# Belize>>> CAMERA FOUND!!!...some pics added



## fresh_lynny

Ok well..I promised some good pics from my vaca in Belize last week, but as luck would have it, I lost my underwater equipment in a squall while diving.....chased it up to 130 feet but since visibility was so poor it dropped to about 400...so lost forever....ON MY BIRTHDAY TO BOOT! sucks...anyway, all of that diving and 4 days in the jungle, no camera. I saw a neet lawn of emersed HC on a Mayan temple too! And to make matters worst, my last 3 dives were on that card, so I lost those pics too. OK my rant is over...I will go and pout now.


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## mrbelvedere

Is HC even from Mexico? I thought it was from Cuba.


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## thirston

I'm so sorry to hear that. I know I would be ticked if I even lost old pics of my garden or pets or other things I see day to day. I can't imagine losing a whole vacation to someplace so special. And the equipment to boot :icon_frow 

Guess you'll just have to go back again :icon_smil


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## fresh_lynny

mrbelvedere said:


> Is HC even from Mexico? I thought it was from Cuba.


ummm Belize is in Central America.


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## tazcrash69

Hey Lynn, welcome back. 
Really sorry to hear about you loosing your camera, plus all the pics. That really stinks. 

So did you manage to smuggle in any Mayan aquarium plants for trade? :icon_smil


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## DiabloCanine

Ok, my only question is: Why didn't you take Kenny bin laden with you and opps leave him there?......DC


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## tazcrash69

DiabloCanine said:


> Ok, my only question is: Why didn't you take Kenny bin laden with you and opps leave him there?......DC


LOL, great call back.


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## Brilliant

Hello welcome back! Sucks to hear about the camera and pictures. I bought one of those cheesy underwater cameras and it was ruined I can feel your pain but just remember the pictures are stored where it really matters.


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## cliner

Ah Belize.....
Been there twice myself(1993 & 1997). Love it. Sucks what happened to your gear. Hope you managed to enjoy that magical country.


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## fresh_lynny

Hey guys thanks...
I am still laughing at the Kenny thing. I was diving in saltwater, otherwise Kenny would have been left to fend for himself!

The gear was about 4 grand in cabbage....lost....that is a lot of potential fish food! The locals are all arranging dive trips to try and find it <to keep it of course>

Anyway, I didn't take any flora as there are doggies sniffing everything, but it was nice to see. I climbed 140 foot temple in Carencol in the pouring rain...it was like a waterfall, and I spent some time in caves with a bunch of bats, and peed in the jungle next to a large tarantula and moved a 4 foot Iguana out of my Cabana. I also, on my Bday, did a dive and ran into a pod of about 20 spotted dolphin and 12 bottlenose. It was on the dive after my camera loss, so I guess they were trying to cheer me up. Hmmm Kenny bin laden would look good in a bottlenose' belly......ha


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## JenThePlantGeek

I missed you Lynn! 

Glad you had such a great time on vacation, but that totally sucks about your camera. Did you really dive down to 130 feet?? I've only been down to about 80-90 I think. It gets COLD down there!

Heh, you know... if you act quick you can still make it to the AGA Convention...


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## fresh_lynny

when is it again?
I thought I missed it hmmmm lol


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## JenThePlantGeek

I'm leaving tomorrow. C'mon! you know you want to hop on a plane and come too! Nov. 10-12


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## Rond

Take lots of pictures, Jen, to share with us who could not make it! Have a great trip!


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## fresh_lynny

JenThePlantGeek said:


> I'm leaving tomorrow. C'mon! you know you want to hop on a plane and come too! Nov. 10-12


I just spoke to Jay Luto he is on his way...2 hour plane delay...eeeek. bad weather here in NE. Anyway, I would certainly come out spur of the moment <I am weird like that> But I have some house guests from home <New Orleans> coming in tomorrow. They may take offense to me leaving them here...lol Have fun and take pics, Jen!


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## mrbelvedere

fresh_newby said:


> ummm Belize is in Central America.



