if you find a camera, do you give it back?

[DivemasterDennis]

Doing the right thing seems to me to be something everyone should do, and keeping something that is not yours is not the right thing to do. Mote than once I have had someone in a dive boat "find" a piece of gear on the boat while the owner is still on the boat or near by. Not cool. If it is not yours, turn it in, with your information. If not claimed in a reasonable time, consider donating it or else then you could keep it in good conscience. Rewards should be accepted, not solicited.
DivemasterDennis

 

[ScubaPink]

It is a shame this even has to be asked. Truth is, not everyone is honorable. He obviously isn't. But- your questions being "if you found a camera do you give it back?" answer is absolutely yes. If you find anything you should give it back if you know to whom it belongs. You should not accept a payment for doing the right thing- it should be something we all just expect frankly. The golden rule, for some, has never been applied and I think, sadly, for others it is fading. But-emphatically- Yes. If I saw someone on a dive boat trying to "claim" a dropped item, I would make it a point to go to every head on the boat and find the owner and point them to the offending person. LOL I really would- I'm like that.

 

[Scared Silly]

Different culture - true. But he is American my friend Spanish and I am Australian. Koh Tao is not very much like Thailand - it is a multicultural bubble. In the end his boss who is German was very disappointed in the his unprofessional and dishonest attitude. Fortunately he eventually returned the camera to my friend after having to think it over and to 'sleep on it'...

As a DM he should not have had to think much about. As his boss, I would have said return it or find another job. Last thing I want is an employee not returning lost items whether they be a to customer so to someone else in the community.

 

[Progen]

As a DM he should not have had to think much about. As this boss, I would have said return it or find another job. Last thing I want is an employee not returning lost items whether they be a to customer so to someone else in the community.

Like what parents in Chinese families keep telling their children (perhaps in other races too, I wouldn't know since I only belong to one ), everything you do reflects on your upbringing which in turn reflects upon your family / ancestors. If such news break out, the one suffering the greatest hit is usually the dive center.

I've found a few small things before which I just left on the space in front of the captain's console since that's where divers are advised to keep their small non-valuable bits like sunglasses, caps, etc..

I think the worst thing that can happen is if you found something, stuffed it into your bag without a second thought and didn't realize that the owner was staring at you.

 

[meganm]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread!

 

[tracydr]

Hi, I was wondering what peoples opinion is about this issue...

I live on Koh Tao, I am an instructor. A DM that I know found a camera floating just off of a dive site. A cheap camera but still a good find. When he and another DM were looking through the photos that were on the SD card they saw that there was a picture of me. Surprised the DM (the one who didn't find it) phoned me to ask me about the camera and if I or anyone that I knew had lost a camera. It turned out that a really good friend of mine had lost his camera that morning and it was clearly his camera that was found floating by the other DM. So excited we went down and asked for the camera back and my friend offered him some money as a reward for finding it.

I thought it was clear cut and that anybody in that situation would just hand the camera back to its owner... Apparently it is not that clear.

What do people think. Should the camera be given back or is it finders keepers?

No question I would try to find the owner. The photos on the memory card may be priceless in the owner's mind. Plus, what may be cheap to one person may have cost a fortune to somebody else. If I can find the owner without getting crazy I would absolutely do it, especially with something like a camera, which has memories stored on it. Same with a smart phone, diary, notebook, computer or any other device that stores sentimental stuff.
I try to find the home for anything lost but go to extra trouble with this type of stuff.
I also wouldn't expect any type of "finder's fee" either. That's just asinine. What a jerk!
I've housed so many lost animals until their owners could pick them up. The only time I won't try to find their owner is when its clear that they've been abused.

---------- Post added July 26th, 2013 at 07:56 AM ----------

Different culture - true. But he is American my friend Spanish and I am Australian. Koh Tao is not very much like Thailand - it is a multicultural bubble. In the end his boss who is German was very disappointed in the his unprofessional and dishonest attitude. Fortunately he eventually returned the camera to my friend after having to think it over and to 'sleep on it'...

Sounds just like my ex-husband. He "found" a lot of things. BCs, workers tools, etc, ended up getting " found" and never making their way back to their owner.
Look up "sociopath" and "antisocial" personality disorder. My ex was a true sociopath, having a lot of other problems in addition to being a chronic thief. But, antisocial personality disorder is quite common. Actually, we have a lot of sociopaths in our history in high places, politicians and CEOs. I could name quite a few very famous people who would meet the description. For a very interesting book, read ""The Sociopath Next Door"'if you're interested in this sort of thing. It's a great book and helps you to understand this very disturbing disorder, which is surprisingly prevalent in our society. Shortly after I got separated from my ex, a very savvy counselor had me read this book as mandatory reading.

 

[mizzie]

He said when anything is in the sea it is always finders keepers... and other people at the dive shop agreed with him.

Sounds like the kind of thing unscrupulous people tell themselves to feel better about doing something they know is wrong. I would make an effort to return anything I found (in the sea or otherwise) to the rightful owner, and feel good about doing it too.

 

[macado]

Different culture - true. But he is American my friend Spanish and I am Australian. Koh Tao is not very much like Thailand - it is a multicultural bubble. In the end his boss who is German was very disappointed in the his unprofessional and dishonest attitude. Fortunately he eventually returned the camera to my friend after having to think it over and to 'sleep on it'...

Sorry but the guy is total *sshole and the multicultural bubble of Koh Tao shouldn't play into the factor. It doesn't matter his nationality or any laws of sea bullsh*t. American, Australian, Spanish, Canada, whatever. If you're able to positively identify who the camera belongs then give it back to them, no questions asked. There shouldn't even be a discussion about this.

Having been to Thailand (and Koh Tao) many times, perhaps it is the backpacker mentality? Thinking it was lost by some unlucky rich tourist that has already left the island? I don't know.

I have found numerous pieces of dive gear over the years. I have always done my due diligence to return gear to it's rightful owner. In New England the dive community is small, we tend to dive a lot of the same sites and know a lot of other local divers. If a piece of gear is found, local dive shops are often notified, message boards are posted on with a description of the item.. I know this isn't always possible in places like Koh Tao where you have hundreds of dive operators.

I have a suggestion for anyone with a camera. Put a piece of paper or a sticker with your name, address, and telephone number inside the camera housing with your contact information and how to find you. It won't stop a dishonest person but it sure makes it a lot easier to locate the person. Some people say to put your contact information on the memory card but this won't help if someone formats the memory card.

 

[aprivetera]

Please don't chalk it up to Americans...

I feel that this is an example of what happens when you take people out of their home culture and into a new one. They get to do something different and maybe more liberating because it is culturally acceptable. So they begin to think that other rules do not apply to them.

Either way, what worries me more is that he is a DM! And this owner trusts his customers' well being to this guy?

 

[Superlyte27]

Here in Florida, you're legally obligated to report finding lost property to the police. I think after some time if the owner doesn't claim it the finder can keep it. I read an article in the paper not too long ago about someone finding a cell phone and later tried to get it connected. Ended up getting charged with theft.

I'm guessing they don't have similar laws in Thailand.

That may or may not matter if it happened in Florida. Was the camera lost 3 miles out? If so, that's NOT Florida.

At any rate, the guy was a douche and should have returned the camera.