Man proposing to girlfriend while surfing drops ring in the sea

Luckily the man had a spare ring on shore

Sabrina Barr
Monday 18 November 2019 05:57 EST
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Man proposes to girlfriend while surfing in incredible set of pictures

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A man who had the creative idea of proposing to his girlfriend while surfing ended up dropping the ring in the sea.

When surfer couple Christopher Garth, 38, and Lauren Oiye, 32, recently went surfing in their native Honolulu in Hawaii, Ms Oiye was none the wiser that her partner was going to ask her to spend the rest of her life with him.

While surfing on the exact spot where they met several years prior, Mr Garth dropped down on one knee on his surfboard, taking out the ring he had been keeping in the pocket of his swimming trunks.

Despite the romantic nature of the Mr Garth’s proposal, the surfer hit a slight bump in the road when the ring was accidentally dropped in the ocean.

However, it turned out the ring used in the proposal was a spare, with the real engagement ring kept safe on shore.

(Tommy Pierucki via AP
(Tommy Pierucki via AP (Tommy Pierucki via AP)

The unconventional proposal was captured by several photographers who were positioned close by.

Ms Oiye shared her happiness over her engagement on Instagram, detailing the series of events that led to the proposal.

“Story time: we caught a wave together at the surf break we met at and had many of our first dates,” the surfer wrote.

“I turn back to make sure he was on the wave with me and he was on one knee with a ring box and screamed out ‘Lauren, I love you! Will you marry me?!’”

(Lisa Tirimacco@lisaunderwater via AP
(Lisa Tirimacco@lisaunderwater via AP (Lisa Tirimacco@lisaunderwater via AP)

Ms Oiye revealed she initially thought the proposal was a joke, feeling “beside herself” when she realised it was real.

“Christopher Garth, I love you and am so grateful the stars aligned and our ancestors that came before us so beautifully orchestrate this for us!” she stated.

“Here’s to a lifetime of laughter and keeping things simple and authentic!”

Tommy Pierucki, one of the photographs stationed to capture the proposal, wrote on Instagram that he was “stoked” for the newly-engaged couple.

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