Chile
Lost a ring or watch in Chile?
Surf classes at Reñaca and Pichilemu, and a lake beach under the volcano at Pucón.
Whether a watch or ring that slipped away in a Chilean surf class turns up again depends mostly on how closely you can place the water you were in and the sand you walked back over. Finding it is possible, and a pier or a headland in one of your photos cuts the ground down quickly.
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 Chile. 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.
From warm northern beaches to a lake beneath a volcano
Arica's beaches are warmer than those in the rest of the country, and at Iquique people swim, surf and bodyboard off Playa Cavancha. Farther south, long walkways join the beaches of La Serena to those of Coquimbo.
On the central coast, Reñaca's golden sand draws surfers and bodyboarders, while Zapallar's beaches are for resting. At Pichilemu, headlands and rock formations reach out into the Pacific at Punta de Lobos. Inland, Lake Villarrica lies beneath its volcano.
Before a detectorist heads for the Chilean coast
Nobody new halfway through
Your first message and the final report sit in one WhatsApp conversation, with the same person replying.
Your pin and photos travel with the brief
The detectorist receives your pin, each photo and your own words about the day, exactly as you sent them.
Surf, open water and honest odds
A watch taken by the surf at Punta de Lobos, or a phone let go from a launch far out in Valparaíso's bay, starts with poor odds. We tell you that before anything is booked.
Which beach, by its own name
Along the Avenida del Mar at La Serena each stretch of shore has its own beach name. Give us yours and what you lost, and say when you noticed it was gone.
Agreed before anyone sets off
We explain the costs before any search is booked. Until you give the go-ahead, nothing moves.
Where on the Chilean shore it happened
Nine stops, read from the top of the country downwards, with the lakeshore at Pucón last.
Down the Pacific coast, then inland
Arica
Arica's beaches are warmer than the rest of the country's, so people of all ages swim there. On Chinchorro and Las Machas children and teenagers learn to ride the waves, while experienced surfers go for El Gringo, on the Alacrán peninsula. Beside the Morro, paragliders launch from the hills above El Laucho and La Lisera.
Iquique and Bahía Inglesa
Playa Cavancha is Iquique's main beach, used for swimming, surfing and jet skis. On the Atacama coast, Bahía Inglesa has turquoise water and white sand, and its beaches La Piscina, El Chuncho and Las Machas have gentle waves.
La Serena, the Avenida del Mar
La Serena's seafront is split into beaches with their own names: Los Fuertes, Mansa, Blanca, La Barca, Cuatro Esquinas, La Marina, El Pescador, El Corsario, Hipocampo, Las Gaviotas and Canto de Agua, most of them along a cycle path. Playa El Faro is not for swimming but is busy all the same, because people come to photograph the Faro Monumental.
Coquimbo, Guanaqueros and Tongoy
La Herradura in Coquimbo has calm water for swimming, a yacht club and a fishermen's cove, and surfers head for Totoralillo. To the south, Guanaqueros has boat trips along the coast. Tongoy sits on a small peninsula split into two beaches: Playa Socos, with calm water and little swell, and the long Playa Grande de Tongoy, known for recreational fishing.
Papudo, Zapallar and Maitencillo
Maitencillo is the place for water and air sports, with Aguas Blancas and El Abanico used for surfing, kitesurfing and paragliding. Zapallar is more exclusive, with beaches for resting, and Papudo's beaches are wider and made for families.
Viña del Mar and Valparaíso
Caleta Abarca and El Sol are Viña del Mar's central beaches, and Las Salinas is a family beach suited to sport as well as rest. A coastal walk runs from the Reloj de Flores towards Caleta Abarca and Miramar, passing the Castillo Wulff on its rocks. Across the bay in Valparaíso, launches take visitors round the bay from Muelle Prat.
Reñaca
Reñaca belongs to Viña del Mar, and its golden sand is used for surfing and bodyboarding. Its landmarks include the Mirador de Cochoa lookout and Avenida Borgoño, lined with seafood restaurants.
Pichilemu and Punta de Lobos
Punta de Lobos draws surfers from around the world, and its schools teach surfing, bodyboarding and windsurfing. Headlands and rock formations reach out from it into the Pacific. In town, the beaches include Playa Principal and La Caletilla at Infiernillo.
Pucón on Lake Villarrica
Pucón and Villarrica stand on Lake Villarrica, used for sailing, kayaking and water-skiing, with boat tours leaving from the jetties in both towns. In Pucón, the Paseo Ansorena is a lit walkway from Calle Ansorena down to Playa Grande, the town's lake beach.
