Mazatlán
Lost a ring or chain to a wave in Mazatlán?
Waves break along the old town's boardwalk, and boats leave the Golden Zone for the islands offshore.
The chance of finding a chain lost to a wave at a Mazatlán beach rests on your memory of where you walked into the sea. If you can stand on that spot again, and the chain came off where the water was still shallow enough to stand in, a detectorist has somewhere definite to begin.
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 Mazatlán, one of the places we cover on the Pacific coast of Mexico.
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.
At Olas Altas the waves break along the boardwalk of Old Mazatlán, and the beach suits both swimming and surfing. The Golden Zone beaches, Playa Norte, Playa Brujas in Cerritos, Isla de la Piedra and Isla de Venados are here too.
Pin the place you went into the sea
Go back to the line of the water where you went in and save it on your phone's map before you leave the beach. From there, look for something that will not move, such as a monument on the malecón, a named building, or one of the three islands off the Golden Zone. Note the time, and whether you were in the breaking waves or past them.
The malecón is made up of named stretches: La Puntilla by the docks and ferries, El Faro, Paseo del Centenario, Paseo Olas Altas, Paseo Claussen, and Avenida del Mar along Playa Norte. Saying which one you were on narrows things down.
Places we cover in Mazatlán
- Old Mazatlán and the Historic Center
- The malecón, from La Puntilla to Avenida del Mar
- El Faro and Cerro del Crestón
- Playa Olas Altas and Paseo Olas Altas
- Playa Los Pinitos and Paseo Claussen
- The Clavadista lookout
- Playa Norte
- The Golden Zone (Zona Dorada)
- Playa Gaviotas
- Playa Sábalo (Camarón Sábalo)
- Playa Luna Bonita
- Playa Cerritos
- Playa Brujas
- Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island)
- Isla de Venados (Deer Island)
- Isla de Pájaros and Isla de Chivos
- The cruise terminal and Playa Sur
- Marina Mazatlán
From the port and the old town to Cerritos and the islands
Swimmers and surfers use the old town's beaches, while the Golden Zone has the city's traditional hotels and the boats out to Isla de Venados.
Playa Olas Altas and Los Pinitos
Olas Altas is the beach of Old Mazatlán, where people swim and surf, and Paseo Olas Altas has a family feel in the evening, with the sunset and the nightlife. Los Pinitos is a small beach much loved by locals, at the start of the malecón just before Olas Altas, close to the Historic Center.
El Faro, La Puntilla and the Clavadista lookout
El Faro stands on top of Cerro del Crestón, a hill at the south of the city, and people from the port are already up there exercising early in the morning. La Puntilla is the stretch of the malecón by the docks and ferries. At the Clavadista lookout, on the Sánchez Taboada roundabout, divers jump from a rock into the water while visitors watch.
Playa Norte and Avenida del Mar
Playa Norte runs the whole length of Avenida del Mar, opposite the Fisherman Monument. Runners use its sand, and swimmers go into the sea from it.
Playa Gaviotas
Playa Gaviotas is in the Golden Zone, with plenty of tourist services and activities. Boats for Isla de Venados leave from several points along it, each in front of a hotel or a restaurant.
Playa Sábalo and Luna Bonita
Playa Camarón Sábalo lies along the Golden Zone, with the city's traditional hotels and restaurants on it and water activities of every kind. Luna Bonita reaches to where the Golden Zone ends, next to the Sábalo cliff that divides it from the beach beyond.
Cerritos and Playa Brujas
Cerritos is a beach of fine sand with a relaxed, calm feel, blending with the wild nature of Mazatlán. Playa Brujas, in Cerritos and away from the Hotel Zone, is good for surfing.
Isla de la Piedra, Playa Sur and the cruise terminal
Isla de la Piedra lies south of Mazatlán, across the water from the city. It has beaches of golden sand where people swim, snorkel and dive, and fresh seafood is served there. Boats cross to it from landings on the city side, one of them at Playa Sur near the cruise terminal.
Isla de Venados and the other two islands
Isla de Pájaros, Isla de Venados and Isla de Chivos sit on the horizon in front of the Golden Zone. Venados, or Deer Island, has a beach with clear water where people snorkel and scuba dive, and boats run out to it from Playa Gaviotas and from the marinas.
