Every item we return is a story that goes home. Here you'll find real interventions, testimonials from the people we helped and cases told step by step — always with the consent of those involved.
Real reviews from people we helped, with their consent.
“Gabriele came promptly to recover my wife's wedding ring lost in the sea with his metal detector. He found it quickly when I had already lost all hope. I will never stop thanking him for his kindness and professionalism!”
“A truly extraordinary experience! We had lost both our wedding rings in the sea and thought it was impossible to find them. Thanks to their professionalism, skill and determination, both were recovered. An unforgettable moment of great emotion.”
“Very well organised activity, suitable also for younger children. Skilled and patient staff. Highly recommended as an experience!”
“I lost my wedding ring while swimming at Sistiana, just married — a nightmare. Gabriele drove straight from Udine, dived with tanks and after 35 minutes came back up with the ring on his finger. Everyone on the beach applauded. He saved my marriage.”
“Grado, 29.06.2025: another smile given back. I lost my wedding ring in shallow water while playing with my children and thought it was gone forever. Gabriele arrived quickly, worked methodically and handed it back within 10 minutes. Truly grateful — a serious and human professional.”
“On our honeymoon in Lignano I lost my wedding ring on the beach on day one. Gabriele arrived in record time, swept the area with his metal detector and handed it back. We couldn't believe it — smiles, hugs, a photo to remember. Thank you so much!”
“What can I say? I am moved to have met such a wonderful person who, on Ferragosto (!!!!) at 5:30 in the morning for a full 2 hours helped me find my wedding ring! Luckily there are wonderful people like you Gabriele Hippel! ❤️❤️❤️❤️ THANK YOU!”
“19.07.21 Wedding ring recovery operation at Sottomarina: we had lost hope… the sea wouldn't give it back… but like an angel you performed a miracle, you gave us a huge smile and we will never stop thanking you Gabriele. Thank you for helping us find our wedding ring!”
The interventions in detail: what happened, how we searched, the find.
Mid-August, choppy sea, knee-deep water. One dive or one wet hand and the ring slips off: within seconds the sand swallows it. That is exactly what happened at Lignano Sabbiadoro.
Read the storyFirst day of the honeymoon, first day on the beach, ring gone in the dry sand. The classic panic scenario — and one of the most solvable.
Read the storyIn Grado the water stays shallow for dozens of metres: that is where most rings are lost, and where they can be found in minutes if the spot is marked well.
Read the storyAt 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.
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Sottomarina has dark, heavy sand and a gently sloping seabed: a ring can sink deeper than elsewhere. From here we cover the whole southern lagoon coastline: Chioggia, Sottomarina, Pellestrina and Lido di Venezia, with the same equipment and the same method.
Read the storySearching a packed beach in full daylight is nearly impossible. That is why, when needed, we start at dawn.
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On 20 August 2023, at the dog beach of San Francesco camping in Duna Verde, a Caorle seaside area, a German visitor lost his wedding ring in the water: yellow gold, simple round band, engraved inside with 'In perpetum Julia'. It was not found, but here is the full search story and what the outcome teaches about responding faster. Our lost-item search service covers Duna Verde, Caorle town centre, Porto Santa Margherita, Brussa and all the beaches in the area.
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12 August 2020, Bibione Pineda. A wedding ring disappears at Camping Village Capalonga, somewhere on the grass between the campsite and the sea: a call during the day, a metal detector search, and the ring is back on its owner's finger in 20 minutes.
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Bibione, a crowded beach in high summer. A ring disappears in the dry sand during a day at the sea. A few minutes on site: signal, controlled dig, ring back on the finger.
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Grado, the beach of the Punta Spin campsite. A wedding ring slips off in shallow water. A focused search on the marked spot: a few minutes and the ring is back where it belongs.
Read the storyThe stories on this page refer exclusively to interventions carried out by volunteers currently active in ASD Viandanti Moderni – MTD Friûl.
