Dozens of Apple Watches found, forgotten at popular North Shore beach

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Next time you want to jump off the rock at Waimea Bay, consider leaving your Apple Watch at home or hidden in a towel on dry sand.

It’s not Ocean Safety’s responsibility to handle lost and found items, however, many people turn items, including plenty of Apple Watches, into them daily because they see lifeguards as the most-trusting people nearby.

Nearly every day, someone asks a lifeguard at Waimea tower if their watch has been turned in, and some haven’t been claimed in weeks.

KHON2 asked 10 beach-goers from Waimea Bay and Ala Moana Beach Park what they would do if they found a missing item (GoPro, sunglasses, keys, Apple Watch) on the beach; all but one said they would turn the missing item into the lifeguards.

Only one person said they would turn an item into the police after thinking about what he would do for several minutes.

According to Honolulu Police Department, found property should be turned in to police by calling 911, or going to the nearest police station.

HPD said you can also report your lost items online using their online reporting system.

Several people said they would turn to social media if they found wallets, GoPros, or keys with a small description and the location it was found.

“I belong to this Facebook group called Stolen Stuff Hawaii, so I’d probably post it on there,” said Honolulu resident Tommy. “Because a lot of people do that, and you’d be surprised at how quickly people find the owners.”

“A lot of people want to get it out there immediately so we do understand why people post to our page,” said Michael Kitchens, Stolen Stuff Hawaii Facebook page founder. “And although we recommend people try HPD first, we do understand that social media is very powerful if you find something and if you post it on SSH, there’s a good chance you’re going to get it back to the person who lost it.”

There are several success stories on the page of people being reunited with their items thanks to good Samaritans taking the time to let people know they found something.

Apple recommends users set up Find My and pair their watches with their phones, so if you lose it, you can track it.

Apple also has a Lost Mode feature which allows you to write a message with your contact info, should someone find your watch, charge it, and turn it on, your contact info would pop up first.

For those who are hoping to get a free watch, Apple does require the rightful owner of the watch to enter their Apple ID and password before a watch can be erased and paired with a new phone.

If you do lose your watch or valuable item at a beach, you can let a lifeguard know and give them a description with your contact information, just in case someone does turn it in to them and not HPD.