Lost in Lake Elmer Thomas, Oklahoma...$$$$$REWARD$$$$$$

[OUScubaGrad07]

Last weekend i went diving by the dam at Lake Elmer thomas in Oklahoma, near lawton. I lost my canon powershot sd630 (in waterproof enclosure) near the dam (i thinkn its in about 30 ft of water). Both of my dive lights failed on me during the search (and at 30 ft it was like a night dive). My 3 buddies and I used the remainder of our day feeling blind for it...until we ran out of air....if anyone happens to find it and it hasn't leaked and ruined the camera....there is a cash reward for its return!!!


Please pm me if!!!

 

[Scottri]

Ouch is right. That sucks. Did you have weights on it? My Canon camera in the housing is very bouyant without the balast weights.

 

[mudhole]

I've been there and done that. . . two recommendations, First get a heavy cord about 75 yards and a heavy weight. Center the weight where you think you lost it then swim circles around your weight. . . move out on your line when you've completed your circle. If objects block your line, then place your weight, go out in a straight line, move out 5 feet, then wind in your line as you swim back to the weight. Repeat either until you have covered the area. If you have help, put a weight on both ends of the line. . . you and your partner swim along both sides of the line, covering twice the area. At each weight move it 10 feet away from the covered area. This is the way to cover Muddy conditions. If you go back and the water is clearer you can move faster. I found my camera on the second search. . . It had landed on a sandy area and rolled underneath a ledge. But you can find it again.

 

[Bob3]

Bummer !!!
How close to the dam was it?
From your description it was on the upstream side of the dam, eh?

 

[Guba]

Double bummer...If you were with about 50 feet of the dam AND your camera was negatively buoyant, that little rascal's on the bottom. You knew that already, I'm certain. However, the bottom there is about 90 feet below the surface. That's where I did my AOW training and the deep dive. Cold down there, too. It's usually about 50 degrees year round, even when the surface temp is 80 plus.
The worst thing is that right now, ET is running really dark below 20 feet (as you probably noticed), and big lights don't help a bit. All that flood runoff is taking its toll.
But keep a stiff upper lip. Hopefully, your camera is somewhere on the original rock dam, the height of which brings it to about 30 feet from the surface. If your camera is there or farther upstream, you stand a much better chance of finding it, though it will certainly mean searching pretty much by feel. Keep us updated (you might try the Texas Swampdiver forum here at SB. Lots of us dive Lake ET), and my buddies and I will search when we dive there in the near future.
p.s. And we don't accept rewards, unless you count a buffaloburger at Meers. We just want to help a fellow diver.

 

[OUScubaGrad07]

Ouch is right. That sucks. Did you have weights on it? My Canon camera in the housing is very bouyant without the balast weights.

actually, no it wasn't weighted. it is negatively bouyant in freshwater. haven't tried it in saltwater yet.

 

[monica.kraj]

As far as I know, even if the camera leaks and doesn't work anymore, there is a chance that the memory card will not be destroyed and still have the pictures. There were cases of cameras found after a few months lying in water and mud without any waterproof protection. Of course the cameras were turning into rust, but the memory card remembered eveything. So let's hope somebody finds the camera!

 

[Veritas3586]

I will be at the lake on Sunday, how close to the dam were you?