Recreational diving, what else is there?

[rottielover]

Sorry to hijack, but this raised another interesting question for me. I remember reading a thread a while back about "golf ball divers". These guys dive in water holes and recover the lost balls to sell back to the course....

So, if your drifting along the reef, see a diamond ring and pick it up, then turn around and sell it later (assuming of course there is no way to find the rightful owner), does that mean the dive you were on is suddenly NOT a rec. dive, since you *might* get some sort of compensation later?

Personally that would seem a little absurd to me, but then again I don't really plan on finding lost treasure anyway...

 

[Walter]

So, if your drifting along the reef, see a diamond ring and pick it up, then turn around and sell it later (assuming of course there is no way to find the rightful owner), does that mean the dive you were on is suddenly NOT a rec. dive, since you *might* get some sort of compensation later?

That is NOT a commercial dive. You did not make the dive looking to make a profit, even it you did eventually make a profit.

 

[boulderjohn]

So, if your drifting along the reef, see a diamond ring and pick it up, then turn around and sell it later (assuming of course there is no way to find the rightful owner), does that mean the dive you were on is suddenly NOT a rec. dive, since you *might* get some sort of compensation later?

I agree with Walter. If you were hired by a company to go down to a site that contains valuable items, and you found the ring in the course of your work, that would be a commercial dive.

 

[rottielover]

Thanks walter and boulderjohn, that makes much more sense too me!

 

[miketsp]

..snip..
So, if your drifting along the reef, see a diamond ring and pick it up, then turn around and sell it later (assuming of course there is no way to find the rightful owner), does that mean the dive you were on is suddenly NOT a rec. dive, since you *might* get some sort of compensation later?

Personally that would seem a little absurd to me, but then again I don't really plan on finding lost treasure anyway...

I can't be specific for the US but in most countries the dive would only be commercial if there was a prior contract (verbal or written) - ie to provide service or goods at a predefined price in a determined time frame.

Now of course in a lot of national parks the removal of the ring may be a crime. It may already have some sort of growth on it. Many park rules prohibit removing anything!

That is NOT a commercial dive. You did not make the dive looking to make a profit, even it you did eventually make a profit.

Just nitpicking but many commercial activities don't actually make a profit. Payment & profits are not synonymous.

..and I say that I'll do a dedicated dive to look for them (for free) but they have to pay for my fill.

If they pay the filling station directly without the money passing through your hands there shouldn't be any problem. Since the fill doesn't exist once you complete the dive it's hard to prove benefit.