Lost and a question of ethics

j_spot · Sep 1, 2010

I was diving long term with a shop (3 months) and I lost my dive knife one day.

3 days later, one of the DMs in training at the same shop found the very same knife that I had lost.

When she got back up on the boat and it became known that she had found a knifei said oh hey I lost mine, so the DMs asked me to describe it. I did to a T. It was 100% without a doubt my lost knife (small house brand knife from Canada)

The DM in training passed it off as a coincidence. Whatever - its a $50 knife

Do you think her actions are totally shady or legit - rules of the ocean, you lost it, she found it.

Walter · Sep 1, 2010

Legally, I don't know, but I would guess it is hers. Morally, she should return it to you.

PatW · Sep 1, 2010

If it were offshore in the ocean, it is salvage. Now, it sounds as if you were diving inland. I would think the general laws of lost possessions would apply. Just because someone loses something does not mean that the person who finds it can claim it.

Now with things like wallets, it is easy to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is yours. A dive knife is not unique even if the one you had may have just been the only one in the provence.

rjack321 · Sep 1, 2010

Jeesh I would give it (back) to you. She doesn't "need" a prize while you are missing a knife (a loss). I think its pretty rude of her to keep it.

Pearldiver07 · Sep 1, 2010

I agree with Walter.

Write it off as the cost of finding out a lot about this DM's character. I mean, really? She needed another knife that badly? You find out a lot about a person when even a small sum of $$ is involved.

$50 lost sucks, but you'll know not to trust her from here on out.

TSandM · Sep 1, 2010

Even if it wasn't your knife, if I found one and knew you had lost one, I would almost certainly give the one I had found to you (or give you mine and keep the found one, if I were that taken with it). To do otherwise speaks poorly of her character.

cmburch · Sep 1, 2010

I try to label everything with my name and phone number if possible. Then no doubt.

I think most would have returned the knife since it matched the description and location.

Karma may bite in the butt some day such as something good may not happen.

Can't see how it relates to trust issues or lacking in character. Salvage. Probably thinks she is in the right. Brought up differently. Not everyone thinks alike. If a person acts differently they are not necessarily untrustworthy or of poor moral character.

Probably better to talk directly to her. I would try to convince her. $50 is a chunk of money worth a 2 minute convincing conversation. Otherwise write it off if unable to sway.

aquaregia · Sep 1, 2010

cmburch does make a good point. If that happened in Northern California, I'd expect her to give you the knife and you to pick up the bar tab (which may or may not be worth more than the knife).

kb8lxc · Sep 1, 2010

The way I look at it, if I feel like I can't trust this DM to do the right thing with this knife, I don't think I want to trust them to do the right thing with my life.

I very much agree with the Karma aspect too.

dannobee · Sep 1, 2010

A knife??

I just wish more people would lose the sheaths too.

I've found far too many knives to even give a rats.

If you want one, let me know. I might have one that you'd like.

Lost and a question of ethics

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