Brent & Sylvie Madison, Author at The Ring Finders

Alex called me just before sunset. Visiting from Oahu, he’d be at our local beach, Magic Sands body surfing. While surfing a wave, his heavy gold necklace was sucked up by the wave crashing over him and his 200 gram, 18k gold crucifix and chain were gone.

I met Alex at the beach as the sun was dipping to the horizon. It’s almost a rule that I don’t try recoveries in big surf but he assured me he’d just been on the waterline when losing the necklace. Using my Minelab Manticore waterproof metal detector, I navigated the wild surf quickly going deeper and deeper in the surf to try and find his treasure.

The surf was massive, with powerful waves lifting me off my feet, knocking me vertical and sweeping me along the shore. I was ready to ditch the detector and my weight belt at a moment’s notice to stay away from being a victim myself… During one intense set, my Minelab Manticore beeped loudly as I passed a spot about three feet underwater, the wave pulled back off the shore and for a moment the area wasn’t under water. Determined to retrieve the necklace, I fought to keep my position so the waves and current could wash me over that exact location again. The signal was elusive – found, then lost – then found again in the churning surf.

During a brief lull in the waves, I locked onto the target again. I plunged my hand into the sand behind the coil of the metal detector and just as another wave swept me up the beach, my finger hooked what felt like a piece of rope.

I pulled myself out of the water and opened my hand – there it was! The heavy 18k gold crucifix necklace! It was packed with sand and a big solid cross was still attached. The necklace hadn’t broken. A thrilling Big Island Metal Detecting recovery moment for any metal detectorist!

Lost necklace or ring in Hawaii? Trust us to hunt for your lost treasure too!

I was really happy to have been able to help Liz recover a beautiful diamond ring set in white gold.

Her young daughter had earlier asked her why she was so sad – it was only the first day of their vacation on the Big Island – but they’d come to Hawaii for vacation and quickly lost one of her most valued items in the ocean.

The Fairmont Hotel in Mauna Lani gave Liz our number and we were quickly on the way from Kona with detectors in the car.

Meeting Liz, she explained she and her husband had swam around the area with mask and snorkel for hours but no luck.

I turned on my Minelab Equinox 800 – it had been a faithful detector in the past and I was sure I’d find the ring so long as it hadn’t been spotted by a swimmer or another detectorist. Sure enough, within 15 minutes of carefully combing the chest-deep water, I hit a big target and within seconds, the ring was back on Liz’s finger!

We took a few photos with Liz holding her recovered ring and my metal detector and said our goodbyes – it’s always a great feeling to be a successful part of someone’s Hawaii adventure.

I headed back for the water and hit the ‘on’ button on my Equinox. The familiar starting sound, then a strange low gurgle… I tried again. Same sound, then error codes on the screen. This detector is supposed to be waterproof to 10 feet and had only been in the water down two or three… I looked again and water started filling the screen and the detector let out a few chirping sounds, then went quiet.

This machine had recovered so many rings – but this would be the last. It made one final ring recovery before dying on the field.

It’s been some time since we posted our finds online – we’ve been ring-finding all along but got way behind on reporting our ring and treasure recoveries!

Here’s a photo of a newly-wed who lost his ring in the water at the Fairmont Orchid Hotel, Waikoloa Beach, Hawaii.

He’d been married for 2 days…Thankfully he felt it come off his finger in the water so it was only a matter of seconds for me to find it!

Ring recovery from the water at Fairmont Orchid hotel, Waikoloa, Hawaii

Nathan and his wife were playing with their son in the lagoon at Hilton Waikaloa while on holiday from California.

Nathan sat in the shallow water next to the sun loungers and dug out sand like a construction digger to the joy of his son. To his own dismay, he realized his platinum wedding ring was missing. Trying to dig again led to nothing – no ring at all.

I got to the hotel early the next morning only to find that the Lavaman Kid’s race was being held in the exact spot his ring had gone missing. Hundreds of little feet were running over-and-over the spot in the water…

Once the event had wrapped up, I got out the detector and looked in the tight area Nathan was sure he’d lost the ring at. Nothing but coins, buttons and the usual stuff lost out of people’s pockets in water. I was using the Garrett Sea Hunter, which as a pulse-induction machine in the water, finds everything even the smallest objects. I searched for an hour with no luck.

It’s our experience that as sure as people are where they lost their treasure, the human mind and memory needs some extra feet added to a search area… I got out the Minelab Excal and broadened my search, this time adding about 20 feet to either side of the lagoon’s beach. I was starting to suspect that the ring may have kicked up during the kid’s race and someone may have found it.

The newly expanded search area yielded a cache of coins all in ankle-deep water. I dug a penny, then a dime, then a quarter. Nathan had been standing in the water watching. I thought to myself that it was a good “sign” – the coins seemed to be increasing in value (and weight) so the next find should be a ring! Seconds later I got a great tone and sure enough, it was Nathan’s ring.

Nathan gave me a hug, shook my hand and said he’d thought it was as good as lost! Overjoyed to find it for him – vacation saved!

RIGHT WHERE WE SAID IT WASN’T!

Memory is a funny thing, especially under stress. So I often end up finding rings outside where they are “sure” to be!
So was it with Jayce and Jacqueline’s ring!

In the end, what had made the carefully placed ring disappear? A tiny hole in her bag had let the ring slip out.

The family left and I took a few photos of the quiet beach – and the little rock pile and said our little slogan – “We Save Marriages!” Glad to have looked for the ring where it wasn’t!