Rio de Janeiro, Búzios, Cabo Frio and Ilha Grande
Lost a wedding ring on a Rio beach?
The seafront is divided into postos, and the number of the nearest one is where a search begins.
A wedding band that went missing during a beach game on Copacabana or Ipanema can be looked for, since the game, your bag and your towel were all on one small area of sand. The two things that matter are which posto you were near, and whether the band was in a pocket, in a bag or on your finger while you played.
Ring Seekers is a lost ring and jewellery recovery service that works with experienced local metal detectorists to search for a ring, wedding band, watch, keys or phone lost in Rio de Janeiro, Búzios, Cabo Frio or Ilha Grande.
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.
Beyond Rio, the day may have included a boat: a trip out of Búzios or Arraial do Cabo, or the crossing to Ilha Grande.
Before you leave the sand, check every pocket and note the posto
Go through the shorts, the bag and the folds of the towel, one at a time. Your friends from the game may have picked it up with their own things, so have them look too. Then write down the number of the posto you were nearest, the kiosk behind you, and where the game was compared with where you had left your things.
Outside the city, along this part of the coast of Brazil, the markers change. On Ilha Grande the boat and the pier are part of the story, and in Paraty it may be a street as much as a beach.
Places we cover in Rio de Janeiro, Búzios, Cabo Frio and Ilha Grande
- Rio de Janeiro
- Copacabana
- Leme
- Arpoador
- Ipanema
- Leblon
- Barra da Tijuca
- Prainha and Grumari
- Niterói
- Icaraí, Niterói
- Camboinhas, Niterói
- Itaipu, Niterói
- Búzios (Armação dos Búzios)
- Praia de Geribá
- Praia da Ferradura
- Praia da Armação and the Orla Bardot
- Rua das Pedras
- Praia dos Ossos
- Praia de João Fernandes
- Praia de João Fernandinho
- Praia da Tartaruga
- Praia da Ferradurinha
- Cabo Frio
- Praia do Forte, Cabo Frio
- Praia do Siqueira
- Arraial do Cabo
- Praia dos Anjos
- Praia do Forno, Arraial do Cabo
- Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia
- Praia Grande, Arraial do Cabo
- Praia do Farol
- Paraty
- Ilha Grande
- Vila do Abraão
- Lopes Mendes and Praia do Pouso
- Aventureiro and Praia do Sul
City beaches first, then the bays along the coast
Rio and its neighbour Niterói first, then Búzios, Cabo Frio, Arraial do Cabo, Paraty and Ilha Grande.
Copacabana and Leme
Copacabana runs for almost four kilometres, from the Forte do Leme to the Forte de Copacabana, beside the calçadão of Avenida Atlântica. The seafront is divided into postos, and altinha, footvolley, volleyball and beach tennis are played all along it. Praia do Leme, close by, is a wide strip of sand used by surfers, fishermen and local families.
Arpoador, Ipanema and Leblon
Ipanema runs from Arpoador to the Jardim de Alah, and Leblon carries on from the Jardim de Alah to the cliffs of Avenida Niemeyer. Ipanema has numbered postos too, posto 9 among them, so the nearest one is the first thing to note. Leblon gets surfed when the sea is rough.
Barra da Tijuca
Barra is the largest beach in Rio. The waves break a long way out, which leaves a lot of room on the sand, and it is a kitesurfing beach. It has several kiosks, and the one nearest your chair is the thing to remember. Further west, past Recreio, Prainha and Grumari are surf beaches with forest behind them.
Niterói
Niterói, the city next to Rio, has beaches on the bay, Icaraí among them, and open-sea beaches in its Oceanic Region, including Piratininga, Camboinhas and Itaipu. At Itaipu the cove and its islands make a sheltered stretch of water that suits paddling and children.
Búzios
In the centre of Búzios, the Orla Bardot promenade, with its wooden decks and stone floors, is on Praia da Armação, and cruise passengers come ashore at the central pier. Rua das Pedras, a street of shops, restaurants and bars, comes to life at dusk. Geribá is a favourite with surfers and young people, and Ferradura is a good choice for people with children. Children swim among fish in the calm, clear water at Tartaruga, João Fernandinho lies next to João Fernandes, and Ferradurinha suits kayaks and paddleboards.
Cabo Frio and Arraial do Cabo
Praia do Forte, the main landmark of Cabo Frio, has the Forte São Mateus at one end and a food court of kiosks along the shore. Praia do Siqueira is on the Araruama lagoon, in a community of artisanal fishermen. In Arraial do Cabo, boat trips along the coast leave from Praia dos Anjos, which also has a wide choice of restaurants. Boats and a trail from Anjos reach Praia do Forno, stairways lead down to the two Prainhas do Pontal do Atalaia, and Praia Grande draws surfers.