Oh sorry, I heard Mayan Temple, must have thought Aztec temple (I went to Playa Del Carmen and there were some nearby), I'm an idiot.


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## DiabloCanine

fresh_newby said:


> I spent some time in caves with a bunch of bats, and peed in the jungle next to a large tarantula


OK, now I'm jealous........DC


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## fresh_lynny

Holy crap! Some of the buddies I made in a Village in Belize just emailed me that they FOUND my dive camera!!!!!! There is something to be said for having a reef as your back yard! They of course want a bigtime "finders fee" i will have to see what that is. I am more interested in getting the card that is loaded with many trips and events....Oh well...WHAT ARE THE ODDS??????
It was 400 feet down an hour offshore from Placencia, Belize....and it was found. I am still in shock.


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## Lycosa

As great as that sounds....be careful. There are a lot of people out there who would love to collect a finders fee for a camera that they never found. Hopefully, that isn't the case in your situation. If it isn't you are very lucky!


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## lumpyfunk

Talk about the proverbial needle in a hay stack! I hope it works out and we get to see some pics!


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## tazcrash69

Best of Luck in getting your card, and camera back.


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## fresh_lynny

Thanks....
I have thought about the proverbial finder fee with no camera rip off: however, these guys I befriended work at Francis Ford Coppola's place <where I stayed> and know that If I call him and tell him that his employees are scamming me for MY OWN camera, they will lose their jobs, and trust me, they value their jobs very much. I think they would rather be on the up and up. I will keep you posted. I am still shocked.


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## tazcrash69

fresh_newby said:


> I have thought about the proverbial finder fee with no camera rip off: however, these guys I befriended work at Francis Ford Coppola's place <where I stayed> and know that If I call him


 :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek: :icon_eek:


Do you realize that for me you might have well just said you had brunch with GOD?


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## fresh_lynny

u a fan Walter?


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## JenThePlantGeek

I enjoy his work very much. You have some cool friends Lynn! That's fantastic about your camera being found. I sure hope it works out - I'd LOVE to see those pictures!


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## SCMurphy

He makes great wine too!


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## co2

I hope you get your camera back. I am just wondering how it would be possible to find it if was 400 ft down? That's too deep to dive.


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## RoseHawke

Name dropper :tongue: .

I'd be reaaaaal skeptical about that "find". Isn't 400 feet deep sea diving (don't know too much about it, although my brother dives,) that requires specialized equipment and decompression and all that stuff?

It'd be fabulous if it really is your camera, but if it actually was dropped in 400 feet of water it just seems rather unlikely.

Here's hoping anyway; I know what it's like to lose irreplaceable vacation photos .


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## JenThePlantGeek

There's a possibility that currents swept it to shallower areas - I'm guessing that's what happened.


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## bharada

Well, let's just hope that the recovery is legit and that the camera housing held up at 400'.


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## fresh_lynny

I found out from Ikelite that it is neutral to negative bouyant, so there is a chance that even though the depth below me was 400 feet, the housing with the little bit of air in it could have kept it 100 or higher. With the visibility so poor during that dive, even though I went down to 120 to look for it, it could have even been above me and I would not be able to see it. There is a slight chance it is legit. I will see...

And Jen that too is a possibility <currents>


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## guaiac_boy

As them to download some photos from the card, e-mail them as proof of the find and then arrange the finders fee thing.


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## fresh_lynny

Now that is a fantastic idea!


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## RoseHawke

fresh_newby said:


> I found out from Ikelite that it is neutral to negative bouyant, so there is a chance that even though the depth below me was 400 feet, the housing with the little bit of air in it could have kept it 100 or higher. With the visibility so poor during that dive, even though I went down to 120 to look for it, it could have even been above me and I would not be able to see it. There is a slight chance it is legit. I will see...
> 
> And Jen that too is a possibility <currents>


Ahhh! Sure hope so!


