Saint Martin
Engagement ring lost in Saint Martin?
Grand Case, the trade winds on Orient Bay, the shallows off Pinel, Marigot and the Terres Basses.
Something lost while wading at Pinel or on the sand at Grand Case can be searched for. What decides the odds is how calm and shallow the water was where it went, and how closely your map pin and photos lead the search back to your spot.
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 the French side of Saint Martin. 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.
Trade winds, a reef and quiet coves on the French side
Orient Bay, in the northeast, faces the Atlantic and its strong trade winds, which make it popular with kitesurfers and windsurfers. Farther south, a large coral reef keeps the swell off Le Galion.
Toward the north and west, several bays are sheltered. Anse Marcel lies in a cove out of the wind, where the sea is often as calm as a lake, and Grand Case and Friar's Bay are both protected from the swell. In the Terres Basses, Plum Bay has two moods: calm enough to snorkel in still weather, and waves hitting the shore when there is a swell.
Once you have written to us
No new faces halfway through
One person handles your case on WhatsApp, from the first message to the result.
Your spot, as you saw it
Whoever searches knows your spot before they arrive, from the pin to the view in your photos and what the item looks like.
Plain talk about the odds
A ring dropped on the sand at Grand Case is an easier search than one lost at the reef wave at Le Galion, and we say plainly which kind yours is.
Costs, then your decision
We explain the costs before any search is booked, and whether to book is your call alone.
Grand Case, Orient Bay and the rest of the French side
From Grand Case round to the Terres Basses, bay by bay. Tintamarre, the Rocher Créole and the islet of Petite Clé are left alone.
Bays from Grand Case round to Baie Longue
Grand Case and Petite Plage
The long beach at Grand Case runs along the edge of a fishing village and is lined with restaurants, including the traditional lolos. Sheltered from the swell, the bay has calm, blue and green water over white sand. Loungers and parasols go out by day, and at dusk people gather at the water's edge to watch the sunset. Petite Plage carries the beach on to the north, a thin strip of sand with rocks to snorkel around.
Orient Bay (Baie Orientale)
Orient Bay has two kilometers of white sand, with restaurants set right on the beach, loungers to book, and wilder stretches where people simply spread a towel. Kitesurfers and windsurfers use the water in front. Tell us whether you had a lounger or a towel, and the name of the restaurant nearest to it.
Le Galion (Coconut Grove)
Past Orient Bay heading south, Le Galion sits behind a large coral reef. Inside that reef the water is warm, clear and shallow between seagrass and sandbanks. Local surfers ride the wave out on the reef all year, so tell us if you were in the shallows or out at the wave.
Ilet Pinel
A small islet off the east coast, facing the bay of Cul-de-Sac, reached by shuttle boat, kayak or paddleboard. The main beach is a very sheltered tongue of sand with calm, shallow water for wading and snorkeling. A short walk across the scrub leads to a second beach, wild and stony, that takes the Atlantic waves. Say which of the two beaches you used, and mention the shuttle ride too.
Anse Marcel
A beach in a large cove on the north of the island, behind rolling hills. The bay is sheltered from the wind, and the shallow sea is often as calm as a lake. Hotels and restaurants put out loungers, a water sports club has jet skis, kayaks and paddleboards, and the village spreads around Port de Lonvilliers, so a loss could be in the shallows, off a kayak or at the port.
Friar's Bay and Happy Bay
Friar's Bay, or Anse des Pères, is a family beach in the northwest: a cove of fine sand, well protected from the swell, with shallow water looking across to Anguilla. It gets busy on weekends and is known for its full moon parties. Happy Bay is reached on foot from Friar's Bay along a steep stretch of coast, and has a few rocks and coconut palms. Say which beach, and whether it was a party night.
Marigot and Galisbay
Galisbay, also called Baie de la Potence, is the town beach in the middle of Marigot, below Fort Louis at the northern end of Marigot Bay. The seafront road beside it leads to the shops, restaurants and the gare maritime, so for keys or a phone, say whether you were on the sand or up by the road.
Baie Nettlé
Near Marigot, Baie Nettlé runs along both sides of a peninsula. The sea side is a long band of sand, well suited to kitesurf lessons. Across the road, the lagoon side has fine sand and coconut palms, and calm water used for jet skiing and water skiing. Tell us which side of the road you were on.
