if you find a camera, do you give it back?

[DevonDiver]

His primary reason to justify the camera being his was 'the law of the sea.'

Perhaps the d*ckwad needs to actually learn what the 'law of the sea' is? In particular, salvage and ownership. Whatever way he plays it, the cleverd*ck is wrong.

 

[meganm]

I see what you mean, I just read the wiki entry for 'Law of salvage' and 'United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.'

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

'Cultural rules'? I'm not so sure. In the Philippines the Filipino's would usually give back the item if they knew it was owned by 'Dong' down the road. If it was owned by 'Hey Joe' it was kept.

This has been the case in every country I have lived in which views the 'white foreigner' as rich.

There are of course 'individuals' within these countries who 'do the right thing' regardless of whether the article belongs to a local or a foreigner. I lost a few things in the Phils, and had them returned after I eventually became 'more than Joe'. As a tourist, it was very rare.

SG - You'll get no argument from me. Hence I wrote "majority of the time, good luck on getting the camera back".

That said, looks like you've spent some time in Japan judging from your SB handle. My experience with Japanese is that usually, they would return your stuff to you if you can prove the ownership. Though I've never dived in Japan, so I won't be able to speak on that front.

In SE Asia, this finder keeper attitude is not just toward the white foreigners. It applies towards all foreigners. Period. If you don't speak the local language and flashed a foreign passport when checking in, you are automatically bumped to the "sheep to shorn" list.

 

[highdesert]

That said, looks like you've spent some time in Japan judging from your SB handle. My experience with Japanese is that usually, they would return your stuff to you if you can prove the ownership. Though I've never dived in Japan, so I won't be able to speak on that front.

Slightly off topic here, but we did a one-day layover inTokyo following a dive trip to Indonesia several years ago. On the palace grounds, which is essentially a huge public park, people would leave a little backpack with their belongings on a bench near a path with hundreds of people walking by, knowing it would be there upon their return. Likewise, in Haneda Airport, we saw four Asian girls leave their purses, coats, and hand luggage on their chairs while they disappeared for a long time to shop. No problems.

My hats off to a culture where that can happen today!

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What I don't understand is ... if he didn't want to give the camera back to its owner, why did he contact you?

Seems to me in that situation the best thing to do is just keep quiet about finding it.

If this guy is your friend, then the moral of the story is choose better friends ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Progen]

Doesn't matter where you're from and where you're in. If someone tells you that the owner is contactable and physically available, return it. If not, make a decent attempt to and of course with the word 'decent', a whole can of worms is opened again but let's keep that discussion for another day. When the owner's found and you ask for a reward, that's just downright shameful.

Personally, whenever I lose something, I usually consider it lost and that's that.

 

[meganm]

What I don't understand is ... if he didn't want to give the camera back to its owner, why did he contact you?

Seems to me in that situation the best thing to do is just keep quiet about finding it.

If this guy is your friend, then the moral of the story is choose better friends ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I think you miss understood the chain of events... He didn't contact me. He told somebody else, who told somebody else who told me. And my friend is the person who lost the camera not the other way round.

When I find something I don't keep quiet about it I try and find the owner.

 

[emoreira]

I dive periodically in a dive boat with lots of people.
If something is found underwater or left in the dive boat after every one has disembarked, in the night meeting after dinner, all the recovered items are presented to the dive group to find out the owner. A can of Coke is the fee for each item to be paid to the finder, not as a reward, but as a fine to the owner, to take better care of his belongings.
Items that has no owner (things found that has not been lost by this group) are kept for the dive school if they are usable (for example dive weights) or to any of the school staff that want to reacondition it.

 

[copter53]

this law holds because the owner is unknown and this the item belongs to a finder. Yet, if the true owner is known as in this case then the item should be returned to the original owner.

Like if I find 20 bucks then its mine. But if I find a wallet with 20 bucks in it but with an ID then I look up the person and mail the wallet to their address.

the guy who found it didn't want to give it back, so my friend (the guy who actually owned the camera and had lost it) offered him money (I think he offered an excessive amount) to try and get him to give the camera back.

---------- Post added July 20th, 2013 at 11:50 PM ----------

we had to really twist the guys arm to get him to give the camera back. He said when anything is in the sea it is always finders keepers... and other people at the dive shop agreed with him.

I am just surprised and was after opinions from others.

When I have found something in the past (like a mask or a torch) I try to find the owner. If I find the owner I give it back if I can't find the owner only then do I keep it.

 

[ScubaPink]

"Perhaps the d*ckwad needs to actually learn what the 'law of the sea' is? In particular, salvage and ownership. Whatever way he plays it, the cleverd*ck is wrong."




LOL. Stated with subtelty.