Freediver saves the day
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Freediver Angus Hosking became an unlikely hero after a couple lost their engagement ring at the bottom of England’s largest lake.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When couple Rebecca Chaukria and Viki Patel lost their diamond ring on the end of a jetty on Lake Windermere, in northwest England, the couple tried to recover it themselves but only made matters worse.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The couple were taking photographs when the ring slipped off Chaukria’s finger. They initially tried to use the photographer’s tripod to reach the ring but only pushed it further into the mud at the bottom of the lake.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patel then tried to rescue it but couldn’t see a thing in the murky, “absolutely freezing” water.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having heard of the couple’s plight from a friend, Hosking rushed to the jetty to help as soon as he finished work.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Along with helping clean rubbish from the lake for three and a half years, the 21-year-old also established the group Lake District Diving with friend Declan Turner to tackle the problem.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This wasn’t the first time he had been asked to retrieve valuables either, and he told CNN he knew it could take anywhere from minutes to hours to find it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As soon as I put my head under the water the visibility was absolutely terrible so it didn’t fill me with confidence. I couldn’t see anything,” Hosking said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was just silt - really fine mud - even if you drop a penny it goes straight to the bottom,” he added.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Fortunately, the diver was able to scoop up the ring after 20 minutes of searching and a few false positives, with the help of an underwater metal detector.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patel described Hosking as a “brilliant guy” and said his fiancee was “speechless” when the ring was returned.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Now she’s never taking it off,” he joked.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hosking said Patel showered him with gratitude.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“He just kept on saying [‘thank you’], it was brilliant,” he said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patel has planned to propose on five different occasions, which had all been scrapped due to coronavirus restrictions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Patel also said he would love to invite Hosking to their wedding in August if restrictions allow.</span></p>
<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Angus Hosking</span></em></p>
