Sint Maarten
Lost a ring or phone in Sint Maarten?
This page covers the Dutch side, from the beach next to the runway at Maho to the Philipsburg boardwalk, Kim Sha on Simpson Bay and the surf at Guana Bay.
Whether a ring or phone dropped on Sint Maarten can be found starts with your photos. A picture of the patch of sand at Maho where you stood, or of the part of Mullet Bay where you swam, gives a detectorist somewhere to begin; a day spent moving between beaches leaves far more ground.
At Maho Beach, also called Airport Beach, planes come in to land just above the heads of the people watching from the sand.
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 Sint Maarten. 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.
Sheltered bays near town, surf at Guana Bay
Around Philipsburg the water is sheltered. Great Bay, in front of the town, is known for its calm water, and Little Bay, just around the corner on the southern coast, is protected by the outcrop of Fort Amsterdam. At Mullet Bay the water is calm most of the time, with a few waves here and there.
Guana Bay, on the east coast, is different, a surfing beach that usually has a heavy undertow. Dawn Beach, just south of the border with the French side, has clear water for snorkeling. At Cupecoy, low sandstone cliffs break the white sand into small coves.
Between your message and the search
No going over it twice
What you write in your first WhatsApp message is kept and passed on, so nobody asks you to go through the day again.
Your photos in the detectorist's hands
The detectorist gets your map pin, your beach photos and a picture of the item, with your notes on where you sat or swam.
A day spread over several beaches
A ring that could have come off at Maho, Mullet Bay or Cupecoy on the same afternoon may be a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
Your towels and the water
We will ask where your towels were and whether you went in the water, so note both while you remember. A beach bar or sign near your towels is worth noting too.
The price question
We explain the costs before any search is booked, and nothing goes ahead until you say so.
Beaches and bays of the Dutch side
Each card is one beach or bay, with what it is like and what helps us place a loss there. We leave the Man of War Shoal Marine Park, south of Philipsburg, alone.
Sand, rocks, coves and a lagoon
Great Bay and the Philipsburg boardwalk
Great Bay Beach stretches for two miles in front of Philipsburg, the capital of the Dutch side, and is known for its calm water. The boardwalk along it leads to shops, restaurants and water sports, and there are beach chairs at the shore. On a beach this long, pin the chair you sat on.
Little Bay, next to Fort Amsterdam
Little Bay is a small beach just around the corner from Great Bay, protected by the outcrop of Fort Amsterdam on the edge of Philipsburg. Snorkeling excursions use the rocks here to explore the underwater world. Tell us whether you stayed on the sand or went out to the rocks.
Maho Beach, known as Airport Beach
Maho Beach is next to the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport and has become a popular spot for plane watchers, who come to see aircraft on final approach. There are plenty of beach bars nearby. Tell us roughly when the plane you were watching came over, and send a photo that takes in the nearest beach bar.
Mullet Bay
Mullet Bay is a white sand beach where the water is calm most of the time, with a few waves here and there. People ride buggy boards on those waves. For something lost in the water, how deep the water was where you stood narrows it down.
Simpson Bay Beach and Kim Sha
Simpson Bay Beach is a two-kilometer beach dotted with homes, vacation homes and a few small resort hotels. People kayak along its shore and go flyboarding off it. The part popularly known as Kim Sha has its own parking lot, and events are held on the beach there. With two kilometers of sand to choose from, a pin makes a big difference.
Simpson Bay Lagoon and Cole Bay
The Simpson Bay Lagoon is home to most of the Dutch side's marinas, and the border between the Dutch and French sides runs through its water. People kayak through its mangroves. Cole Bay starts right east of the Simpson Bay Bridge and follows the lagoon shore, where much of the island's yachting industry has settled. For keys or a phone dropped from a dock or a dinghy, the name of the marina and the berth come first.
Cupecoy Beach
Cupecoy is quiet without being totally secluded. Its white sand is backed by low sandstone cliffs, eroded into a run of small, semiprivate coves. Because the coves sit side by side, a photo that shows the cliff behind your towel tells a detectorist which one to start in.
Dawn Beach and Guana Bay
Dawn Beach is just south of the border with the French side, with clear water that people snorkel in. Guana Bay is a surfing beach, and there is usually a heavy undertow. At either, say whether you were on the sand or in the water when you last had the item.
Places we cover in Sint Maarten
- Great Bay (Philipsburg)
- Philipsburg boardwalk
- Little Bay
- Maho Beach
- Mullet Bay
- Simpson Bay Beach
- Kim Sha
- Simpson Bay Lagoon
- Cole Bay
- Cupecoy Beach
- Dawn Beach
- Guana Bay
- Cay Bay
- Gibbs Bay
Lost on the Dutch side of the island
Still on you when you went in
- Wedding bands and engagement rings
- Signet rings and family rings
- Toe rings and anklets
- Gold chains with a pendant
- Hoop and stud earrings
Held, clipped or pocketed
- Smartwatches and dive watches
- Oura rings
- Car key fobs and apartment keys
- Phones
- Metal-framed sunglasses
On the day itself
- Looking up at a landing at Maho Beach
- Stepping down from the boardwalk onto Great Bay
- Snorkeling by the rocks at Little Bay
- Riding a buggy board at Mullet Bay
- An event night at Kim Sha
- Climbing from a dinghy at a Simpson Bay Lagoon marina
- Surfing at Guana Bay
From your WhatsApp to the search report
Four stages, from the details of your day to the report afterward.
A few lines on WhatsApp
Say what went missing and roughly when you last had it. The finer details can follow.
Map and photos of the spot
A map pin on your best guess, a picture of the item and a few shots of the sand or water around that spot. At Maho, get the nearest beach bar into the frame.
A detectorist, fully briefed
We find a detectorist who can get to that part of the Dutch side and go through your brief with them before the search.
How it went, in plain words
Once the detectorist has been out, we tell you which patches of sand or water they worked and what came up, if anything.
Questions about Sint Maarten
Everyone around me was filming the landing at Maho Beach, and my phone went down somewhere in the sand.
Pin your own spot, not just the beach. Maho Beach is next to the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport, and plane watchers gather along it to see aircraft on final approach. Say whether you were on dry sand or at the water's edge, and send a photo that takes in the nearest beach bar.
Does it matter where we came down from the boardwalk onto Great Bay Beach? My engagement ring went there.
It helps a lot. Great Bay Beach stretches for two miles in front of Philipsburg, with the boardwalk running along it, so the place you stepped down and the chair you took tell a detectorist which part to start on. Say too whether you went into the calm water there.
A watch went while snorkeling off the rocks at Little Bay, or maybe later on the beach.
When you noticed decides where to start. Little Bay is a small beach sheltered by the outcrop of Fort Amsterdam, and snorkelers explore along its rocks. If the strap gave way out at the rocks, the watch is in the water; if you only noticed back on your towel, it could be either. Tell us which.
The waves at Mullet Bay took my wedding band while I was on a buggy board.
The water at Mullet Bay is calm most of the time, with a few waves here and there, and those waves are where people ride buggy boards, so the spot where you caught them is the place to start. Pin where you went in, and say how far along the beach that was and whether you stayed near the shore.
A key fob went missing during an event night at Kim Sha. Does it help that we know where we parked?
Yes. Kim Sha is the popular name for part of Simpson Bay Beach, and it has its own parking lot. Two pins help here, one for where you parked and one for where you were during the event, plus the route you walked between them. Mention anything clipped to the keys.
Our kayak went through the mangroves in Simpson Bay Lagoon, and the Oura ring was not on my finger when we got back.
The lagoon is a big place to start from, shared by the Dutch and French sides with the border running through its water. Tell us where you set out from, which stretch of mangroves you paddled through, and when you noticed the ring had gone.
Which cove at Cupecoy? An earring went while we were sitting under the cliffs.
The cove is the key question. The white sand at Cupecoy is backed by low sandstone cliffs, eroded into a run of small coves, so a photo from where you sat that shows the cliff line settles it. Then pin the spot.
Sint Maarten
Pin the beach, then send the message
Maho, Great Bay, Kim Sha or Guana Bay, it makes no difference which. The next step is a WhatsApp message, with a map pin dropped where you think the item was lost.