Wedding Ring Recovered in the Ocean at Mondo's Beach, Ventura

The loss

Denise was swimming at Mondo's Beach in roughly six feet of water at about 1:20 in the afternoon when she felt her wedding ring slip right off her finger. She had worn it for forty years. By the time she called me she was, in her words, in a bit of a panic.

Why the tide decided everything

The tide was around a positive 2.5 when the ring came off, which meant the spot she was swimming over was well out from the dry beach. To reach it on foot I needed the water to drop. The next minus tide was a negative 1.3 — at 3:30 the following morning. So that's when I went.

Searching in the dark

There was absolutely no moonlight whatsoever, and Mondo's had been inundated with seaweed, in the water and up on the sand. Denise also could not be sure how far offshore she had been, which is completely normal — nobody is taking bearings when they're swimming. I started where she thought she'd been and worked slowly farther out.

The signal

The ring turned out to be farther out than I expected. When I was nearly waist-deep I got a promising target on my Minelab Manticore. I set my scoop behind the coil, waited out a wave, and dug — and the first scoop pushed the target away instead of catching it. I steadied myself, let the next wave pass, and scooped again. This time I had Denise's ring.

Why I call it a miracle

Dark water, no moon, a beach full of seaweed, an uncertain search area and a ring in the ocean. Honestly, the recovery conditions were a miracle. But this is exactly why the tide chart matters as much as the metal detector — the right hour beats the right equipment every time.

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Lost something similar? Call or text me on 805-290-5009. I cover all of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, seven days a week. A $75 call-out fee covers my travel; if I find it, you set the reward.

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