Caution: Stolen Dive Equipment

[Dive_Angel]

Dear Forumers,

Firstly allow me to introduce myself, my name is Stephanie Wong. I am the General Manager and co-owner of Scuba Dynamics, a city based PADI 5 Star Dive Center in Kuala Lumpur.

Recently we appointed David Andrew Ford, Instructor # IDCS 474600, as a resident instructor in our company. While David, or better known as Dave, was entrusted to watch the shop, he absconded to Thailand on the 31st October 2007, together with his Thai wife Songkran Ford, and young son Jimmy Ford. Aside from a missing Instructor, we also found dive equipment as well as cash missing from the shop during this period. Apart from that, he dissapeared with a substantial amount of personal loan and credit card payments (a supplementary credit card was provided to him for emergency use out of the goodness of my partner's heart as he had arrived in Malaysia penniless). If anybody knows of his whereabouts, please contact me at stephanie@scubadynamics.com.my. He is now wanted by the Malaysian Police to assist in investigations in this matter.

We believe that the perpetrator may try to dispose the following stolen dive equipment listed below (Note that this is a non-exhaustive list as we are still checking the stock) : .

1. Suunto Titanium D9 Computer with transmitter serial number 72105407
2. Suunto D9 Computer with transmitter, serial number 73501406
3. Suunto D9 Computer with transmitter, serial number 73300396
4. Atomic M1 Regulator, serial number number A60591KAA063
5. Scubapro MK25 / S600 Regulator, serial number 0707702378
6. Aunoc HID Dive torch (no serial number)
7. Akona AKB 144 Roller gear bag (no serial number)
8. BARE Chill Guard, men's cut, L size (no serial number)
9. Aquanauts Neoprene Shorts, XL size (no serial number)

 

[Zippsy]

It may help if you also publish his parents names and their address.


I hope you get your stuff back anyway, no matter who or why they took it.

 

[Dive_Angel]

It may help if you also publish his parents names and their address.


I hope you get your stuff back anyway, no matter who or why they took it.

Thanks Zippsy for your kind words. I do not think that it is fair to disclose his parents name as it would bring them so much shame. If I had their address, I would definitely contact them personally but unfortunately I dont. Realistically, I think that the chances of us recovering our losses are very slim. My only wish now is to see him pay for his 'deeds' with a prison sentence!

 

[bvmjethead]

I'd like to hear Mr. Ford's side of the story.

 

[Dive_Angel]

I'd like to hear Mr. Ford's side of the story.

Yeap, so do we! We would like to seek the truth too about these missing items which dissapeared when he was manning the shop alone over a 3 day period. I hope that he is reading this forum and will surface to defend his innocence, provided that he is innocent ofcourse. However, since we have lodged a police report, he will too need to defend his innocence to the authorities and not just to the 'forumers'.

 

[smartecosse]

qa him to PADI

if he wants to work in Thailand as an inst then at some point he will need to put his name to certs etc

 

[Kim]

Stolen gear is stolen gear whatever the story. If the police are involved, which they seem to be, it's a serious thing.

Are you insured? If not - maybe that's also something to consider.

One way or another I hope you find him - either to hear his perfectly reasonable explanation, or to bust his butt.....

There are quite a few members from the Thai diving industry on this board. If he intends to work up there then I'd think you have a reasonable chance of hearing about it. At this point I probably wouldn't QA him to PADI. If he tries to get a job and the shop checks with PADI and tells him he's been reported he'll most probably disappear. Better to track him down without him realizing if it's at all possible.

 

[stevenl]

There are quite a few members from the Thai diving industry on this board. If he intends to work up there then I'd think you have a reasonable chance of hearing about it.

Dive Angel also sent an email to the DC's here, at least I received one, so if he shows up I'm sure he will have to explain something.

 

[pakman]

This is better that reality TV... Now all we need is some forensic evidence and a Hawaiian bounty hunter on his tail. "Scubaboard's most wanted"? I better pitch this to Jerry Bruckheimer & Mark Burnett...

Joking aside, hope you get this settled Dive Angel...

 

[Dive_Angel]

Hello...

Thought this thread was dead already.

Yes, we have done all that we can. PADI has also been informed.

Most of the items stolen were already sold on ebay. We have managed to get a hold of several of the buyers and they have confirmed the serial number as well as the seller's details and it is indeed our very own David Andrew Ford (Dave).

We are insured but unfortunately only for burglary and not internal theft (or whatever they call it). So, unfortunately we have to bear this loss.

We have informed most of the dive centers in both the UK and Thailand about this matter. Even if we cannot retrieve our losses, atleast we tried to ensure that no one else suffers the same fate.