Theo Wanderydz lost his engagement ring while swimming at his summer house on the Bohuslän coast. After a frantic search and a call for help on Facebook, a diver found the ring wrapped around a starfish's arm. The story went viral, capturing the hearts of many.
Lost Engagement Ring Found on Starfish: A Viral Tale from the Swedish Coast
Lost Engagement Ring Found on Starfish: A Viral Tale from the Swedish Coast
In the midst of a swim from the dock at his summer house, Theo Wanderydz panicked. His engagement ring had slipped off. A few days later, with some help, he found it in an unexpected place.
Theo Wanderydz, a screenwriter from Gothenburg, usually resides in Stockholm but often visits the Bohuslän coast during the summer. This summer was no different.
However, one day at his summer house on Gullholmen, near Orust, disaster struck.
– We had guests over at our summer cottage and were about to swim from our dock in the afternoon, Theo Wanderydz recounts.
“Felt It Slip Off”
He had just shown the ring to one of his best friends, expressing how pleased he was with it, even though it could be a bit loose when swimming.
– A minute later, I felt the ring slip off. I panicked. It's four meters deep at the dock, and the bottom is covered with mussel shells, so everything looks like a shimmering ring when the sun hits it.
Help from a Diver
Theo Wanderydz and his friends spent some time diving for the ring, but it was too difficult. In a panic, he wrote in a local Facebook group to see if anyone could lend suitable tools or diving equipment. This led him to connect with “Ringhittarna” and a diver there.
– He was a bit busy, so we scheduled a time three days later. When we picked him up at the boat terminal in Tuvesvik, he was in full diving gear.
Once at the dock, it took fifteen minutes. Then the ring was found.
– It was right where I had dropped it, but a starfish had snatched it, says Theo Wanderydz.
The diver took a picture: the ring had ended up around one of the starfish's five arms.
Viral Facebook Post
Yesterday, Monday, a couple of weeks after the ring was found, the 31-year-old wrote about the discovery in a new post in the local Facebook group – which currently has over seven thousand likes.
– It's great that people find it amusing and that others can enjoy a story like this.
What if the ring hadn't been found?
– It would have been a nightmare to spend every summer at the summer house knowing the ring was there but unreachable. It would have been torture. It might have been covered by insurance, but I'm glad the sentimental value of this ring remains, says Theo Wanderydz.
He adds:
– After we got the ring back, the starfish came closer and closer to the swimming ladder, and on our last day, it was right under the ladder. I think it was on its way up to take the ring back.