I had to get a hunt in today since conditions looked to be great. The only thing I didn’t care for was the afternoon low tide at 3:45pm which would mean being out there for the brutal sun. I had planned on going north to a beach I haven’t been to in a while but after seeing the beach cam for South Beach at noon it looked like the winds had picked up and would make hitting that northern beach a no-go since it’s very difficult to work unless conditions are perfect. I got to the beach at 12:45 and had just gotten in the water when I see a regular South beach pirate offshore (UM cap guy) at about 100 yards away heading north. Just then a young woman comes to see me and tells me in accented English that her husband just lost his wedding band. So I follow her about 50 yards south and see what I think his her husband looking in the water with a borrowed mask for his lost ring.
I ask him a few questions and get to work. Within 10 minutes I get good signal amidst the tons of falsing from all the waves and out comes a very nice white gold band.
My 1st target is a gold ring!! I return the band and find out that they’re from Brazil and TODAY was their 5th wedding anniversary and they had come on vacation with their daughter for a 2nd honeymoon. The man’s name is Renan. His wife (Vanessa)has a cell phone handy and at my request takes a few pictures of her husband and me with the ring return. Needless to say, the man was ecstatic that he got his ring back. I give her my e-mail address so she could send the pictures and left being very happy that I was glad I could help. I felt that my day was made!
However, I had just started and now I felt it was time to find a keeper for me!
Had I realized how wavy and the surf today would be I think I would’ve gone with Merlin but I was already there and there’s nothing I could do but work through all the falsing with the Shark. At about an hour into the hunt, I was at the outer edge of a sand bar, where the waves were breaking and I get a signal. I was slammed a bit here and there and had a hard time getting the target. After about 4-5 scoops I look in and see the yellow…
. The ring is ugly but it has a ring guard so I knew that was good sign that it would be good. I now head north and at the 2 hour point, I see BlingDigger and motion “thumbs up or down” and she gives me the thumbs down. She motions to me and I give her the
. As I head back south, to get to my starting point, I was working offshore some soft sand areas and get a signal. I scoop up a ring which after quick look I think is a “junk stainless ring with diamonds”. I was amongst a lot of people so I put it in the pouch quickly and kept going. About 20-30 minutes I was in an area with nobody around me and take the ring back out and have a better looksy. What I thought were “diamonds” were the screw marks for a telltale Cartier!!!
I noticed it was heavy and scratched up white gold and some yellow was showing through - a great sign!!!
I now decide 4 hours was enough and started heading out. At home, I weigh both rings the ugly ring is marked 10K and weighs in at 2.9 grs. The Cartier is 18K and weighs in at 11.3 grs!!
I was disappointed that the pictures of the ring return didn’t come in my email.
I figured the language barrier and my vision trying to confirm that she got it right didn’t work out. However, I can’t be too disappointed considering the great day I had!
UPDATE: Pictures of the ring return came in late last night! Below are the better ones. I guess the close up of the ring didn't make it but that's OK.
winner winner chicken dinner congrats
another great hunt,,,,bet if you had Merlin that time you spent digging the trash you may have turned it in to a triple,,,,,
GL HH
