I often wonder what people did who lost a wedding ring before Google. Almost everyone who I help find a lost ring locates me after a quick Google search. Rocky was searching for how to hire a metal detector to help find his lost ring. I was camping at the time, but was able to help him out the next day. Below is the story how Rocky was able to hire a metal detector to find his lost ring.
Hire a Metal Detector
My story begins in a very similar fashion as most others that have lost something precious and meaningful to them. In my case, it was my wedding band that I lost after 8 years of marriage.
It all started Sunday morning, August 14, 2016. It was beautiful sunny day, and I was getting ready to go sailing with my friend on Lake Waubesa. Part of my sailing gear are a pair of 3/4 finger gloves that I keep on all the time while sailing. They help protect your hands from the various lines you are constantly adjusting to trim the sails.
After several hours on the lake, we decided to head back to the pier, put the boat away, and go grab lunch. Once we got to the pier we started unloading the boat and putting away all the gear. That is when I realized, in complete surprise and shock, my ring was missing!
I just stared at my hand for a few seconds in disbelief as the reality sank in that my ring was gone. I quickly started to mentally retrace my steps. Had I left it at the house before heading out? No. Did I drop it in the boat accidentally? No. Finally, after a very long, few minutes, I realized that the ring would not have been able to fall out while I was wearing my gloves. I had the gloves on the entire trip and only took them off when we got back to the pier.
That is when, and where the search started. I looked through all the gear, boat, bags, pockets, everything. But the ring was nowhere to be found. Then, as I stood at the end of the pier, I looked at the water underneath me … oh no. What I believe happened is that when I took off the gloves, the ring came off with the gloves and flew off into the lake. The pier was 110 feet long with sand and cobble on the bottom. The water was about 4 feet deep. I lost all hope of ever recovering it.
But as luck would have it, I decided to search the Internet to see if I could hire a metal detector professional to help. That is how I found Dan Roekle. He quickly jumped into action by asking me a series of questions. What metal was the ring? What size? What width? He started asking very specific questions about the pier and water conditions. To set my mind at ease, he explained that he needed that information to help tune his equipment sensitivity settings.
I did not know what to expect when I went to meet him at the pier, but I was greeted with a very warm and enthusiastic smile and handshake. Dan has very humble and inviting personality. I quickly fell at ease with his presence and even became slightly encouraged at the possibility of actually finding my ring. I was glad I was able to hire a metal detector professional instead of doing it myself.
Dan got all his equipment ready and jumped into the water at the end of the pier. The search started! He slowly and meticulously scoured the bottom of the lake. From time to time, he would spot something and go under to dig it up with a specially designed metal scoop. Time after time, it was a false alarm. He found a washer. Then a nut. Then another washer. I started losing hope.
An hour and a half into the search, Dan calls me over. “The water over here is pretty muddy” he says. “Look at all this mud” he repeats as he shook the metal scoop. As the mud cleared away, I realized the search was over. Inside his metal scoop, was my ring!
This has been an experience I will not forget. I learned a lot from it. Clearly, I will never take my ring sailing again. But most importantly, I got to meet Dan. He is a great person and genuinely likes helping others. When my ring was found, he too was glowing in happiness. Dan is very knowledgeable, professional, and passionate.
Rocky