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## bharada

Well, if it did survive down to 400' you should ask Ikelite to pay you for a customer testimonial. :icon_lol:


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## AlGee

asking for a "finder's fee" is just whack. :thumbsdow


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## lumpyfunk

AlGee said:


> asking for a "finder's fee" is just whack. :thumbsdow


I disagree, they probably expended quite a bit of time and effort to find it. You pay people to do things for you every day, cut your hair, mow your lawn, drive you somewhere. These people probably did way more than a server at a restaurant or the person who makes your late, why not pay them a reasonable finders fee. Tangent I know


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## AlGee

i agree they should be paid, but asking for it without arranging an agreement prior just rubs me the wrong way. i would feel bad about keeping it even if she didnt pay


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## fresh_lynny

AlGee I agree. Particularly since I tipped them 300 bucks for 3 days of diving, and they didn't do anything but hang with us. I know damned well that the average person tips the capt. 20 bucks for a dive trip, not 100 per day. Here is a cut and paste of the quote...

Your camera has been found!!!!! The finder is
claiming finders keepers, so we may need to bribe him
to get it.


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## jt20194

*Update*

Any updates on your camera? Hope it worked out for you


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## otter

lumpyfunk said:


> I disagree, they probably expended quite a bit of time and effort to find it. You pay people to do things for you every day, cut your hair, mow your lawn, drive you somewhere. These people probably did way more than a server at a restaurant or the person who makes your late, why not pay them a reasonable finders fee. Tangent I know


It's not like they formed an organized search party to look for her camera. You find stuff by accident all the time while diving, it wasn't an extra effort on their part. 
I'm very interested to hear how this turned out... I've lost many things diving, and met people who have found them later... it's theirs to keep... you just don't ask for that stuff back. I know a couple guys at a particular dive shop that make a good part-time income selling the stuff they find on the reef at the swap shop (one item was an aqua scooter that I lent to a dive buddy, it was only used once before he dropped it) Having said that.. I would return anything I found if I knew to whom it belonged. At minimum they should go out of their way to send you the pictures.


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## fresh_lynny

I agree otter. I got a call yesterday, asking to make a "swap"
mmmmm That's good Bass!!!I gave them my address and told them to send mt the card, then we will go from there. Once I get the thing in the mail, I will let you guys know how I proceed. If I EVER found something that I knew belonged to someone else, I AUTOMATICALLY give it back, with a smile. We have all lost something important. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night thinking I "stole" something from someone. Finders keepers only applies to someting that you have no idea where it came from and you make a concerted effort to determine its owner. The entire city knew about my camera. It was regular conversation in the bar at night <there is only one bar where we were> I know every diver in the city so I know who has it, and they know me. The sad part of the deal is that the person who has it made a comment when we were diving together about how much he loved my Atomic mask, and how they cannot get them in Belize. The day I came home from the trip, I bought him one. I never told him that I did, and was going to just ship it to him. Then this happened. Sometimes we give of ourselves, and are made to feel stupid in the process. It is sad.

Anyone looking to buy an Atomic dive mask?


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## otter

fresh_newby said:


> I agree otter. I got a call yesterday, asking to make a "swap"
> mmmmm That's good Bass!!!I gave them my address and told them to send mt the card, then we will go from there. Once I get the thing in the mail, I will let you guys know how I proceed. If I EVER found something that I knew belonged to someone else, I AUTOMATICALLY give it back, with a smile. We have all lost something important. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night thinking I "stole" something from someone. Finders keepers only applies to someting that you have no idea where it came from and you make a concerted effort to determine its owner. The entire city knew about my camera. It was regular conversation in the bar at night <there is only one bar where we were> I know every diver in the city so I know who has it, and they know me. The sad part of the deal is that the person who has it made a comment when we were diving together about how much he loved my Atomic mask, and how they cannot get them in Belize. The day I came home from the trip, I bought him one. I never told him that I did, and was going to just ship it to him. Then this happened. Sometimes we give of ourselves, and are made to feel stupid in the process. It is sad.
> 
> Anyone looking to buy an Atomic dive mask?


