- 25-year-old Darick Langos has turned his diving passion into a business with the help of a metal detector
- He finds many electronic devices, but smartwatches from Apple are prevalent
- The lost (and found) timepieces almost all the time have a sport band on
200 or so Apple Watch devices were found by Darick Langos, a metal detectorist who’s been diving into and searching the Chain O’ Lakes region in northeast Illinois (via 9to5Mac).Originally told by Shaw Local News, the story has it that Langos, 25, has found a variety of items over the years, ranging from Apple Watches to iPhones to gold rings, prescription glasses, and more. Apple Watches are what he’s coming across most often, and “nearly all had the original watch band attached.”
“The ones with the sports bands … they do not stay on in the water”, Langos said.
So, if you’re spending time on the Chain O’ Lakes (or anywhere else, really)… maybe get a better strap for your Apple Watch?
Returning Apple Watches poses a challenge due to security locks, but Langos has managed some success. If he can send a ‘call this number’ message to the watch that forwards to a phone, then he has been able to return it. Unfortunately, his efforts to collaborate with phone companies in returning devices have been met with disinterest.
“It is a good paying gig, but super niche,” Langos says about his hobby that turned into a job, also stating, “I am the cheapest guy I know of. I don’t charge if I can’t find it.”
Langos’s journey into his hobbies began in childhood, earning scuba certification at 10 and acquiring his first metal detector at 11. He reminisced about his initial detector, a relic from the ’70s, noting, “That first detector model was a ‘1970s from grandpa that didn’t do anything compared to the models they have now.”
Today, he uses a state-of-the-art model capable of detecting metal under 50 feet of water. “That was a game changer for me,” Langos said, reflecting on the significant upgrade.
However, Langos’s explorations aren’t solely based on client requests. He also ventures out independently, amassing a collection of cellphones, smartwatches, rings, earrings, several hunting knives, and an assortment of mostly rusted guns that have been cleared by police. Despite the value of his finds, he maintains, “I haven’t sold anything, including a white gold Cartier ring, unless I get it back to the owner.”
