Missing jewel uncovered in open air pool

Thursday 16 July 2015

A new team of treasure hunters has helped a married man find his wedding ring just in time for his anniversary next week.

Tim Ridgway lost the gold band a few weeks ago in the open air pool at Havre des Pas while he was training for this weekend’s triathlon.

Tim said: “I caught my hand on a rock on the side of the pool and yanked the ring off. It’s about seven foot deep and I was diving down trying to find it but I think it must have got buried in the sand.”

Tim enlisted the help of a diver at the time but there was no sign of the ring he’s only had on his finger for the last two years.

He said: “It’s basically yellow gold, quite thin, 5mm, very simple band with engraving inside.”

Metal detecting helped unearth the world’s largest hoard of celtic coins worth millions of pounds and Tim hoped a spot of metal detecting would help him find the ring that’s priceless to him too especially with his wedding anniversary coming up on 20 July.

He put out an appeal on JT Insight last week and tracked someone down with a metal detector he could borrow. And luck seemed to be on his side when he heard that the pool was being drained earlier this week to give it a bit of a clean.

But despite a good search for it when the pool was almost empty Tim couldn't find his ring and had given up hope of ever finding it.

He said: “I was even there in my snorkel and mask and I’d resigned myself that I was never going to find it."

On Tuesday he got a call from another metal detectorist who was keen to keep looking. But just as the pool's lifeguard was showing him the area where it had been lost, the lifeguard spotted it in the water.

Tim's been delighted so many people have been taking the time to help him find it and he's very happy his ring is now safely back on his finger where it belongs.

 He said: "I'm a very happy man! A great team effort by lifeguards, their younger helpers, metal detectorists, and divers!"