Rave review and a request for help...

[doctormike]

Hi, Everybody...!

Sorry about the cross post, but I wasn't sure if this would be better here or in the photography forum...

Our dive club (the NY Sea Gypsies) just got back from a week's diving with Olympus Dive Center in Morehead City, North Carolina. We had a FANTASTIC time with them, Captain Mike Gerken and the crew of the Midnight Express brought us to some amazing dive sites, and took great care to ensure our comfort and safety. I can recommend them without hesitation, and I will be going back.

Unfortunately, as we were packing up the van to drive back to New York after our last dive on Saturday (5/28/11), my underwater photography equipment was stolen. It happened very quickly, around 4:30 in the afternoon. We were rinsing gear and taking turns heading back to the bunkhouse in shifts to shower, but someone must have been watching us and walked off with the gear as soon as they got the chance, in a brief instant when the picnic table was not being directly observed.

The equipment was a Canon 7D DSLR (serial #0970601694) in a Nauticam housing (serial #A006001), with a Tamron 60 mm macro lens in a flat port, an Inon S2000 strobe and a Mangrove VC-4L6 video light.

SO, the reason that I am posting this here is on the off chance that anyone runs into any gear that sounds like this for sale, or if anyone has any information that might hold a clue, I would really appreciate hearing from you.

I am offering a $1500 reward for the working equipment set, and $200 for the memory card with the images intact … I only lost the last day's images, but those were some of my best!

I have been working with the police, who have contacted the regional pawn shops, etc.. I have been watching eBay and Craigslist. Also, the owner of Olympus Dive Center (Bobby Purifoy), and the charter / sales manager (Nema Triplett) have been fantastic, running down leads, keeping me posted, and circulating this information to their own local contacts, etc…



Safe diving, and thanks for reading this…!

Mike

 

[tddfleming]

I was there on this day and time, as we were waiting for our afternoon charter. I remember a large camera being laid down on the picnic table next to the ice machine. Our boat was getting ready to leave at about the same time. There was a bunch of movement going on at that time, with your boat coming in, I think another boat was coming in as well and our boat was getting ready to head out. We were actually had all our gear set up at the picnic table closest to the steps by the sidewalk. I remember a, I think, white camera with a bubble type lens, I know nothing about these cameras. I will ask my daughter and husband to see if they remember anything.

 

[doctormike]

I remember a, I think, white camera with a bubble type lens, I know nothing about these cameras. I will ask my daughter and husband to see if they remember anything.

Thanks so much for the reply... I really appreciate your post!

This camera housing was grey metal, and I didn't have the "bubble" (dome) port on it at the time, so it might have been a different one that you saw. In any case, if anyone saw any suspicious activity, please let me know..

Thanks again,

Mike

 

[tddfleming]

Mike:

Spoke to both husband and daughter about camera. Husband remembers nothing, not unusual. However, daughter is much better, she remembers a large black camera being laid on the picnic table where we were at. She said it had 2 strobes, one red and one clear or black (not sure if this is correct or not, just what she told me). She said she remembers it being laid down weird, like the strobe was holding it up. But she cannot remember if if was still there when we were starting to load for our charter. We were busy watching someone put all his gear on backwards, from his bc to his regs and really screw it down hard onto the tank valve. I wish we could offer you some more help and if we do remember anything I will let you know. As I know you are aware, there was a lot of movment going on at that time.
Your boat was running late to dock? As we were on the Midnight Express but for the inshore. That boat was packed. And, nobody on our boat had any big camera equipment. Just before you guys came in another boat docked and a bunch of other people were busy unloading gear.

Desi

 

[doctormike]

Mike:

Spoke to both husband and daughter about camera. Husband remembers nothing, not unusual. However, daughter is much better, she remembers a large black camera being laid on the picnic table where we were at. She said it had 2 strobes, one red and one clear or black (not sure if this is correct or not, just what she told me). She said she remembers it being laid down weird, like the strobe was holding it up.

Your daughter's memory is excellent, that is exactly how I put my camera out to dry! Oh, well...

But she cannot remember if if was still there when we were starting to load for our charter. We were busy watching someone put all his gear on backwards, from his bc to his regs and really screw it down hard onto the tank valve. I wish we could offer you some more help and if we do remember anything I will let you know. As I know you are aware, there was a lot of movment going on at that time.
Your boat was running late to dock? As we were on the Midnight Express but for the inshore. That boat was packed. And, nobody on our boat had any big camera equipment. Just before you guys came in another boat docked and a bunch of other people were busy unloading gear.

Desi

We were out on the Midnight Express for the morning dives, we came back around 4 and I'm assuming that you went on the afternoon dive that day with them. I figure that who ever grabbed it was casing the joint, watching for confusion and the opportunity to move in once my buddy was not staring directly at the table for a second...

Thanks again... hope that you had a good dive!

Mike

 

[tddfleming]

I am suppose to ask you are you or your friend is around 6' tall, dark or black hair and glasses? The reason I am asking is that husband remembers some guy going in and out of where we were standing/sitting at the picnic table where your camera was. As this guy had to squeezed between husband and all our gear. As there were three of us, which equals a lot of mess, gear, tanks and little room to move around. The other bad thing is where the table is is it is right next to the board walk. I really wish we could offer you more help with this, as I feel bad for you and we were sitting right there.

Desi

 

[tddfleming]

Your daughter's memory is excellent, that is exactly how I put my camera out to dry! Oh, well... At least you know you are not crazy and someone saw it. I usually just feel crazy as no one ever remembers in my case.

If anyone remembers anything, it will be her.

 

[doctormike]

I am suppose to ask you are you or your friend is around 6' tall, dark or black hair and glasses? The reason I am asking is that husband remembers some guy going in and out of where we were standing/sitting at the picnic table where your camera was. As this guy had to squeezed between husband and all our gear. As there were three of us, which equals a lot of mess, gear, tanks and little room to move around. The other bad thing is where the table is is it is right next to the board walk. I really wish we could offer you more help with this, as I feel bad for you and we were sitting right there.

Desi

Thank you SO much! I actually do fit that description, but I was up in the bunkhouse when the gear was stolen. Here is a photo of our group. I'm the one in the red shirt, my friend is the girl in the middle of the back row.

 

[Sinbad Scuba]

Good luck.

 

[ScubaSam]

Good luck in retrieving your camera, Mike. :depressed: