Antigua and Barbuda
Lost a ring in Antigua or Barbuda?
Dickenson Bay and Jolly Beach, the dockyard at English Harbour, the reef at Long Bay and the beaches of Barbuda.
Something lost on an Antigua or Barbuda beach can often still be looked for. It turns on where it went in, whether dry sand above the water, a sandy bottom where you could still stand, or reef, and on how exactly you can place that spot.
At Stingray City a short boat ride takes you to shallow water over white sand, ringed by coral reef, where people stand or swim among the rays.
Ring Seekers is a lost ring and jewelry recovery service that works with experienced local metal detectorists to search for a ring, wedding band, watch, keys or phone lost on Antigua or Barbuda. Tell us what happened and where. We choose an experienced detectorist who knows the beach, brief them with your map and photos, and tell you honestly if the odds are poor.
Resort bays to the northwest, the Atlantic to the east
The northwest coast of Antigua is the developed side, with the resort beaches of Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay. The hilly southwest corner is generally less developed. Ffryes Beach, Darkwood Beach and Johnson's Point follow one another along that coast.
The east coast takes the Atlantic breakers, with blowholes and spouting surf at Devil's Bridge, yet Long Bay on that side is completely protected by its reef. Barbuda's beaches are protected by barrier reefs.
Who does what, from the first message
No second contact
The chat you open with us stays the only one, from your first description of the day to the report after the search.
Your pin goes with the search
The map pin and photos you send are passed to the detectorist as they are, with your account of the day, so the search starts from the place you marked.
Honesty about the hard cases
Something that went over the side of a boat under way, far from any landmark, may be a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
Details from the day itself
Which beach, roughly what time, and what the item is made of. If you moved around during the day, list every spot.
The money side, first
We explain the costs before any search is booked.
Antigua coast by coast, then Barbuda
The cards go round Antigua from the northwest and finish on Barbuda. Two places stay off our list: the Frigate Bird Sanctuary in Codrington Lagoon on Barbuda and the mangroves of the North Sound Marine Park.
From Dickenson Bay round to Half Moon Bay, and over to Barbuda
Dickenson Bay, Runaway Bay and Fort James
Dickenson Bay and Runaway Bay are the resort beaches of the developed northwest coast. Dickenson Bay is also where people go to party late into the night, so a piece that came off after dark may not be missed until morning. Nearer St John's are Fort James, a public beach popular with locals, and Deep Bay.
Five Islands, Galley Bay and Hawksbill
Galley Bay and Hawksbill are both at Five Islands. Galley Bay is a white sand beach. Hawksbill is four crescent beaches, one open to everyone and three reached through the resort there.
Hermitage Bay and Jolly Harbour
Hermitage Bay, at the end of Jennings village on the far western end of Antigua, is a secluded arc of white sand, good for swimming, with a resort on it. Jolly Beach, at Jolly Harbour on the west coast, runs for a mile, with water sports, restaurants and shops nearby and a marina.
Ffryes Beach, Darkwood and Johnson's Point
These three follow one another along the coast of the hilly southwest corner, where the beaches are generally less built up. Darkwood is one of the island's long beaches, with hills and trees behind it. Johnson's Point has a beach bar where people stop for a drink.
Carlisle Bay and Rendezvous Bay
Carlisle Bay, by Old Road on the south shore, is a broad beach that is seldom crowded. Rendezvous Bay, also on the south coast, is quiet because it can only be reached by four-wheel drive or on foot.
English Harbour, Galleon Beach and Pigeon Point
English Harbour is home to Nelson's Dockyard, a working dockyard and marina where boats lie in berthing slips or on bow moorings. Galleon Beach, reached by car from English Harbour or by water taxi, is one of the quieter beaches. Pigeon Point is where people cool off after a day at the Dockyard, and it has a local beach bar.
Mamora Bay and Half Moon Bay
Mamora Bay, near English Harbour, has a beach managed by a resort. Half Moon Bay, on the east coast, is a white sand crescent that is now a National Park. People kite surf there, picnic, and have photos taken, and a ring taken off for a photo is easy to put down and forget.
Long Bay and Jabberwock Beach
Long Bay, near the village of Willikies, is completely protected by its reef, and people snorkel there; locals sell their wares from kiosks on the beach. Jabberwock Beach, on the northeast coast, is a mile of sand where people play in the surf, body surf, windsurf and kitesurf.
Princess Diana Beach and Luis Beach, Barbuda
Barbuda is reached from Antigua by boat or by air. Princess Diana Beach, once called Coco Point Beach, faces southwest and has resorts along it, though anyone may use the sand. Luis Beach, also known as Low Bay, is a strip of pink sand on a narrow band of land running north from Palmetto Point.
Places we cover in Antigua and Barbuda
- Dickenson Bay
- Runaway Bay
- Fort James
- Deep Bay
- Five Islands
- Galley Bay
- Hawksbill Beach
- Hermitage Bay
- Jolly Harbour and Jolly Beach
- Ffryes Beach
- Darkwood Beach
- Johnson's Point
- Carlisle Bay
- Rendezvous Bay
- English Harbour
- Nelson's Dockyard
- Galleon Beach
- Pigeon Point
- Mamora Bay
- Half Moon Bay
- Long Bay
- Jabberwock Beach
- Stingray City
- Princess Diana Beach, Barbuda
- Luis Beach, Barbuda
What goes astray on an Antigua trip
On the hands and at the neck
- A wedding band or engagement ring
- Rings passed down in the family
- Gold and silver chains
- Anklets and charm bracelets
- Earrings and pendants
Things carried, not worn
- Watches and smartwatches
- An Oura ring
- Keys to a rental car or apartment
- Phones
- Metal-framed sunglasses and reading glasses
Where the day went wrong
- Standing with the rays at Stingray City
- Walking back along Dickenson Bay after a late night
- Climbing from a dinghy onto the dock at Nelson's Dockyard
- Photos on the crescent at Half Moon Bay
- Kitesurfing off Jabberwock Beach
- Snorkeling at Long Bay
- A walk on the pink sand of Luis Beach, Barbuda
How a search gets arranged in Antigua and Barbuda
Four steps from your first message to the result.
First contact
A WhatsApp message is enough to begin. Say what the item is, where on Antigua or Barbuda you were, and the day it went.
Marking the spot
Put a pin on the map where you think it happened. Pictures of that stretch of beach or dock help, and so does a photo of the item if one exists.
Briefing the detectorist
We look for a detectorist who can reach that beach, whether on Antigua or over on Barbuda, and pass on everything you sent.
Word back after the search
You decide whether the search goes ahead. When it is done, we report the ground that was covered and whether anything was found.
Questions about Antigua and Barbuda
Is Stingray City sand or coral? A bracelet came loose while we were in with the rays.
Both, in different places, so where you were standing is the thing to pin down. The boat stops at a shallow pool whose bottom is white sand, with coral reef around its edge, and people either stand among the rays or swim. If you stood the whole time, say so, and if you swam over toward the reef, say roughly how far.
An earring went missing on Dickenson Bay after dark, and we only noticed the next morning.
Start from the evening rather than the beach. Dickenson Bay is where people go to party late into the night, so the table where you sat and the place you danced narrow it down most. Mark both on a map, say which came first, and tell us whether anyone went into the water.
A villa key went somewhere on Jolly Beach. The beach is long, so how do we narrow it down?
Jolly Beach runs for a mile along the west coast at Jolly Harbour, so which part of it you were on is the first thing to settle. A pin from where your towels were does that better than any description. Then say whether the key was in a bag, a pocket or loose on the sand, and whether you walked along the beach during the day.
My wedding band slipped away somewhere between the kiosks and the reef at Long Bay.
Long Bay, near Willikies, is completely protected by its reef, and people snorkel inside it. Say how far out toward the reef you got, whether you could stand where you were, and which kiosk or building on the beach you faced when you went in.
We stayed at Hawksbill but cannot say which of its beaches the bracelet went on.
There are four crescent beaches at Hawksbill. Royal Palm Beach is open to everyone, while Seagrapes, Honeymoon Cove and Eden Beach are reached through the resort, so if you walked through the resort to the sand, it was one of those three. The rock shaped like a hawksbill turtle, which gives the place its name, is a good landmark to have in a photo.
My watch fell between the dinghy and the dock at Nelson's Dockyard. Where does that leave us?
In the water of a working marina, where boats lie in berthing slips or on bow moorings. Pin the slip or the stretch of dock, give us the name of the boat if it is still berthed there, and say roughly what time it went. Water under a dock is a different job from dry sand, and you would hear plainly what that means before anything is arranged.
Can someone get to Princess Diana Beach on Barbuda to look for an anklet?
Barbuda is reached from Antigua by boat or by air, so the first thing we check is who can make the trip. Princess Diana Beach has resorts along it, and anyone may use the sand. Send a pin and a photo from where you were, and say whether you walked far along the beach that day.
Antigua and Barbuda
One message starts it
Name the beach and the item in a WhatsApp message to us, and send a map pin for the place you last had it.