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Duxbury man says he lost his wedding ring in two oceans, got it back both times

DUXBURY, Mass. — There’s lucky and then there’s Mike Hampton.

“I saw it flip off when he was doing a front flip,” said his daughter, 7-year-old Sophia.

The Duxbury father of two lost his wedding ring while jumping off the Blue Fish Bridge in Duxbury last summer. He thought he’d never see it again. But a few days ago, a group of 12-year-old boys spotted the ring by the bridge at low tide.

“I immediately thought well like oh we need to get this to the person because this is really important to them this is like one of their heirlooms,” said Oscar Waitkus.

His buddy, Jack Kelly, was the one that first saw the ring.

“We knew that it either came off when someone was jumping off or it drifted from the beach and we were surprised that we found it in the mud that day,” Kelly said.

The boys posted a picture of the ring on a community Facebook page where the Hamptons quickly recognized it.

“I honestly thought like that’s really lucky, especially that it washed up on one of the rocks instead of washing up to the ocean or bay, it’s pretty astonishing,” Waitkus commented.

What’s pretty astonishing is this was actually the second time Mike Hampton lost his wedding ring and the second time he got it back.

“Yeah, crazy. In two different oceans,” he marveled.

Eighteen years ago, while on their honeymoon in Costa Rica, Mike lost the same wedding ring while scuba diving in the Pacific.

“He’s stuck with me, definitely,” his wife, Stacy said.

After a frantic search the dive master eventually found it in a coral reef.

“The circle as I understand it from our wedding vows is a symbol of eternity no beginning and no end and apparently this is going to be a ring that is going to be eternally with me at least for this life,” Hampton said.

Hampton said he’s been wearing his grandfather’s wedding ring as a back-up. He said he will start wearing his original ring again since it has brought him some luck.

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