- Darren Wiles volunteers to find people's lost prized possessions for free.
- He uses metal detecting tools to comb beaches and other sites of lost valuables across southern England.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Darren Wiles, a metal detectorist who offers to find lost valuables for free. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
I'm a metal detectorist, and I help people in the South of England find their lost valuables for free.
It's just an incredible feeling. I get goosebumps when I find stuff for people. When you see that face, there's absolutely no way you could charge for doing that. My reward is giving it back to them and being able to see the difference that you make.
I've always been interested in history, and I had just returned from a holiday in Rome in August 2009. I was on a beach near Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast. There was a guy metal detecting there, and our family just had a quick chat with him. I thought, you know, I'd probably fancy a metal detector. So I got given one that Christmas. I went out a little bit with it and really enjoyed it, and the rest is history.
My day job is in software sales, so having this as my hobby is a welcome break from sitting at a desk all day.
I started the Bournemouth Metal Detecting Club and Free Recovery Service in 2011. It's about a hobby where you can go out and enjoy yourself and the dig. Get fresh air. Lose yourself in the moment and the task at hand.
I started doing recoveries about 10 years ago but, in the last six years, it's just rocketed.
I recently reached my 200th recovery milestone — I've retrieved 207 items for 109 people.
I get WhatsApp messages, text messages. I get loads of requests on my website as well.
The single most expensive item I recovered was a Rolex worth approximately $12,000. Another time, a lady lost three rings, two of which were around 10 grand. I've been asked to find a Cartier bracelet and countless wedding rings. Overall, I've probably recovered over $125,000 worth of stuff.
I get that phone call from people who have lost stuff. They're in despair
I always say, "If it's important to you, it's important to me."
It could be a kid's toy car, which I've looked for before. It could be a cheap ring. It's never about the value. It's all about the sentimental feeling.
I do find some odd things — I've been asked to find a few washing line brackets. Sometimes, where you put your pole for the washing line, the grass grows over it over the years, and you can't remember where.
I do it for free because when I get that phone call from people who have lost stuff, they're in despair. They're panicking. Some of them are in tears and desperate. These are family heirlooms that have been in the household for 50-60 years in some cases.
I use a Minelab Equinox 800 Metal Detector that's waterproof up to 10 feet. I also use a pinpointer, which allows you to zero in on the exact location of the target by detecting a small, fine point of the area and giving a response signal when you are close to the target.
I get an emotional reward for what I do
I can spend hours looking for something for someone, going up and down the beach, marking out the area with my sand scoop as I go.
Searches in water are definitely more challenging. The depth can be six feet, and I'm only five foot six. I have to time those searches to coincide with low tides. Depending on the time of year, I'll be out there at two, three, or four in the morning. It's an incredible feeling when you find something under those circumstances.
I found a ring a few weeks ago for someone on the beach in Bournemouth, which was nowhere near where the woman thought it would be because the sea had taken it back out. I showed it to her and she was screaming ecstatically on the beach at me in the pouring rain at like eight, nine at night.
The ring contained the ashes of his younger brother
I love what I do. I get a lot of buzz from what I do. I get an emotional reward for what I do.
I remember all of my searches. I can't remember every single name but I know every single story behind the items I've successfully recovered.
There's one story that will always stay with me as my proudest recovery. There was a guy who was with his friends and his girlfriend, and they were practicing for a cheerleading festival.
While practicing, he was wearing a ring and a pendant around his neck. They fell off during a stunt. The ring contained the ashes of his younger brother, who had died a year earlier, saving two girls from drowning.
I was called by the hotel to come help. They told me one of the guests was traumatized after losing a sentimental item.
I went down there, and I found both the ring and pendant within five or ten minutes. I found his brother, and it's an emotional thing to talk about it. He looked at me and just gave me a big hug with no words. Nothing can replicate that feeling.
I could never say "Oh, by the way, that's 30 quid." People never understand why I do it for free, because they don't do it. If they did it, they would understand.