Baie Rouge, Baie Longue and Plum Bay
Baie Rouge, where the Terres Basses begin, is a roomy beach with ochre cliffs on its east side and small nooks among sand-covered rocks. Baie Longue is a long stretch of fine sand running to the Pointe des Canonniers. Beyond that point, Plum Bay is calm enough to snorkel on still days and a surf spot in a swell. Pin the nook or the stretch you used.
Places we cover on Saint Martin
- Grand Case
- Petite Plage
- Orient Bay (Baie Orientale)
- Le Galion (Coconut Grove)
- Ilet Pinel
- Anse Marcel
- Friar's Bay (Anse des Pères)
- Happy Bay
- Marigot and Galisbay
- Baie Nettlé
- Baie Rouge
- Baie Longue
- Baie aux Prunes (Plum Bay)
Lost on the French side, and how
Off a hand, an ear or an ankle
- Engagement rings
- Wedding bands
- Stacked rings and eternity bands
- Anklets and bracelets
- Necklaces and earrings
Metal you carried or strapped on
- Sports and dive watches
- Smartwatches
- Smart rings such as Oura
- Villa and rental car keys
- Phones
- Glasses with metal frames
Kite lessons, shuttles and full moons
- A kitesurf or windsurf lesson at Orient Bay
- Wading off Pinel, then the shuttle boat back
- A surf lesson on the reef wave at Le Galion
- The full moon party at Friar's Bay
- Stepping ashore at Port de Lonvilliers in Anse Marcel
What happens once you get in touch
At every stage you know what comes next.
Open a WhatsApp chat
Say what is missing, which beach you were on and when you last had it.
Show us where, show us what
Drop a pin where you think it came off, and send pictures of that part of the beach and of the item.
Matched to your bay
We look for a detectorist who can reach that beach and hand over everything you sent, so the search starts from your spot.
Your go-ahead, then a full account
The search goes ahead on a day you have agreed to, and afterward you get an honest account of how it went.
Questions about Saint Martin
The water at Pinel was only knee deep. Does that help with an engagement ring that went while we were wading?
It helps. The main beach on Pinel is a very sheltered tongue of sand with calm, shallow water, so a ring lost while wading there went in water people can stand in. Pin where you waded, and say if you also walked over to the stony beach on the Atlantic side.
I came off the kiteboard a few times at Orient Bay, and my wedding band was gone by the end of the lesson.
A ring that went down out in the lesson area may be a long shot, and you would hear that from us first. If it may have come off after you were back on the sand, that is a far easier search, and on two kilometers of beach your pins matter: one where the lesson set off, one at your lounger or towel.
My bracelet went sometime between lunch on a Grand Case lounger and the sunset. Where would a search start?
In two places. The bay is sheltered from the swell and the water is calm, so if you stood in the shallows at sunset, that stretch counts as much as the lounger. Tell us which restaurant the lounger belonged to, where you stood for the sunset, and whether you walked on to Petite Plage.
Is Le Galion all shallow water? A key fob went while I was swimming.
Inside the reef, yes: warm, shallow water between seagrass and sandbanks. Out on the reef itself, a wave curls over the coral and surfers ride it. Pin where you swam and say whether you went out toward the wave, because the reef decides where a search would begin.
Is a phone lost on the sand at a Friar's Bay full moon party worth a search?
It can be, provided you can say roughly where the crowd was. Friar's Bay is a cove of fine sand, well protected from the swell, with shallow water. Photos or videos from the night that show the bay behind you are the best guide, and say whether you went in the water.
A necklace went into the water at Port de Lonvilliers in Anse Marcel. Is there anything to be done?
Send it to us. Port de Lonvilliers sits in Anse Marcel, a bay sheltered from the wind where the sea is often calm. Give us the boat's name or the berth, and say whether the necklace fell from the boat or as you stepped ashore.
We spread our towels in one of the rocky nooks at Baie Rouge, and by the time we reached the car my anklet was missing.
Baie Rouge has small nooks among sand-covered rocks, with ochre cliffs along its east side. Describe the rocks next to your towel, say whether you were near the cliffs at the east end, and drop a pin on the nook.
Saint Martin
Where on the French side did you last see it?
Whichever bay it was, that last sighting is where a search begins. Drop a pin on it in WhatsApp and send it to us with a line about what you lost.