lost camera

[butler1244]

I know this is a long shot, but I lost a GoPro hero 3 on Santa Rosa Wall. Our dive instructor actually found one on a previous dive the day before...so maybe there is hope that ours will get found too. It was lost during ascent so I'm not sure what depth it would be at. I do know that it wasn't on the edge where it was dropped. My dive buddy is the one that lost it and I actually have footage of her dropping it on our safety stop. If anyone hears anything please respond...thank you!

As for the camera that was found, it was also a GoPro Hero 3. It seemed the divemaster had every intention of keeping it since "nobody tipped" on his morning dive. I forget his name but he works with Dive Palancar and was on the Oystier boat on 12/26. Good luck!

 

[Christi]

As for the camera that was found, it was also a GoPro Hero 3. It seemed the divemaster had every intention of keeping it since "nobody tipped" on his morning dive. I forget his name but he works with Dive Palancar and was on the Oystier boat on 12/26. Good luck!

What a horrible attitude!!! Unfortunately, there are many DM's and Instructors like that - if he was my employee - he would be suspended at the very least! I have had MANY talks with my staff through the years about "lost and found" - we make every effort possible to find the rightful owners of valuable items - if we have exhausted efforts - THEN it's "finders keepers."

A few years ago, Pedro found a purse on the reef - it obviously had not been there long. There was cash, credit cards, camera, cell phone (worthless at that point) and passports. He turned it into me and after several days of searching local hotels - I found the people! They were staying on the mainland and had been on a snorkel boat here for the day that was overtaken by a wave! They had already headed off to Merida to get their passports replaced, but all items were returned and she later sent a check as a reward to my crew for double what was in her purse!

 

[Oldbear]

What a horrible attitude!!! Unfortunately, there are many DM's and Instructors like that - if he was my employee - he would be suspended at the very least! I have had MANY talks with my staff through the years about "lost and found" - we make every effort possible to find the rightful owners of valuable items - if we have exhausted efforts - THEN it's "finders keepers."

A few years ago, Pedro found a purse on the reef - it obviously had not been there long. There was cash, credit cards, camera, cell phone (worthless at that point) and passports. He turned it into me and after several days of searching local hotels - I found the people! They were staying on the mainland and had been on a snorkel boat here for the day that was overtaken by a wave! They had already headed off to Merida to get their passports replaced, but all items were returned and she later sent a check as a reward to my crew for double what was in her purse!

Butler1244...good luck and I hope that your camera is not only found but returned. I lost a camera in rough seas while diving in the Straights of Hormuz (the U.A.E side) between the Persian Gulf and the Oman Gulf last spring... I am still waiting for a phone call from an Iranian fisherman


Christi...it is so nice to know there are honest people out there. Pedro should be commmended.


~Oldbear~

 

[Christi]

Butler1244...good luck and I hope that your camera is not only found but returned. I lost a camera in rough seas while diving in the Straights of Hormuz (the U.A.E side) between the Persian Gulf and the Oman Gulf last spring... I am still waiting for a phone call from an Iranian fisherman


Christi...it is so nice to know there are honest people out there. Pedro should be commmended.

~Oldbear~

Yeh, Pedro and all of my staff are pretty good eggs After 9 years as the "Jefe" on my team, I guess I'll keep him around - hahah! I am very lucky and blessed to have such a strong team!

 

[Oldbear]

Yeh, Pedro and all of my staff are pretty good eggs After 9 years as the "Jefe" on my team, I guess I'll keep him around - hahah! I am very lucky and blessed to have such a strong team!

Hurray for el Jefe...

 

[DandyDon]

I know this is a long shot, but I lost a GoPro hero 3 on Santa Rosa Wall. Our dive instructor actually found one on a previous dive the day before...so maybe there is hope that ours will get found too. It was lost during ascent so I'm not sure what depth it would be at. I do know that it wasn't on the edge where it was dropped. My dive buddy is the one that lost it and I actually have footage of her dropping it on our safety stop. If anyone hears anything please respond...thank you!

Good luck, and it's always worth posting. You might also post in our Lost, Found and Stolen forum.

I guess it sank? Some people say that's better as it might be found, so put your name on the camera and shoot a pic of your name, hotel, contact info, etc. on the first frame - better than a floater heading off for Cuba. I like my cameras to float, figure they're easier to find on the surface with immediate search. I never dropped one but I finally did add a Sealife red float strap to mine to make it easier to see. Good insurance is always a good idea too - the best being State Farms Personal Article Protection. They did pay several claims on other items for me before deciding I was too accident prone. :silly:

If one asks in New to Scuba, Basic Scuba or the Photo forums, I think most experienced divers would caution against getting any cameras for the first 50 to 100 dives because of the task loading while learning, as well as the high likelihood of loosing the cameras. Dive shops don't want against that tho, as they want the sale before you buy it elsewhere. Live & learn...

As for the camera that was found, it was also a GoPro Hero 3. It seemed the divemaster had every intention of keeping it since "nobody tipped" on his morning dive. I forget his name but he works with Dive Palancar and was on the Oystier boat on 12/26. Good luck!

That is a crappy attitude, and you got to hope he's joking - but hard to say. If a camera has no name on it, no ID on the pics, nothing - how hard should a finder try?

As far as tipping, the Dive Ops really should let the customers know that the DMs work mostly for tips. I did not realize that at first and under tipped horribly.

 

[ggunn]

Something that worked for me when my wife lost her camera on the north end of Colombia reef last May was to have shot a picture of a "This camera belongs to..." card with all my contact info as the first file on the memory stick. The guy who found the camera a few days later looked at the files and contacted me, and we got the camera back.

Thanks again, Steve!

 

[DandyDon]

Something that worked for me when my wife lost her camera on the north end of Colombia reef last May was to have shot a picture of a "This camera belongs to..." card with all my contact info as the first file on the memory stick. The guy who found the camera a few days later looked at the files and contacted me, and we got the camera back.

Thanks again, Steve!

And I don't guess your wife is a newbie since she dives with you every trip. It can happen to anyone. Whether it's best to carry a sinker that might be found on the bottom or a floater that might be found before it gets away is a personal bet. I like mine to float with the red float strap, but it may get away if I ever lose control. State Farm won't cover me anymore, altho they were great while they did. I need to check with my homeowners again as I don't remember how they deal with such.

For divers with less than a hundred who insist on carrying expensive cameras, it might be cheaper to hire a private DM for every trip - just to watch for dropped cameras? Well, it does happen a lot. It'd be better if they'd just carry cheaper cameras maybe.

 

[VicScubaVentures]

Not to hijack the thread, but to offer a suggestion:

I keep a business card with current contact information inside my DSLR housing, in case the unthinkable happens.

C.

 

[ggunn]

As for the camera that was found, it was also a GoPro Hero 3. It seemed the divemaster had every intention of keeping it since "nobody tipped" on his morning dive. I forget his name but he works with Dive Palancar and was on the Oystier boat on 12/26. Good luck!

Had I heard it, I would have assumed that it was a joke. If that is what he was really planning to do, I doubt he'd have announced it. Maybe it was a good natured reminder to those aboard that tips are a significant portion of a DM's income.