Places we cover in Chile
- Chinchorro and Las Machas, Arica
- El Laucho and La Lisera, Arica
- Playa Cavancha, Iquique
- Bahía Inglesa
- La Serena
- Avenida del Mar beaches, La Serena
- Playa El Faro, La Serena
- La Herradura, Coquimbo
- Totoralillo
- Guanaqueros
- Tongoy
- Papudo
- Zapallar
- Maitencillo
- Viña del Mar
- Caleta Abarca and El Sol, Viña del Mar
- Las Salinas, Viña del Mar
- Reñaca
- Muelle Prat, Valparaíso
- Pichilemu
- Punta de Lobos, Pichilemu
- Playa Grande, Pucón
- Parque Metropolitano, Santiago
What goes missing in Chile, and where
Jewellery that comes off
- Wedding and engagement rings
- Necklaces and the pendants on them
- Earrings
- Bangles and cuffs
Pocket and wrist metal
- A ring that tracks your sleep, such as an Oura
- Waterproof watches and smartwatches
- Phones
- Car and apartment keys
- Glasses and sunglasses with metal frames
Where it slipped away
- A surf class on Las Machas, Arica
- A ride along the Avenida del Mar cycle path, La Serena
- Engagement photos at the Reloj de Flores, Viña del Mar
- A launch trip round the bay from Muelle Prat, Valparaíso
- Water-skiing on Lake Villarrica
- A picnic in the Parque Metropolitano, Santiago
Getting a search going in Chile
Four steps, and the first takes a few minutes on your phone.
The item and the day, by WhatsApp
Write down what is missing, where in Chile you were, and whether you swam, surfed or went out on a boat.
The spot, from your phone's map
Send a location pin for the last place you are sure you had it, the photos you took that afternoon and a picture of the item.
A detectorist for Reñaca, Tongoy or Pucón
This part is on us: a metal detectorist who can travel to that shore, briefed with the map and pictures from your phone.
A date, and an honest report
When you are happy to go ahead, a date is set. Whatever the detectorist turns up, or does not, you read their account in this same chat.
Questions about Chile
Bodyboarding at Reñaca cost me my smartwatch. What should I tell you?
Start with two pins: where you paddled out and where you walked back up the sand. If the Mirador de Cochoa or the restaurants on Avenida Borgoño show in a photo, that fixes your position on the beach. Add the make of the watch and the time you noticed.
Which of the Avenida del Mar beaches do you need, if the keys fell out somewhere on the cycle path?
The ones at each end of your ride, plus any where you stopped. La Serena's seafront is divided into named beaches from Los Fuertes and Mansa through Cuatro Esquinas to Canto de Agua, and the cycle path runs past most of them. Pin your stops and say whether the keys were in a pocket or a bag.
Does it matter whether my ring went at Playa Socos or at Playa Grande de Tongoy?
Yes. Playa Socos has calm water and little swell, and it is the busier of the two. Playa Grande de Tongoy runs for 14 km and draws people who come to fish. Along a beach that long, a pin and a photo with something fixed in it are what narrow the search.
My phone went into the water from a launch trip out of Muelle Prat in Valparaíso.
Where the boat was matters most. If the phone slipped between the launch and Muelle Prat while people were getting on or off, a searcher has a place to begin. Out in the middle of the bay it is a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
Photos at the Reloj de Flores in Viña del Mar are the last ones where my engagement ring shows. Can those pictures help?
Yes, a lot. With the flower clock in frame we can see where you stood, and the time stamps show when the ring was last on your hand. The clock is a good place to start the coastal walk towards Caleta Abarca and Miramar, so tell us whether you went on that way and down onto the sand.
My wedding band came off at the lake beach in Pucón. What is useful to know about Playa Grande?
Playa Grande is Pucón's beach on Lake Villarrica, and one way down to it is the Paseo Ansorena walkway from Calle Ansorena. Tell us whether you came that way, where your towel was in relation to it, and whether you went into the lake or out on the water.
What helps with an Oura ring lost at a picnic in the Parque Metropolitano in Santiago?
The way you came and went. The Parque Metropolitano covers Cerro San Cristóbal, with picnic areas among the woods, and you can go up on foot, by bike, by cable car or on the funicular. Tell us which you used each way and pin where the blanket was.
Chile
Put the beach in writing before you pack
If you are still in Chile, a photo taken today from where you sat is the most useful thing you can send. Message us on WhatsApp with it and a map pin, and from there the conversation is about that one beach.