Wedding ring lost in the sea at Sistiana: recovered on scuba in 35 minutes
At Sistiana the seabed drops quickly and is not soft sand: gravel, rocks and seagrass. A beach detector is not enough here — we go down on tanks.
Losing a ring while swimming
Cold water shrinks fingers: one freestyle stroke and the ring is gone. The owner, married a few weeks earlier, had a fairly precise idea of the spot thanks to the nearest buoy.
Searching on scuba
We dived with scuba gear and an underwater detector, using the circular line technique: a weight in the centre, a marked rope and widening concentric circles.
35 minutes
The ring was wedged between two rocks close to the estimated point. Surfaced, applause from the swimmers, ring back on the finger.
Tanks, hookah or freediving?
We assess case by case: depth, visibility, current and seabed. In shallow water we freedive; beyond 2-3 metres or for long searches we use tanks or surface-supplied systems.
I lost my wedding ring swimming at Sistiana, just married — a nightmare. Gabriele dived with tanks and after 35 minutes came up with the ring.