A Michigan newlywed had despaired of ever finding his wedding ring lost in the ocean at Siesta Key. But then along came a treasure-hunting hobbyist.
By Associated Press
Published October 25, 2003
SIESTA KEY - On the sixth day of his marriage, Mike Brzozowski's wedding ring slipped off his finger and into the waters off Siesta Key's beach.
For 45 minutes, he dove into the water and sifted through sand, frantically looking for the platinum band. No luck.
That's when a Sarasota man, who had been chatting nearby with friends and showing off his waterproof metal detector, came to Brzozowski's aid.
In about 20 minutes, Gene Gafford and his metal finder pinpointed the ring in 10 inches of sand.
"We gave it up for lost, and he saved the day," said Brzozowski, a Michigan resident who was honeymooning last week with his wife, Melanie, and 2-year-old daughter at his parents' Osprey home.
Gafford, a 70-year-old U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector and member of a treasure-hunting club that meets in Bradenton, said he often spends eight-hour days looking for metal objects in the water. He's found a 3.7-carat diamond ring, a razor-sharp dagger and countless other objects with the $1,300 device.
When he can't find the owners, he gives his finds to his family.
He said he was happy to help Brzozowski and his wife.
"Believe me," Gafford said, "the look on their face was reward enough."
Scot Ruberg, a lifeguard on Siesta Key, said metal detector owners usually just want to help people.
"They're not about finding treasure," Ruberg said. "They do it for the thank-yous."
And the Brzozowskis had plenty of those for Gafford.
