Lake Windermere is England’s largest lake at 10.5 miles long and 219 feet at its deepest point, according to the Visit Lake District website.
A 22-year-old freedriver didn’t appear to hesitate for one minute when he dove into the waters of Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake, to retrieve a custom-made diamond engagement ring that had gone missing on Monday.
The newly engaged bride, Rebecca Chaukria, 26, and her fiancé, Viki Patel, 25, had been sitting on a jetty on the lake near the Langdale Chase hotel when Chaukria realized the white-and-gold diamond ring that was given to her only three days prior by her new fiancé, was no longer on her finger, The Independent reported.
"We saw it sink and could just about see it shining at the bottom," the couple told the BBC
Patel said he "completely panicked and began undressing to jump in but his fiancée told him not to," so instead he ran back to the hotel to get help.
"When I explained the situation to them they told me about Lake District Diving and Angus and Declan," Patel said.
Diver Angus Hosking, armed with just a snorkel and metal detector, scanned the bottom of the lake, which runs 219-feet at its deepest point, according to the Visit Lake District website. Hosking, who was assisted by fellow freediver Declan Turner, found the sparkling gem in just 20 minutes.
“It didn’t shine like a coin,” Hosking said. “It shone like a diamond.”
Hosking, a volunteer with Lake District Diving in Windermere whose job involves locating items lost by tourists, such as phones, cameras and rings, explained that in this case, time was of the essence, especially “with something as light and small as a ring,” he said.
He told the BBC he had an idea where the ring may have fallen and explained that “if it had been in the middle of the lake, it would have been like a needle in a haystack.”
After a few false starts that included discovering coins and scraps of metal, he saw a “glint” under the water.
Shining brilliantly, the ring was recovered.
Hosking called the experience "amazing" and Chaukria and Patel were overjoyed and grateful that their love story had a happy ending.
