The Lost is found!

[kidspot]

Thursday I lost one of my fins while out diving . . . XXL Jet fin with Spring strap - in 18 inches of water. . . I pulled my foot out, reached down and . . . no fin - no viz either (maybe 2 inches of viz along the shore) my buddy and I searched for a good 30-40 minutes for that fin - no success. The next day when the water had cleared a bit I returned and snorkeled the area looking for my fin. . . no success.

Today was my last chance (I was going to order a new one tomorrow morning). After church I was taking one of the teens diving with me, we went to that beach (hoping we would find my fin while diving) but the surf was up and it was not a good idea. As we left the parking lot I saw a pair of fins sitting on the sand "looks like someone else lost their fins here too" I remarked. My buddy looks at the pair of fins and comments "I think it's just one big black fin." I hit the brakes thinking . . no way - not after 4 days. But there lying 100 yards from where I 'd lost my fin (on one of the most popular beaches in Lahaina) was a lone XXL Jet Fin with Spring strap (not too many of those around these parts) lying about 25 yards from the water - Boy was I happy - Thank you God was all I could think or say!

I don't know if someone found it or the waves washed it up, I was just very grateful to find it again!

Figured this might cheer somebody up out there besides myself tonight -

Mele Kalikimaka!

Tim

 

[bluemagoo]

Give thanks to the season.... I've seen only one other XXL and the guy was a manster. Maybe somebody did find it and then left it, figuring he didn't want to tangle with the guy it belonged to. Like the standard joke goes: To keep people from breaking into your car, push the driver's seat all the way back, put the biggest pair of rubber slippers and T-shirt in plain sight, a medicine-ball sized woven lauhala hat, and in the back seat, a humongous spiked choke collar, a matching half-eaten chewbone, and a badly mauled metal water dish with a sticker "My name is 'Bad Dog, Bad Dog'".

Quite a few years ago, I once had a knife return after it being lost for almost 4 months. It slid out of the scabbard sometime during a dive along the Kohala coast. Turner Lett, the former owner of Kohala Divers, apparently found it and remembered it was mine (it was a red-handled Dacor Tanto which is kind of unusual). He must've gone through his logs to find my address and sent it. Talk about surprised; and it was in pretty good condition too, considering how long it was submerged.

 

[zboss]

on a dive in the caribbean one time only to have my sister find it at 30 feet a week later.

 

[kidspot]

great stories guys. . . BlueMagoo - I like that solution - course sounds like it might just be my regular sizes anyway lol. I have a coworker who is an older single lady, she puts a pair of size 15 boots on her lanai to ward off any would be burglars. . . Kinda the same idea I guess. I'd leave my dog in the car but she'd just encourage people to come over and play with her. . .

Amazing about your knife too .


Aloha, Tim

P.S. going through my logs it was 5 days later that it turned up -

 

[Turtleguy9]

Had a customer lose a rental camera at Makaha. It was a floating model, and we cruised around in the boat trying to find it after the dive, no luck. We did the same dive the next day, and while we were on the dive, the camera floated by the boat and was recovered by the captain.
Aloha Turtleguy

 

[deputydan1]

lol! great story!

God is awesome!

-dan

 

[bluemagoo]

Has anyone tried a metal detector? I'm thinking there must be a goldmine -- literally -- in the shallows of Ala Moana Beach Park. I swim with a mask there and it's getting pretty old to keep finding weedy designer sunglasses, snorkels, cans, and other junk. I keep hoping for a watch or gold chain or ring or something like that.

 

[Wildcard]

I have a buddy whos hobby is treasure hunting in the tourest beaches. He also gets called in to find lost jewelery for the tourests. He finds some strange stuff.

 

[Turtleguy9]

Has anyone tried a metal detector? I'm thinking there must be a goldmine -- literally -- in the shallows of Ala Moana Beach Park. I swim with a mask there and it's getting pretty old to keep finding weedy designer sunglasses, snorkels, cans, and other junk. I keep hoping for a watch or gold chain or ring or something like that.

Aloha Blue Magoo
I volunteered for a reef cleanup, at Magic Island/Ala Moana back in 96. Lots of garbage, but my dive buddy found a diamond ring, it had been down long enough to grow coral.
When she got it appraised it was over $2000.
Turtleguy

 

[kidspot]

A couple of guys from church used to do a lot of "treasure hunting" on the beach with metal detectors - one found a ring which after no one claimed from the police dept. he was able to start a business with - today he's got about 6 employees - nice find.


My favorite story was about a class ring my Pastor found back in the 80's - he tracked the owner down through the name on the ring, only to find out he had passed away a few months before. He was able to return the ring to the young man's mother who obviously was grateful to have the momento of her son back in the family again.

Yes Hawaii's beaches are a treasure trove if you can just find the treasure . . .

Tim