I’m a sucker for romance. I’m one of those people who can binge-watch Nicholas Sparks movies and actually want that desperate, warm, giddy feeling of being in love, over and over again. That’s why the article that I recently discovered circulating around the internet really moved me. It hit exactly the right buttons – both my hopeless romantic side as well as my love for scuba diving.

As you know, I’ve enthusiastically shared with you some of experiences will scuba diving in Cebu and some helpful tips and tricks in diving especially for beginner divers. But today, I’d like to skip writing about diving in Cebu and all the great dive spots I’ve visited recently, instead I’d like to share with you the heartwarming story of Daniel Roark, a scuba diver from Massachusetts and Martin and Jessica Castillo, a loving couple from Mexico.

In 2013, Martin and Jessica Castillo celebrated their honeymoon in a beautiful resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. As part of their activities while in the resort, they went scuba diving. Unfortunately, Martin accidentally dropped his precious wedding ring in the water. As they were just newly married, I would understand the frustration that Martin and Jessica must have felt. I would be devastated too if I lost my precious wedding ring on my honeymoon! Unfortunately, they no longer pursued looking for the lost ring as their honeymoon drew to a close. 

Fast forward one year later: young diver Daniel Roark went to Playa del Carmen, checked in at the same resort that Martin and Jessica had their honeymoon and went diving in the same waters that the couple went scuba diving in the past year. Lo and behold, Daniel, by complete accident - found their lost wedding ring! 

But at first he didn't know this ring belonged to Martin and Jessica, of course. He also thought that maybe the ring was tossed out into the sea on purpose. Nevertheless, he was determined to look for the owner of the ring. It took a little help from social media to find the true owners of the lost wedding ring. Daniel posted the ring on his Facebook wall and 125,000 or so shares around the world, Martin saw the post, emailed him and was able to successfully prove that the ring was his.

Martin and Jessica couldn't be happier that the truest symbol of their everlasting love was found. I personally cried a little bit when I read on in the article that they renewed their vows and invited Daniel to be the “godfather of the ring” and was able to walk down the aisle with them. 

I loved this article. I think it shows us a lot of things. First, there can be a lot of great things that scuba divers can find in the water! Aside from fantastic marine life, you never know what you might just stumble into on your next dive. I, for one, found a beautiful little figurine of a lady holding a rose in one of the trips that I took while diving in Cebu. It was in Balicasag Island that I found the little figurine. It was missing a few fingers and it showed signs of water damage but I kept it as a memento of my love for scuba diving. Unfortunately, we moved houses and I’m not sure what happened to my little lady holding a rose but it got lost amidst all the moving. I’m still hoping she’ll turn up someday.

Anyway, the second thing I loved about this article is that it shows the strength of love. The romantic in me would like to think that the ring wanted to be found and wanted to be returned to its owner because it knew that it would thrive amidst true love. I’m probably being very over-dramatic here. But give a girl a chance! And yes, the third thing is, the world hasn't lost its share of kind, thoughtful people. Without Daniel Roark, Martin and Jessica would never have found their beloved ring.

I hope this post inspired you to do something good today and to always keep a lookout on your next diving trip for wonderful, one-of-a-kind things! Also, I’m excited for some scuba diving in Cebu next week! I can’t wait and hopefully I’ll find something as meaningful as a lost wedding ring.

Until then, safe diving my fellow lovers of the deep blue sea.