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

[drbill]

Legally the DM may have been correct in saying "finders keepers" but I prefer to think people will act out of a more benign code than "the law." I would certainly have given it back without expecting anything in return other than thanks.

 

[ASert]

the guy who found it didn't want to give it back, so my friend (the guy who actually owned the camera and had lost it) offered him money (I think he offered an excessive amount) to try and get him to give the camera back.

---------- Post added July 20th, 2013 at 11:50 PM ----------

we had to really twist the guys arm to get him to give the camera back. He said when anything is in the sea it is always finders keepers... and other people at the dive shop agreed with him.

I am just surprised and was after opinions from others.

When I have found something in the past (like a mask or a torch) I try to find the owner. If I find the owner I give it back if I can't find the owner only then do I keep it.

I dont even know why he would tell you he found it if he was going to be a D%*# about returning it. Yes i would return it, and hope the favor would be returned if it were to happen to me. Reward or not

 

[aceupmysleeve777]

On my very last dive I found a Sealife reefmaster mini and noticed a group of divers just ahead of us. I went up and asked if it was the first person I got to he said no and pointed to a lady so went over to her and it was hers. This all happened underwater. If I hadn't of seen the group of divers ahead of us I would have just kept it.

 

[kimbalabala]

Here's an idea. I keep my iphone locked but I make sure that the photo clearly shows MY face so that people can return it to me if I leave it behind (and that has happened). It might be a good idea to make the first picture in the camera a shot of a written message that says something like "THIS CAMERA BELONGS TO SCUBA SUZY. IF FOUND PLEASE CALL 555-555-5555". If I found the camera I would start looking at the pictures to find something that would identify the owner, and this would make it super easy. I'm going to go do that right now ... even though I'm not diving again for a while ...

 

[richard65]

If it is in a housing put a business card inside.


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[bracko]

I'd make every attempt to give it back. the dive community in Sydney and Adelaide is small enough that with a few phone calls and a post on Facebook and you'd more than likely find the owner. On vacation I'd probably be a little more careful of making sure I gave it back to its rightful owner and not someone wanting a free camera.

a few years ago a diver lost a Uwatec Galileo at a 25m dive site in Sydney (Dee Why Wide). so the next weekend (so the story goes, I'm not sure if it's embellished a little) almost every shop took their boats back out there to find it. Computer found and everyone was happy.

 

[tracydr]

Here's an idea. I keep my iphone locked but I make sure that the photo clearly shows MY face so that people can return it to me if I leave it behind (and that has happened). It might be a good idea to make the first picture in the camera a shot of a written message that says something like "THIS CAMERA BELONGS TO SCUBA SUZY. IF FOUND PLEASE CALL 555-555-5555". If I found the camera I would start looking at the pictures to find something that would identify the owner, and this would make it super easy. I'm going to go do that right now ... even though I'm not diving again for a while ...

unless the person who finds it is a stalker or serial rapist. Then it might be a real bad idea to have Scuba Suzy's picture, especially if your phone number and contact info is on the front of the phone or camera.
Seems like a real bad idea to me, as a woman.

 

[Goodtime Adventures]

I'm sure the customer was very happy to have their camera returned. We are Koh Tao based too and we would always try to reunite items with their owners, whether it's wallets, phones, cameras or dropped dive equipment. I would have thought this was clear cut. In no way would we expect a reward for doing so, although a thank you beer is always appreciated.

There are many examples I know of people getting their items back. I've returned masks to their owners when I've found them whilst diving around their boat and one of our instructors had her integrated weight pocket returned to her after giving details of where and when she lost it on Koh Tao.

Losing things is upsetting, especially with cameras, as not just the item, but also for any photographs that may be lost at the same time. For someone to make the effort to find an owner is definitely admirable but doing so with the expectation of a reward seems somewhat contrived.

 

[teecup]

With or without a reward, I would - especially if the camera has someone's name or contact info on it.

 

[Token]

If the camera's owner is clearly identifiable. it would be a dick move not to get it back to him/her. Golden Rule, folks...