom, time is of the essence. Like and Follow our page right now so our contact information is always at your fingertips whenever you or a loved one needs our services!

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Gold And Diamond Wedding Ring Lost In The Atlantic Ocean Water, Found With A Metal Detector, in Camp Ellis, Saco, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
Contact:

 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲: 𝐀 𝟐𝟔-𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐬

« 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟔 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝟏 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫… »

That was the emergency text that came in from Mike. He was down at Camp Ellis Beach, playing catch with a football in the surf the afternoon before when his ring slipped off into the ocean.

When Mike messaged me, he was already back at the beach, frustrated and stressed. As a Ring Finder, I know that time and tides wait for no one. I immediately asked Mike what exact time the ring was lost so I could calculate the tides. It was lost between 3:00 and 4:00 PM the day before. Looking at the clock, I knew right then: 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧.

I told Mike to save me a parking spot on Pearl Ave. Cheryl and I grabbed our gear, jumped in the truck, and headed straight out. Camp Ellis is just about four miles down Ferry Road from our home, so we pulled up to the beach in less than 15 minutes. When it comes to recoveries in the surf, every minute counts.

I grabbed my gear and headed onto the sand. As I arrived, a local detectorist told me that he had already been searching for two hours but wasn’t able to find it. He also mentioned he hadn’t searched the water or the wet sand. I thought to myself, “Ok then.” My first instinct was that the diamond wedding ring was lost in up to two feet of water, and that is exactly where I was heading.

Mike and his family noticed our arrival and flagged us down. He walked me through the exact events of the previous day and pointed out the small, specific area where they had been throwing the football.

Then, Mike told me something that broke my heart. He said that when he lost the ring, he was so completely devastated that he just wanted to call the remainder of their vacation off right then and go home to Massachusetts. His wedding ring meant everything to him. He couldn’t stand the thought of being on the beach, knowing his ring was buried under the water and sand, assuming he would probably never see it again.

Once I heard that, I looked at him and told him I would do everything humanly possible to find his extremely sentimental wedding ring. I explained the game plan to the family: with the tide already turning and starting to come back in, I would start right at the water’s edge, work my way south for about 25 feet, turn around, and head back north—slowly and meticulously gridding the entire area.

I turned on my detector and thought: 𝑶𝒌, 𝒍𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝑴𝒊𝒌𝒆’𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈.

I took exactly two steps into the wet sand and water when my headphones lit up. I had my very first target. It was a beautiful, loud, low tone registering a 𝟒𝟔 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐓𝐈𝐃) 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐛 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞. The machine was telling me that whatever was down there was shallow—just 0 to 2 inches beneath the surface.

I dug a quick scoop of the sand, threw it just outside the reach of the incoming water, and looked down. Shining right back at me was 𝐌𝐈𝐊𝐄’𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐃 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆!

𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐆𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐄!!!!

Having just left Mike’s side less than a minute earlier, I knew how completely heartbroken he was, and I wasn’t going to make him wait another single second. I looked back up at the family, waved them down, and shouted: « 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐞, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. 𝐈 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. »

Mike and his family came running right down to me at the water’s edge, and an immediate wave of hugs, handshakes, and thank you’s ensued. You could visually see the heavy knot in Mike’s stomach and the crushing worry in his mind completely vanish in an instant.

𝐀𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞:

A week or so after the recovery, I received a text from Mike that reminded me exactly why Cheryl and I do this.

He wrote:

 « 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒚. 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆’𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔. 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒊𝒕. 𝑰’𝒎 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒊𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒙 𝒔𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉! 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒕!!!! »

I told him there was no better feeling than being able to help others get their lost history back. For me, it was all in a day’s work. Based on how he described losing it, I knew the ring would be in the shallow surf. Since the waves were minor, rings don’t move much—so I trusted my gut and went straight for that spot.

Mike replied: « 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒖𝒕 𝒗𝒂𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒕. 𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒕. 𝑾𝒆 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆’𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒔𝒚𝒎𝒃𝒐𝒍. »

Vacation saved. 26 years of marriage history restored. This is exactly why we do what we do at The Ring Finders of Maine! 

If you or someone you know loses a ring, keys, phone, or jewelry—don’t wait, and don’t try to sift the sand yourself. Time is of the essence. Call Dennis at The Ring Finders of Maine: 207-423-3027

 We love a happy ending!

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Sterling Silver Navajo Wedding Ring Lost in The Water Of Crystal Lake, Found With A Metal Detector In Gray, Maine

  • from Old Orchard Beach (Maine, United States)
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COINCIDENCE, MEANT TO BE, OR NAVAJO SPIRIT? 😱💍✨ 

As Gary Hill and I were just finishing up with recovering Matt’s wedding ring from Tripp Lake in Poland, Maine, my phone rang.

The caller identified himself as Jack. He was visiting Maine on vacation all the way from Utah! 🌲✈️

The previous day, Jack and his wife were enjoying a hot summer day floating around Crystal Lake in Gray, Maine, right in front of their rented lakeside house. Jack told me he had taken his wedding ring off and placed it safely in his pocket while floating around. He was worried that all the paddling around with his hands in the water would make it slip off.

But when he exited the lake, his worst nightmare came true: the wedding ring was no longer in his pocket. 😣

Jack told me he had been wearing that ring for over 20 years. He was absolutely heartbroken and desperately hoping we could help.

