Diver finds missing engagement ring in Gulf Diver finds missing engagement ring in Gulf

The odds were stacked against one Sarasota woman and her husband after her engagement ring was lost in the Gulf. Instead of losing hope, though, she turned to social media and put a plea out on all platforms. FOX 13’s Kimberly Kuizon reports.

The odds were stacked against a Sarasota woman and her husband, after her engagement ring was lost in the Gulf. 

What we know:

Cassie Yammine and her husband were checking their crab traps the night before Thanksgiving just off of Siesta Key when her ring slipped off. 

Instead of losing hope, Cassie turned to social media and put out a plea on several platforms.  She says the ring was a sign of love and the life Cassie Yammine and her husband Brandon have built.  “We’ve been married one year and one month. It’s a really special ring,” she told FOX 13. 

Her engagement ring now carries its own story. One that started the night before Thanksgiving.  “I was like I shouldn’t be wearing this while I’m crabbing. Something may actually happen and as I did, it literally flung off into the water,” Cassie recalled.  Her ring slipped into about 12 feet of water in the Gulf off Sarasota County. 

“I literally jumped into the water with my clothes on and no luck,” she said. 

The backstory:

After a wave of emotions, Cassie began asking for help.  “I literally posted everywhere online. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, anything I could think of,” she said. 

As she searched for a scuba diver to help, her post made it to Captain Joe Pistone with Salt and Mist Sea Tours out of St. Petersburg.  “The biggest thing I felt was the desperation in it. She was pleading, and it was important to her,” he said. 

Captain Joe wasted no time. He drove down to Sarasota, suited up and got into the water in the middle of the night with storms about to roll in. Cassie documented the night on her TikTok account, CASSIEFISHER17. 

“It literally was combing the sea floor with my nose to the floor looking,” said Captain Joe. 

Cassie recalled the night.  “Thirty minutes in, I was like he is going to find it. I’m so confident. An hour in he started running out of air. I was like accepting it was gone,” she said. 

After two hours of searching and only minutes of air left, Captain Joe had an eye-opening moment. 

“What stuck out was really, there were a bunch of bait fish and then some Lady fish and then some Grunts that showed up and then there was a Remora which are usually associated with sharks and then a hammerhead shark and I think his buddy. I saw that and as soon as I saw the ring it was right after I saw the ring my heart stopped,” he said. 

Captain Joe brought the ring back on board, surprising Cassie and her husband. 

“I’m so grateful. I can’t believe how amazing the community is online. We had thousands of strangers praying for us and writing nice comments, and I’m so thankful I met Captain Joe and that he’s so talented,” said Cassie. 

Captain Joe said he wouldn’t have it any other way.  “I love serving people, and this was something I was willing to do for them, at least give them a little bit of hope and take a stab at it,” he said. 

Their story has gone viral. It’s brought hope and good cheer across the globe and created a new-found friendship.  “I think these are some folks I’m going to stay in touch with for a very long time,” said Captain Joe. 

The Source: Information for this story came from Cassie Yammine’s Tik Tok page and from interviews conducted by Fox 13’s Kimberly Kuizon.

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