"Hi... James?"
The caller turned out to be a beachcomber named Walt Parkins, who had just FOUND the waterproof GoPro camera that I lost while stand-up paddling fifteen days ago. Woo hoo! Even luckier, it turned out he found it only a few blocks away from the Subway, at the Fort Pierce South Jetty. That meant the camera had been transported several miles North from where I lost it at my secret spinner-shark sandbar spot.
I postponed my sandwich ordering and zoomed straight to the jetty, where I met Walt. Like a true gentleman, he refused the cash reward I offered, saying he was just happy to see the camera get back to it's rightful owner. Thanks Walt!
The housing was fairly scratched, and the head strap assembly was encrusted in algae and sand, but the seal had held and the camera was still perfectly dry and functional!
Since I already have a replacement camera I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this one. Maybe sell it to another local windsurfer or kiteboarder for about half of what it cost. Let me know if you're interested.
PS- Here's a 43 second clip from the footage that was on the camera. Horrible.
Terrible Stand-up Paddleboarding from James Douglass on Vimeo.
Nice luck! Is the lens scratched?Clean it up and put it on e-bay auction, starting with $1, to sell on market price and finance future adventures!
ReplyDeleteHow much do u want for it? Mail me!
ReplyDeleteWhat a luck! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI lost my compact camera at the beach last weekend, hope I'm half as lucky as you and recover it someday.
All the best.
Sergey- The housing looks decent now that I washed off all the ocean schmutz, but the lense is still a bit scratched, so whoever buys the camera will probably want to order a fresh housing from GoPro for $40.
ReplyDeleteKenneth- I see you're in Singapore. I'm going to try to sell the camera locally before I consider shipping it either domestically or internationally.
Magnum- Probably the best way to insure your lost camera is returned is to buy a replacement. It's the law of irony, or something.
It looks like the lens window on the plastic case is held on by six screws. Is it possible that you could buy the lens window of the case without purchasing a whole new plastic case?
ReplyDeleteDad- Hey, you're right! Looks like a replacement lense can be bought for just $20.
ReplyDeleteCareful James, I'd be wary of taking advice from an old guy who sees even older women in his underpants.....even if he is your dad :-).
ReplyDeleteFunniest thing I've read in ages....
That is awesome that it turned up. If you don't sell it down there keep me in mind!!!!
ReplyDelete