How Ring Seekers takes it from here
The same person throughout
One person at Ring Seekers reads what you send, asks the follow-up questions and keeps you posted on WhatsApp.
What we ask for
Where you went into the water, the time, how deep it was, and a photo of the chain or of one like it.
An honest read of the spot
Some places along this shore are easier to narrow down than others. Once we have your pins, we tell you which kind yours is.
Before you say yes
We explain the costs before any search is booked. Take the time you need to think it over.
Surf in the old town and the crossings to the islands
What the water was doing at the time decides where a search can begin.
Where people surf
Waves break along Paseo Olas Altas, and Olas Altas, Los Pinitos and Playa Brujas all suit surfing. When a chain goes in breaking waves, the moment you felt it pull is what we ask about before anything else. If it went where the water was too deep to stand, that is a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
Sand that moves at Olas Altas
At a certain time of year the sand at Olas Altas moves, and the rocks look as if they have shifted. If something went missing there, tell us the date as well as the place.
Crossings by boat
Boats leave for Isla de Venados from Playa Gaviotas and the marinas, and boats for Isla de la Piedra cross from landings such as Playa Sur. If something went missing on a trip out, tell us which landing you used and whether it happened getting on, getting off or on the island.
Want a first idea of your chances? Try the lost ring recovery calculator.
Questions about Mazatlán
A wave knocked me over at Olas Altas and my chain was gone when I stood up. What do you need from me?
Pin the point on the boardwalk opposite where you walked in. Olas Altas runs along Paseo Olas Altas in Old Mazatlán, so that point is easy to find again later. Then say whether the water was at your waist or your chest when the wave hit, and what the chain was made of.
Where exactly is Los Pinitos? My wedding band came off in the water there.
At the start of the malecón, just before Olas Altas and very close to the Historic Center, with easy access from Olas Altas Avenue. It is a small beach, and people swim and surf there. Tell us whether the band came off while you were swimming, on a board, or as you dried off on the sand.
I ran on the sand at Playa Norte every morning of our stay, and somewhere on those runs I lost my Oura ring.
A run covers a lot of beach, so the details that shorten it matter most: where you stepped onto the sand, where you turned back, and whether you stopped to stretch or went into the sea. The beach runs along Avenida del Mar, opposite the Fisherman Monument, which makes a handy fixed point when you describe your route.
My phone fell out of my board shorts while I was surfing at Playa Brujas.
Brujas is a surf beach in Cerritos, away from the Hotel Zone. Give us the spot on the sand where you left your things, the point where you came back out of the water, and the moment you found the pocket empty. Add the model of the phone and the color of its case.
Where do the Isla de Venados boats leave from on Playa Gaviotas? I lost a bracelet on that beach.
From several points along the beach, each in front of a hotel or a restaurant, and other boats go from the marinas. Name the building your boat left from, and say whether you were still waiting on the sand or already wading out when you last had the bracelet.
An anklet came off somewhere on Isla de Venados, between the boat and the snorkeling.
Venados has a beach with clear water where people snorkel and scuba dive. Mark where the boat put you ashore, where you left your things, and the stretch of shore you swam from. Describe the anklet, its metal and its clasp.
A ring slipped off while we swam at Isla de la Piedra, and we have no idea how far along the beach we were.
Work back from what was on the shore behind you. Seafood is served on the island, so the place where you ate or left your bags is a good landmark. Tell us which landing your boat left from, and whether the ring had been loose all week.
We leave Mazatlán tomorrow and a watch is missing from our afternoon on Playa Sábalo. What should we do tonight?
Walk back to where you sat and pin it, then look out to sea. Sábalo runs along the Golden Zone, and the three islands sit in front of it, so note which one was straight ahead of you. Send the watch's make and a photo of it, or of one like it, with the pin.
Mazatlán
Tell us the beach and how deep you were
Pictures of the piece help, even ones taken earlier in the trip.
Message us on WhatsApp with the beach, from Olas Altas to Brujas or out on Venados, a pin at the water's edge where you went in, and a line about what came off.