That completely sucks! I did lose my mask a few months ago, along with a brand new UK Mini-W 40 LED light attached to it, I've been using my spare since which doesn't fit right and leaks a lot.. very irritating, especially while lobstering, and both hands are full... it's a pain to be clearing your mask with almost every exhale. It was a Chameleon, mask with the interchangeable red and yellow filters. I'm not familiar with the Atomic mask.. got a link to it? Maybe I'll buy it since I need a new one.
Was this in Belize City? I thought Belize was great... did you have a few Belikins while you were there? I found the people there to be very nice but VERY poor... it's hard to fault them for wanting some $, I could never be like that, but my situation is vastly different.


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## fresh_lynny

This is the mask.
http://www.atomicaquatics.com/vision.html
It is great. It wasn't Belize City, It was in Placencia....closer to Guatamala.
The guy that found it works at a Resort, and gets paid very well. Especially for that part of the world. I guess greed is universsal.


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## fresh_lynny

Ok so my camera is still being held hostage, and after all of this time, *i got the card with my pics on it *as proof he has it....so at least I got my pics back...he is pretty upset i am not sending him miney for the camera though. I sent him a blank card to replace my card and that's it...I guess that is better than I could have hoped this turned out....i replaced the camera...bought a new one and an ikelite for my trip to Statia in March...he is stuck now no extortion..no power cords...and no more battery...what will he do with it now?


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## turbowagon

well, let's see some pics.


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## chaznsc

fresh_newby said:


> i replaced the camera...bought a new one and an ikelite for my trip to Statia in March...he is stuck now no extortion..no power cords...and no more battery...what will he do with it now?


I have a few suggestions if you run out LOL

chaz


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## fresh_lynny

I am at work..my hubby got it in the mail...the one pic he emailed me to show me it came, is of him drunk when we went to the birthday party of the cowboy from the Village People...lol I don't think he would want me to post that one! LMAO.......i hear you Chaz....me too


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## bigstick120

Well at least you got the irreplaceable items back, the photos.


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## fresh_lynny

yep BS...that means more...


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## otter

What a complete [email protected]#.. that's really hard to beleive that he would do that. I'm glad that you got your pictures though.


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## original kuhli

I'd just make the reasonable offer and leave it at that, they did do something for you that you'd have otherwise not been able to do...


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## A Hill

otter said:


> What a complete dick.. that's really hard to beleive that he would do that. I'm glad that you got your pictures though.


I agree, So you must be going home soon.... Lets see those pictures!!

-Andrew


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## fresh_lynny

original kuhli said:


> I'd just make the reasonable offer and leave it at that, they did do something for you that you'd have otherwise not been able to do...


yes...he knew exactly where it came untethered, knew I was leaving the next day....and waited for me to leave to go down and get it, only to extort money from me....after I gave him a 300 dollar tip and bought him a new expensive mask....you are right. It is reasonable for him to ask me for money...lol
He had the boat and the tanks. If he really was doing somethiing for me, he would have gotten it that day, but instead he marked where it was and waited for me to leave to get it, so he had leverage. He even went to a different site for the next dive so there was no way I can find it...oh yeah, and I found out on my scuba forum that this was not the first time at this place either!


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## fresh_lynny

I will upload a few to photobucket and share a few....


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## original kuhli

oh...I see.


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## fresh_lynny

*some pics from the card from the bottom of the ocean*

These are some turtles that were getting picked off by birds, so I collected what I could, and my friend was going to "rear" them to get large enough to release them.











Here is an endangered Jewfish. Bot a great pic, but he was a little larger than a VW bug. I was pretty close to him, but he was all over the map.










Here is an Angle playing peek a boo...










Here is one of a sea of Barracuda we dove in. He was about 4 feet in length, and liked to stare...lol











not my best work, but from sitting at the bottom of the ocean.....I am happy... There are a ton more pics, but here are a few.


