Thailand
Lost a wedding ring in Thailand?
Horse rides and kiteboarding at Hua Hin, windsurfers at Jomtien, surf lessons at Pakarang and swan boats in Lumpini Park.
A detectorist can work the sand at Hua Hin, a lawn in Lumpini Park or the shallow water beside a pier, so there is ground to search when a ring or watch is lost in places like these. The deciding thing is how small you can make the area: the beach, the stretch of it, and what you were busy with when it went.
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 Thailand. Tell us what happened and where. We choose an experienced detectorist who knows the place, brief them with your map and photos, and tell you honestly if the odds are poor.
If it happened on Phuket, on Koh Samui or in Krabi, the page for that area goes into more detail, beach by beach.
The Gulf of Thailand, the Andaman coast and Bangkok
On the Gulf of Thailand, families come to Hua Hin for the shallow water. Koh Chang, in Trat, is mountainous, with golden beaches and coral reefs along its west coast.
On the Andaman side, the Khao Lak coast in Phang Nga has wide sandy beaches broken up by rocks. In Bangkok, think instead of the bridges over the Chao Phraya River and the city's parks.
Before anything is arranged
The same voice at the end as at the start
From your first WhatsApp message to the detectorist's report, you are writing to the same person at Ring Seekers.
Pictures of where you stood
Pictures of the item, and of the sand, lawn or pier taken from where you stood, go into the detectorist's brief with your map pin.
The activity shapes the search
Tell us what you were doing as well as where. A horse ride or a kite session follows a route, and that route marks out the ground to cover.
Time to think it over
We explain the costs before any search is booked, and nobody will hurry you into an answer.
Beaches, islands and parks without a page of their own
This page picks up where the three area pages leave off: the Gulf coast at Cha-am, Hua Hin, Pattaya and Koh Chang, the Andaman shore at Khao Lak, and Bangkok's parks and river. For Phuket, Koh Samui or Krabi, the matching card sends you to the page with more detail.
Gulf coast, Andaman coast and the capital
Phuket
Patong, Kata, Karon and Phuket's other major beaches all teach diving, snorkelling, windsurfing and sailing. The Phuket page goes through the beaches, piers and boat landings from Mai Khao to Rawai, and the waterfalls of Khao Phra Thaeo.
Koh Samui
Chaweng, Lamai and Taling Ngam are among Samui's beaches. The Koh Samui page takes them one at a time, then crosses the water to Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and the Ang Thong islands.
Krabi
For most visitors to Krabi, town means Ao Nang, a strip of hotels and shops beside the sea. Ao Nang, Railay, Phi Phi and Ko Lanta are all on the Krabi page.
Hua Hin and Cha-am
Hat Hua Hin is a 5-kilometre beach of white sand on the side of town where the sun rises. People jog, walk, ride horses and kiteboard along it. North of Hua Hin, people cycle along Cha-am's 6 kilometres of white sand.
Pattaya Beach and Jomtien
Pattaya Beach runs for about 3 kilometres, with hotels, restaurants and shops the whole way along. People swim at its quieter northern end. Jomtien, down the coast, is 6 kilometres long and largely straight, with windsurfers on the water and hotels along the road beside the shore.
Ko Lan
Ferries cross to Ko Lan, off Pattaya, from Laem Bali Hai Pier and come in at Na Ban Pier. Its white sand beaches include Hat Ta Waen and Hat Laem Thian, and on the other side of the island there are coral reefs to snorkel over.
Koh Chang
Koh Chang's main pier is on the side of the island facing the mainland. Hat Sai Khao is a beach people swim from. Hat Khlong Phrao is a long beach for swimming, and at its northern end it meets Laem Chaiyachet, a cape with a large rock standing alone in the water.
Khao Lak
At Nang Thong, casuarina and palm trees line the sand and rocks dot the water offshore, where people snorkel when the sea is calm. Bang Niang is a long shore with many tracks leading down to the beach. Pakarang Beach and Cape Pakarang are the heart of the surf, and north of the cape, Bang Sak is quiet white sand under casuarinas, where people come to picnic.
The Similan Islands
Speedboats cross to the Similan Islands from Thap Lamu Pier, south of Khao Lak, and land at Ko Miang. People snorkel in shallow water at Ao Hin, Ao Ruea Bai, Ao Kwang En and Hin Dok Mai, beneath the sail-shaped rock of Hin Ruea Bai. Name the bay and the boat.
Bangkok and Bang Krachao
In Lumpini Park, people jog in the shade, and swan paddle boats and rowing boats are rented out around the large lake. The Chao Phraya Sky Park carries a path for walkers and cyclists over the river, between the Thon Buri and Phra Nakhon sides. Across the river in Samut Prakan, Bang Krachao is a green area ringed by the Chao Phraya, where people hire bikes and ride its trails.