I asked Jack what metal the ring was made of. He told me it was sterling silver with turquoise—a traditional Navajo-style wedding ring. Wow! Very cool, and incredibly unique for us to find here in Maine! I learned that these traditional Navajo rings are deeply popular in Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and the Southwest in general. 🌵☀️

I smiled and told Jack that he was in major luck. Gary and I were literally just 7 to 8 miles away at Tripp Lake, and we could be at his rental in less than 10 minutes! 🚙💨

That’s when the story took a wild turn. 🤯

Jack told me he wasn’t even at the lake house—he was currently down in Portsmouth, New Hampshire visiting his sister! He had been venting to her about losing his precious ring, and his sister looked at him and said, « You need to call The Ring Finders of Maine right now. »

As it turns out, his sister had just read a newspaper article about us and all the success we’ve been having! 📰🙌

Think about the sheer luck of this: Jack is from Utah and had never heard of us. He loses a rare Southwestern ring in a Maine lake. He goes to New Hampshire to tell his sister, who just happens to have read an article about our recoveries. He calls us, and we are practically right down the street wrapping up another successful rescue!

Jack immediately called his wife at the lake house to let her know we were on the way. Gary and I threw our gear into The Ring Finder Mobile and took off. ⚡️

THE SEARCH BEGINS… 🕵️‍♂️🔍

True to our word, Gary and I arrived just 10 minutes later at the lake house in Gray. We were met by Jack’s wife, Karen. She took us down to the water, where she and her friend were sitting and enjoying the afternoon, looking out over beautiful Crystal Lake.

Karen showed us the search area, and Gary and I had to smile. We had just left a massive 15,000–18,000 square foot search area at Tripp Lake, and now we were looking at a tiny 30′ x 50′ zone—only about 1,500 square feet! 📐🙌

Karen explained that they were literally just floating around right in front of the house and hadn’t gone much past the dock. 🪵

Alright then, let’s get our gear and find this very sentimental Navajo wedding ring! 🛠️

We mapped out our battle plan: Gary’s Mission: Start grid-searching the shallow shore water and systematically work his way out deeper into the lake.                                                                        

My Mission: Walk out as deep as I could safely search, then grid my way back in toward the shore and Gary.                                                  

With two detectors swinging and a perfect pincer movement, we were determined to find it. 🤞🌊                                                                         

With Gary starting at the shoreline near the dock, I headed out to the deeper water in front of it. We worked in perfect unison, heading north and then turning to head south.

As I got just past the dock, I was reaching my absolute depth limit. With every step, I was sinking down about six inches into the heavy muck. I wouldn’t be able to go much further—safely, anyways. One or two more steps out into the dark, murky water, and that would have been it. 🌊

At that exact point, my detector screamed. My very first signal. 🔊

I scooped up a heavy load of muck and decaying vegetation, lifting it up to throw into my floating sifter. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Right there in the middle of the muck, I saw just a sliver of silver and blue.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! 😲💥

Not even three minutes into the hunt, on my absolute first target, I found Jack’s Navajo wedding ring! I yelled up to Karen on the shore, asking if the stones were blue turquoise. She yelled back, « YES! »

MEANT TO BE! 🙏💙

Once I got up on shore, Karen and her friend were in absolute shock. They couldn’t believe we found it, and they definitely couldn’t believe we found it so fast! 🤯

Gary and I left a very happy, appreciative, smiling Karen—but not before we got our celebratory hugs! 🤗✨

Unfortunately, I never was able to meet Jack in person, but I called him up right there from the shoreline to deliver the good news. He was completely speechless and in absolute shock! He thanked me from the bottom of his heart for saving a piece of history he thought was gone forever. 🥹❤️

Well, a little luck goes a long way, and everything about this search came together perfectly:

Jack’s sister just happening to read that newspaper article about our success.

Gary and I being a mere 10 minutes away.

Going from a massive search area to a tight 1,500 square foot spot.

And the biggest miracle of all: the ring was right at my depth limit. If it had been just one or two steps further out, I wouldn’t have been able to safely reach it! 🌊🚫

A NAVAJO BLESSING IN MAINE? 🦅✨

As I held that beautiful ring, I couldn’t help but wonder. This ring spent over 20 years on Jack’s finger, crafted in a tradition steeped in deep connection, intention, and meaning. Turquoise is known as a stone of protection and a bringer of good fortune.

To have it slip away in a dark Maine lake, only for a chain of unexplainable events to bring us right to it in under three minutes… you have to wonder if a higher energy was at work. It felt less like simple luck and more like a protective blessing guiding my scoop right to the exact spot.

WHAT A DAY! 🚗💨💨

As Gary and I were driving home to Saco, Maine, we rehashed the wild timeline of our day.

We had left Saco at 5:45 AM and headed straight to Footbridge Beach , in Ogunquit, Maine: Beautiful Place by the Sea for an unsuccessful search (at least for that day—more on that story in the future!). From there, we headed to Tripp Lake in Poland, Maine, then over to Crystal Lake in Gray, Maine.

By the time we finally pulled back into Saco, it was 2:45 PM. What a day! 9 hours on the clock and 140 miles driven, but most importantly: two more wedding rings are back on their owners’ fingers. 🛠️💍

We love our job. We truly have the best job in the world!

 If it matters to you, it matters to us. 🦅❤️

THE ULTIMATE THANK YOU ✉️👇

The very next day, I received this incredible text from Jack that truly made the whole journey worth it:

« Hi Dennis, I can’t thank you enough for finding my ring yesterday. That ring meant a lot to me and I could’ve bought a new one, but it wouldn’t have been the same. You guys are incredible! The timing was unbelievable, because my sister saw the article in the paper just two days ago, and without that, we would never have known anything about you. It’s a miracle! Thank you so much, Jack H. »

💥 LOST SOMETHING PRECIOUS? TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE! 💥

Did you lose your wedding ring, keys, or family heirloom in the water, sand, or snow? Don’t wait! The sooner you call, the better the chances of recovery before things shift or sink deeper.

📞 Call 207-423-3027 and ask for Dennis!

Let The Ring Finders of Maine bring your lost treasure home.

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