When you find an item while diving, do you try and locate the owner?

[MNScuba]

OK... lets see what most divers do with their 'treasures'.

 

[Dee]

Depends on what it is and where I found it. If I'm diving in an area where swimmers are and I find something that you can tell hasn't been there long, such as jewelry and keys, I'll ask around to see if anyone can identify it. Same thing on a dive trip, I'll ask my fellow divers if they lost anything.

I'll gladly return the fishing lures, boat anchors and bathing suit bottom I found last year if someone wants them!

 

[solodiver]

As a rule if the item doesn't belong to one of your dive party, i'ts finders keepers. But if it's a big ticket item, I well attempt to locate the owner. like a computer, :yellow:

 

[MNScuba]

I can see a couple additional items are required.


* It depends.

* No, but sometimes.

* Not really, but kind of.

 

[Scottri]

I usually make an effort to return things especially if they are dive gear. I don't want some poor open water student to have to fork over money for a snorkel or weights if they lost them. As far as items that have been down there a while, I don't worry to much about it. I once found a packpack in a lake with a wallet in it. The guy who owned it was shocked that it ever turned up. He had lost it the year before. I returned it to him.

I've found boat anchors and a lot of crab trabs but I just keep them since it's unlikely that anyone is ever going to claim them.


Scott

 

[Stone]

I would try to return anything that had a name or identifying mark on it. My speargun has my name and ph# on it, so I hope someone would do the same for me.

If I found dive gear, I'd leave it in the lost and found at the LDS for a month or so.

Boat anchors and fishing gear? Next to impossible to match up with the owner.

 

[MNScuba]

That people in general are good. Of course you should check with your dive party to see if it's theirs and if it says "Joe Blow 555-1111" you should try and contact them...

I guess the question was more towards non-claimable items such as some jewelry, boat parts, things of that nature.

Good to see there is a good change I'll get my stuff back if I lose something though! Hey, if any of you are diving along the California coast and find a gold wedding band could you let me know?

PS,
I'll do the same for my fellow divers!
(Try and return gear found.)

 

[FinMeister]

Many years ago I came across and retreived a 130 hp Evinrude outboard from the bottom of a central Florida lake in front of our home. It was in great shape and had only been in the water a short time.

After a few inquiries we found out who the owner was, but was told he didn't want to know anything about it. It seems he had been racing his boat, something his insurance expressly forbid, and the motor had come off during a turn. His insurance had already replaced the motor, and as far as he was concerned he wanted the old one to stay lost.

I checked with an insurance agent friend of mind who investigated and found the file on the incident had been closed. The bottom line was I found a 'lost' outboard...and it stayed lost.

Warren

 

[Fishkiller]

it all depends where and when, I found a great expensive mask on a dive trip asked around and no one on the boat lost a mask so I own it now...


If I am at the lake and see a weight pouch I will let the LDS that dives there have it back anything else finders keepers unless someone mentions it

 

[AviZ]

Anyone lost a jet ski ?