Places we cover in Thailand
- Patong, Phuket
- Rawai, Phuket
- Chaweng, Koh Samui
- Thong Sala, Koh Phangan
- Mae Hat, Koh Tao
- Ao Nang, Krabi
- Railay, Krabi
- Ko Phi Phi, Krabi
- Ko Lanta, Krabi
- Hua Hin
- Cha-am
- Pattaya Beach
- Jomtien Beach
- Ko Lan, Pattaya
- Hat Sai Khao, Koh Chang
- Hat Khlong Phrao, Koh Chang
- Nang Thong Beach, Khao Lak
- Bang Niang Beach, Khao Lak
- Pakarang Beach, Khao Lak
- Bang Sak Beach, Phang Nga
- Similan Islands and Ko Miang
- Mu Ko Ang Thong National Park, Koh Samui
- Khao Phra Thaeo waterfalls, Phuket
- Lumpini Park, Bangkok
- Chao Phraya Sky Park, Bangkok
- Bang Krachao, Samut Prakan
Lost on a Thai beach, a pier or a lake
Jewellery worn on holiday
- Plain and diamond-set wedding bands
- Engagement rings
- Pinky rings
- Gold chains and anklets
- Earrings on hooks and hoops
Taken along for the day
- Smart rings, Oura included
- GPS and dive watches
- Phones
- Hotel and condo keys
- Sunglasses in metal frames
Moments from a Thai trip
- A horse ride along Hua Hin beach
- Cycling the sand at Cha-am
- Windsurfing off Jomtien
- Stepping off the ferry at Na Ban Pier on Ko Lan
- Snorkelling round the rocks off Nang Thong
- A surf lesson at Pakarang Beach
- A swan boat on the lake in Lumpini Park
Four stages between your message and the search
It runs the same way on a Gulf beach, an Andaman beach or in a Bangkok park.
The place and the item
Send a WhatsApp message saying what is missing, the beach, park or pier, and roughly when you last had it.
A pin and some pictures
A map pin on your best guess gives the search its centre. Photos help as well: the spot as it looked from where you were, and the item itself or a picture of it being worn.
The right person for that beach or park
A metal detectorist who can get to that beach, pier or park is found next, and they get your pin, photos and account of the day before setting out.
The search, and how it went
Say yes and the search is set up. Afterwards we pass on the detectorist's account of it, good news or bad.
Questions about Thailand
Can a wedding band that came off during a horse ride on Hua Hin beach be found on a beach that long?
It can be looked for if the ride can be traced. Hat Hua Hin is 5 kilometres long, so say where the ride began and turned back, whether the horse went into the water, and when you last saw the band on your hand.
Jomtien is so straight that I cannot say where my Oura ring came off while windsurfing. Is there any way to fix the spot?
Use the road rather than the beach. Jomtien is 6 kilometres long and largely straight, but hotels line the road that runs beside the shore, so name the one facing the place you launched and the one facing where you came back in. Tell us the ring's size and finish.
The ferry had just come in at Na Ban Pier on Ko Lan when my phone slipped into the water. Where would a search start?
The water beside a pier is a place a search can start from. Say which side of the pier it went in and how far along you were. The crossing from Laem Bali Hai Pier is different: anything dropped over the side on the way is a long shot, and you would hear that from us first.
An earring came out while we were swimming near the rocks at the north end of Hat Khlong Phrao on Koh Chang.
Those rocks give you a mark to measure from. The north end of Hat Khlong Phrao meets Laem Chaiyachet, a cape with a large rock standing on its own in the water, so tell us roughly how far off that rock you were swimming and whether your feet reached the bottom there.
A bracelet came loose while I was snorkelling off Nang Thong Beach in Khao Lak. What do you need to know about the swim?
Start with where you went in and which rocks you swam round. The water off Nang Thong is dotted with rocks, and people snorkel among them when the sea is calm, so the rock you were nearest gives the detectorist a starting point. Say whether the clasp or the chain gave way.
Our room key fell from a pocket during a surf lesson at Pakarang. Which details about the lesson help?
Mainly which break you were on. Around Pakarang Beach and Cape Pakarang there are gentle beach breaks where beginners learn, and reef and point breaks for experienced surfers. Say which it was, where you left your things, and what hangs from the key.
My engagement ring slipped over the side of a swan paddle boat on the lake in Lumpini Park.
Tell us which part of the lake you had pedalled to, using the bank or a building you could see as a guide, and whether it could have dropped inside the boat instead. Pin the spot where you hired the boat as well.
Thailand
One message is enough to begin
On WhatsApp, say where in Thailand you were, the beach, park or pier, and what you lost. Drop a map pin on the spot with that first message, and we reply with what we need next.