Minnesota man reconnects with iPhone lost at sea in Waikiki
An Apple iPhone submerged off the coast of Waikiki, Hawaii, is found over a month after being lost by a Minnesota man and it still powers on
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A Minnesota man who lost his phone to the ocean while on vacation in Hawaii was in for a surprise when nearly a month after returning home, someone had found the device while scuba diving — and it still worked.
FOX TV Stations reported that 27-year-old Zach Siggelkow of St. Anthony Village, Minnesota, went on vacation to Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, with his mother and sister in December.
An iPhone 14 Pro Max survived 33 days underwater after its owner lost it while kayaking off Waikiki. (Zach Siggelkow through FOX Television Stations / Fox News)
He told FOX TV it was not until the last day of the trip that he lost the iPhone, and it was after his mother, Helen, told him not to go kayaking.
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Despite his mother’s warning, Siggelkow went kayaking, spending about four hours on the water.
During that time, a wave caused the kayak and Siggelkow to overturn, tossing his iPhone into the water.
Minnesota man's iPhone worked after being submerged off the beach of Waikiki for over 30 days. (Zach Siggelkow through FOX Television Stations / Fox News)
"I was recording the planes and boats going by when the wave, and I collided [with the wave]," Siggelkow said. "I retrieved my kayak, paddle and life jacket but no phone or sunglasses."
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He added that he was bummed at the moment, but laughing at the same time because his mother was right.
Siggelkow returned to the land of 10,000 lakes without his phone, losing any ounce of hope that he would ever see it again.
When the iPhone was recovered, it was covered with sand. But, after placing the phone in a bowl of rice and salt and waiting several days, the phone powered back on. (Zach Siggelkow through FOX Television Stations)
But then, more than a month after returning, Siggelkow got an email from Dr. Karl Brookins, a complete stranger who said he was scuba diving off the beach and retrieved a phone.
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Brookins said he put the phone on a charger and placed it in a bowl of salt and rice. After a week, the phone powered on, despite being underwater for 33 days.
Once the phone turned on, Brookins was able to unlock it to retrieve Siggelkow’s email address. He also returned the phone free of charge, FOX TV reported.
Siggelkow said he was not quite sure how Brookins unlocked the phone, other than to guess his passcode was a series of ‘1s.’
To this day, Siggelkow said, the phone works perfectly fine. Maybe next time, he noted, he will remember that mother knows best.
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Apple claims the latest smartphones can survive up to 6 meters underwater for 30 minutes.
If a phone ever becomes web, Apple has several tips on its website on how to revive the device.