A New Englander's Hawaiian vacation went from glorious to disastrous — and then back to glorious — when a diamond engagement ring lost in the surf and presumed gone forever was miraculously spotted by another snorkeler only two days later.
The hero of our story, Mike "Shay" Smith, said the brilliance of the gemstone made all the difference. While searching underwater for interesting shells, the glint of something unusual caught his eye.
“That was just random luck," Smith told KHON2. "While I was out snorkeling, I just happened to catch a glimpse of a sparkle at the bottom and scooped it up.”
Smith intended to find the rightful owner by posting information about his precious find on Craigslist. While viewing the Lost-and-Found section, he was stunned by a post from vacationer Laura Mitrowski, who was looking for a similar ring.
Only a few days earlier, the Massachusetts resident had relished an afternoon snorkeling in the surf off Lawai Beach, Kauai. But, when she returned to the beach, she knew something didn't feel right...
“We’ve been married 12 years. As soon as I got out of the water my hands felt funny,” Mitrowski told ABC News. “I was sitting down in my chair and I’m like, ‘Oh no, it came off in the water,’ and my husband was still out in the water, and I was waving to him crying hysterically on the beach.”
Mitrowski enjoys the surf and loose rings have never been a problem in the past.
"I’ve been swimming tons of times and my rings have never fallen off," she told ABC News. "The fact we found it is unbelievable.”
Smith replied to Mitrowski's ad and asked her to describe any unusual details about the ring. When she told him that the band was cracked, Smith knew he had the right woman. By the next day, the diamond ring was back on her finger.
“I was like in shock," Mitrowski told KHON2. "I didn’t think anyone was going to find it, because I figured if it was lost in the ocean, it was going to be lost forever. “I couldn’t believe it. I was in disbelief. I was crying.”
Mitrowski offered a $300 reward, which Smith refused, at first, and then accepted.
Credits: Images courtesy of Laura Mitrowski.
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