Ecuador
Lost a ring or watch in the surf in Ecuador?
From the surf towns of Santa Elena to Salinas and Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz.
A ring or watch lost on an Ecuadorian beach is worth a search when you can narrow down the stretch of sand. Olón runs for 3 km and Mar Bravo for 15, so the café, the hotel or the rocks you were near count for more than the name of the town.
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 in Ecuador. 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.
On Santa Cruz in the Galápagos, Tortuga Bay is reached by land from Puerto Ayora or by passenger boat, so tell us which way you came.
Where two currents meet the Pacific shore
Ecuador's coast runs from mangroves to cliffs. On the Santa Elena peninsula, Salinas sits on an open bay with calm water, while Punta Carnero to the south is a wide beach that suits sunbathers and surfers more than swimmers.
Farther north, Montañita is known for its right-hand wave, and Olón next door has gentle waves on a long golden beach. At Los Frailes, inside Machalilla National Park, there are no hotels or restaurants on the sand. Out in the Pacific, Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz has white sand, turquoise water and mangroves.
What we do once you write
One person from Montañita to the Galápagos
Your messages reach one person, who arranges the search and keeps you posted until it is over.
Notes for the searcher
We turn your pin, photos and account into notes the detectorist reads before reaching the sand, so the search starts at the right bar, rock or hotel.
Surf or sand, we say which
A ring dropped on the dry sand at Chipipe is a small search. A watch pulled off in the break at Montañita may have moved with the waves, and you will know which case yours is before any plan is made.
The facts that save the most time
Which beach, roughly when, whether you were in the water, and a photo of the item.
You decide after hearing the costs
We explain the costs before any search is booked. Nothing moves until you say go.
Ecuadorian beaches we cover, from Santa Elena to Santa Cruz
Each card below is a beach or town visitors know by name. Tell us which one it was and what you were doing there.
Pacific beaches and a Galápagos bay
Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz
Tortuga Bay is a white sand beach near Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz, with turquoise water and mangroves where reef sharks and rays swim. Visitors reach it by land or by passenger boat, and it is one of the busiest visit sites near Puerto Ayora. Tell us where on the beach you sat, whether you swam, and how you got there.
Montañita
Montañita is a resort that draws visitors from all over the world, known for its right-hand wave, golden sand and surf lessons. At night, bars turn into clubs and music plays on the main corners. A few minutes' walk north, the beaches are quieter.
Olón and Manglaralto
Olón, five minutes from Montañita, has a golden sand beach 3 km long with gentle waves, where people come for easygoing surf and long walks. Manglaralto is a beach for resting and watching the sunset, and at low tide you can walk along the sand from there to Montañita.
Ayangue and Playa Rosada
Ayangue is a fishing and diving village close to the El Pelado islet, a favorite with divers. To one side of the village lies Playa Rosada, whose sand takes its pink tint from the coral reef in front of it.
Salinas, the Malecón and Chipipe
Salinas sits on an open bay with calm water, and its beach life centers on the main Malecón and Chipipe, which get very busy in high season. Bikes and tricycles run along the Malecón, and people surf at Pueblo Nuevo.
Punta Carnero and Mar Bravo
Punta Carnero, south of Salinas, is a very wide beach used more for sunbathing than swimming, and surfers come here too. Mar Bravo, in the Salinas canton, runs for 15 km and is known for its sunsets. On beaches this size, a map pin matters more than the beach name.
Ballenita and Playa de Cautivo
Ballenita is a very quiet beach where people walk, play sports and sunbathe. In La Libertad, Playa de Cautivo runs for a kilometer near La Carioca, with swimming, volleyball, football and surfing.
Los Frailes and Puerto López
Los Frailes lies inside Machalilla National Park, a short taxi or mototaxi ride from Puerto López. There are no hotels or restaurants on the beach, only trails, lookouts and calm, clean water, so the route you took from the lookout is worth describing.
Playas (General Villamil)
General Villamil is known simply as Playas. Families gather there at weekends for ceviche from beach carts and calm water that is good for swimming, and people walk its malecón at sunset.
Places we cover in Ecuador
- Tortuga Bay, Santa Cruz, Galápagos
- Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz
- Playa Mann, San Cristóbal
- Montañita
- Olón
- Manglaralto
- Ayangue and Playa Rosada
- Palmar
- Ballenita
- Playa de Cautivo, La Libertad
- Salinas and the Malecón
- Chipipe, Salinas
- Punta Carnero
- Mar Bravo
- Los Frailes, Machalilla National Park
- Puerto López
- Playas (General Villamil)
- Mompiche
- Jambelí
Lost on the Ecuadorian shore
Worn jewelry
- Wedding bands and engagement rings
- Necklaces and pendants
- Earrings
- Bracelets and anklets
Metal you carry to the beach
- Car and rental car keys
- Phones
- Watches, including surf watches
- An Oura ring
- Metal-framed sunglasses
Where it happens here
- A surf lesson at Montañita
- A night out on Montañita's corners
- Cycling the Malecón in Salinas
- Boarding a dive boat at Ayangue
- The low-tide walk from Manglaralto to Montañita
- A ceviche lunch on the sand at Playas
Four steps from your message to a search
You can do all of this from the coast, from the Galápagos or back home.
Write down what happened
A WhatsApp message with the item, the beach, the day, and whether you were surfing, swimming or on the sand.
A pin and two photos
A map pin at the last place you remember having it, plus pictures of that spot and of the item.
Someone to search, and a briefing
We look for a metal detectorist who can reach that beach and give them your pin, pictures and notes.
The day itself, then the findings
Once you agree, the day is set, and afterwards you hear what was covered and whether anything was found.
Questions about Ecuador
Can a watch lost in the Montañita surf during a lesson still turn up?
It can be, if you can place where you were in the water. Tell us where you paddled out and where you came back in, how long after the lesson you noticed, and send a photo of the watch.
I lost my ring at Tortuga Bay on Santa Cruz, and we fly home from the Galápagos tomorrow.
Leaving is no obstacle, as the search does not need you there. Tortuga Bay is near Puerto Ayora and reached by land or by passenger boat, so tell us how you came, where you sat and whether you swam.
An earring dropped on the beach at Chipipe in Salinas.
Chipipe and the main Malecón are the heart of beach life in Salinas, and they get very busy in high season. Pin where your towel was and name the nearest building on the seafront.
My phone went missing somewhere on the beach at Olón.
Olón's beach is 3 km long, so the name alone leaves a lot of sand. Say where you came down onto the beach, how far you walked, and whether the phone could have gone into the water.
A bracelet went while we were getting into the boat for a dive off Ayangue.
Tell us whether it went on the beach, in the shallows as you climbed aboard, or out at the dive site near El Pelado. The beach and the shallows are ground a detectorist can work; open water at the dive site is a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
We walked from Manglaralto to Montañita along the sand and my wedding band is gone.
That walk is made at low tide, so part of the sand you crossed may now be under water. Tell us what time you set off and send any photos from the walk, since they show where you were.
How do I describe where my sunglasses fell at Punta Carnero?
Punta Carnero is a very wide beach, so pin where you stood. Say whether the frames are metal, and whether you were near the water or farther up the sand.
We lost the car keys at Los Frailes near Puerto López.
Los Frailes has no hotels or restaurants on the sand, only trails and lookouts, so retrace your route: which trail or lookout you took, where you sat on the beach, and when you last had the keys.
Ecuador
Write to us from Salinas, Santa Cruz or home
Send a WhatsApp with what you lost and the beach it was on, and add a map pin where you last had it.