News

Nov 12, 2024

Man Reunited with Class Ring He Lost in Ocean 47 Years Ago

Morgan Perigo lost his ring from Canada's McMaster University in 1977, when he was on vacation in Barbados — decades later, it came back to him Alex Davis (2) A diver recently reunited a man with his

Morgan Perigo lost his ring from Canada's McMaster University in 1977, when he was on vacation in Barbados — decades later, it came back to him

Alex Davis (2)

A diver recently reunited a man with his college ring — which he lost in the ocean 47 years ago!

Morgan Perigo was parted from his 1965 class ring from Canada’s McMaster University in 1977, when he was on vacation with his family in Barbados, according to CNN.

When a big wave threatened to separate Perigo from his son, he held on dearly to the boy but not so much his ring, which slipped into the water.

Fast forward more than four decades later and Perigo has diver Alex Davis to thank for finding the literal hidden gem.

Davis told CNN he was using a metal detector to search the ocean bottom after his interest in finding lost items was churned by Hurricane Beryl, which rolled over the island in the summer.

“So areas where it was like a beautiful sandy beach, suddenly you can see all these rocks exposed,” Davis told the outlet. “With that sort of in mind, I was like — right, are there some areas now I want to go to where they seem like a lot of sand has been pulled out?”

He said he was searching in an area that had coins from the ‘70s and ‘80s when his metal detector began to beep in a tone that meant he had hit gold.

Under layers of dead coral, sand and rock, the diver unearthed a ring with a dark-red stone, virtually untarnished.

McMaster University/Morgan Perigo

Engraved with the words “McMaster University 1965” and the initials “FMP,” Davis soon embarked on another discovery: finding the owner.

A simple inquiry to the Hamilton, Ontario, university set off a broader search.

The school’s alumni officer Laura Escalante was subsequently able to match a name with the initials, according to a news release from the school.

All of which ultimately netted Davis a satisfying answer.

The free-diver then contacted Perigo, who told him about how he lost the ring and that his birthday was coming up.

“It was like, 'Oh my god, this story just can’t get any better,' ” Davis told CNN. “Not only did we find it after 47 years at the bottom of the sea but also, I found it, you know, a week before his birthday.”

Davis shipped the ring to Perigo, who received the keepsake once again, just in time for his big day.

“What a wonderful unexpected 83rd birthday present,” Perigo said, according to his alma mater.