What to do, in order
- Scan from where you were sitting, then walk outward, With no walls, Bluetooth carries a long way. A sweep from the towel outward covers a lot of ground fast.
- Search the towel area by hand before widening, Small items sink into sand within minutes of being dropped.
- Accept the water limit, Water blocks 2.4 GHz almost completely. Anything submerged is undetectable by radio, whatever its waterproof rating says about survival.
Where it usually turns up
- Under the towel and the bag: Where things get covered without anyone noticing.
- A few centimetres under the sand: Movement buries small items quickly.
- The path back to the car park: Dropped in transit while carrying too much.
Worth knowing
- Beaches are one of the few places where outdoor Bluetooth range genuinely helps, fifty metres or more with a clear line of sight.
- Sand attenuates but does not block. A buried item a few centimetres down can still register weakly.
Lost somewhere else?
The first hour looks different depending on where it happened.
- How to find something you lost in a park
- How to find something you lost at a festival
- How to find something you left at the office
- How to find something you lost in an airport
- How to get something back you left in an Uber or taxi
- Bluetooth scanner for iPhone, Scan tab
- An unknown Bluetooth device is showing up. What is it?, Identify
- All places, the complete list
Common questions
How long do I have to get something back from the beach?
With no walls, Bluetooth carries a long way. A sweep from the towel outward covers a lot of ground fast.
Where does it usually turn up?
Under the towel and the bag is the most common. Where things get covered without anyone noticing.
In the app: A pin recorded at the moment you were last there is what separates these cases. Read about Last-Seen Map.