Paraty and Ilha Grande
Ilha Grande, in Angra dos Reis, can only be reached by sea, and boats cross from the centre of Angra dos Reis. At Vila do Abraão the ferry and the tourist boats come in at the piers, and boats lie at anchor along most of the shore. In Paraty the sea runs into some streets of the historic centre at high tide, and the calm bay is used for kayaking, snorkelling and sailing out to islands. From Abraão, boats drop people at Praia do Pouso for the short trail over the hill to Lopes Mendes, a shallow beach of fine white sand on the ocean side, shaded by almond trees. Far round the island, Aventureiro sits beside the long beaches of Praia do Sul and Praia do Leste.
How the chat with us goes
Your words, not a form
There is nothing to fill in. Tell it on WhatsApp the way you would tell a friend, in as many messages as you need.
The small details count
Which posto, which kiosk, which side of the boat: we pass on every detail you give, because on a crowded city beach those are what narrow the ground.
When the odds look thin
We say so in the chat and give the reason, then leave the decision with you.
Costs in writing
We explain the costs before any search is booked, in a written message you can keep.
What the water was doing matters here
Surf beaches and gentler ones sit side by side, sometimes in the same town.
Rough days, gentle beaches
At Barra da Tijuca some days are better for swimming and others only for surfing. In Búzios, Geribá draws surfers, while Ferradura in the same town suits people with children. Tell us what the sea was doing when you went in.
Lagoon water as well as sea
Praia do Siqueira in Cabo Frio is on the Araruama lagoon. In Niterói the Oceanic Region has the Itaipu and Piratininga lagoons, suited to canoeing and stand up paddle. Pin the place you went into the lagoon, not only the beach.
Want a first idea of your chances? Try the lost ring recovery calculator.
Questions about Rio de Janeiro, Búzios, Cabo Frio and Ilha Grande
The wedding band was in the pocket of my shorts during a game of altinha on Copacabana, and now the pocket is empty.
Then the search ground is wherever the game was and wherever your bag and towel were. Copacabana is divided into postos, so start with the number of the one you were nearest. Tell us how far the game was from your things, and whether you went into the sea in the same shorts.
I rolled my watch up in a towel at Arpoador while I went surfing, and it had gone when I came out.
Arpoador is a surf spot beside the Rock of Arpoador, so say how far along the sand from the rock your towel lay. Think about who moved or shook out the towel while you were in the water. Send a pin for where you left it, and describe the watch and its clasp.
We spent the day under a sunshade at Barra da Tijuca, and only noticed the ring had gone back at the hotel.
Barra is the largest beach in Rio, and it has several kiosks, so the one nearest your sunshade is the easiest way to fix the spot. Describe it as well as you can, and any building you remember behind the beach. Say too whether the sunshade stood up the beach or near the water, and whether you went in the sea.
Our son's bracelet came off while he was splashing about in the cove at Itaipu, in Niterói.
The cove at Itaipu and its islands make a sheltered stretch of water, and it is a place people bring children. Tell us where on the sand you had set up, whether he was knee deep or waist deep, and whether the bracelet has a metal clasp.
One of my earrings came out while we were playing a game on the sand at Geribá.
Geribá is a favourite with surfers and young people. Tell us which part of the beach you played on, where you had left your things, and whether you went into the sea afterwards. A photo of the other earring shows the detectorist its size.
My sunglasses went over the side as our boat came back in to the central pier in Búzios.
The central pier is in the centre of Búzios, and it is where cruise passengers are brought ashore. Tell us which side of the boat you were on, whether it had tied up yet, and whether the frames are metal or plastic. Ask the crew first.
Praia do Forte in Cabo Frio is long. How would anyone know which part to look at?
It is 7.5 kilometres long, but it has two good markers. The Forte São Mateus stands at one end, and a food court of kiosks stands along the shore. Tell us the kiosk you were nearest, or how long you walked from the fort.
We crossed to Ilha Grande for the day, and the engagement ring did not come back with us.
The island is reached only by sea, so the crossing is part of the day and the boat is the first thing to check. After that comes Vila do Abraão, where the boats come in and where there are restaurants and bars along the beach. Put the day in order for us, from the boat out to the boat back, with the times you remember.
Rio de Janeiro, Búzios, Cabo Frio and Ilha Grande
Send the first message from the sand, if you can
A pin dropped where you stand is worth more than one placed from memory.
A photo of the ring, or of you wearing it, helps from the start, and we ask about the posto, the kiosk or the boat once we have it. Open WhatsApp and drop a pin where the game or the towel was.