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## milalic

mrbelvedere said:


> Is HC even from Mexico? I thought it was from Cuba.


There is HC in some places in Puerto Rico


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## fresh_lynny

yes but Belize in in Central America lol


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## dougiefresh

Good job on saving the turtles. Amazing creatures. Watch out they may try to charge room and board for those baby turtles too


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## fresh_lynny

HAHAHA nice Dougie...actually they were released 2 weeks ago...


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## A Hill

Nice pictures!

-Andrew


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## whitepine

fresh_newby said:


> I sent him a blank card to replace my card and that's it...I guess that is better than I could have hoped this turned out....i replaced the camera...bought a new one and an ikelite for my trip to Statia in March...he is stuck now no extortion..no power cords...and no more battery...what will he do with it now?


There is no way I would have sent the extortionist a new card... 

I have had similar experiences with people asking for things in the Amazon. I now either tip or give items... but not both.

Can you claim the camera on your home owners insurance?

Cheers, Whitepine


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## Burks

Cedar Point used to have a Jewfish in one of their tanks back when they had an aquarium (which is now an arcade). That was one big fish!


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## fresh_lynny

I hear you, Whitepine. I send the card to the extortionist so that I can get my card back, which was irreplaceable. I will not have any further contact with them. I paid for my camera with Amex, so I got it replaced...I think that pisses them off more because I am not giving them money for the camera, and they have no battery or cords to charge it, and they cannot get one where they live. Oh well, too bad. 
I got the card with the pics on it. That is the main thing, because I have my last 6 dives on it....


Thanks FN...like I said, they aren't my best, and I have to think that sitting on the bottom of the ocean may have affected the color somewhat...but who knows. 

Onward and upward....Sometimes the world is not a great place.


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## lumpyfunk

fresh, I am glad you got the pics, it is too bad that the retrieval was handled so poorly. I was under the assumption that it was someone else who found the camera, but for someone who was treated so generously by you to be looking for cash. . .


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## fresh_lynny

no kidding...and they knew I lost it on my birthday to boot!
it only took 3 months to get the card...ha
Anyway, the saga ends..lol 

I will take the camera in March to Sint Eustacious...aka "Statia", a small Caribbean Island with a huge history, and quite nice diving. I urge you, if you have not heard of it, to look it up, as it has quite an illustrious history, and up until last year, I had never heard of it!


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## A Hill

fresh_newby said:


> Anyway, the saga ends..lol


WITHOUT THOSE HUGE SHOTS OF PLANTS YOU TOLD US ALL ABOUT?!!?!?!?!? 

I don't think thats exactly fiar  or was it all your imagination?!?!:flick: 

-Andrew


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## Burks

I would have loaded the card with one nice picture.

Care to take a guess of what?


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## fresh_lynny

Fish Newb said:


> WITHOUT THOSE HUGE SHOTS OF PLANTS YOU TOLD US ALL ABOUT?!!?!?!?!?
> 
> I don't think thats exactly fiar  or was it all your imagination?!?!:flick:
> 
> -Andrew


refresh my memory....lol
I will deliver...I just don't know whatcha talkin bout, Willis


hahaha burks....i wish I would have thought about that before I sent them the card!!!!


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## A Hill

fresh_newby said:


> Ok well..I promised some good pics from my vaca in Belize last week, but as luck would have it, I lost my underwater equipment in a squall while diving.....chased it up to 130 feet but since visibility was so poor it dropped to about 400...so lost forever....ON MY BIRTHDAY TO BOOT! sucks...anyway, all of that diving and 4 days in the jungle, no camera. I saw a neet *lawn of emersed HC on a Mayan temple too! *And to make matters worst, my last 3 dives were on that card, so I lost those pics too. OK my rant is over...I will go and pout now.


Well then?

lol....

-Andrew


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## fresh_lynny

ahhh yes...ok I will extract them when I get home....promise.


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## Martin

wonderful that you got your card. As everyone says.. the most important thing is saved.

Perhaps he will find a powercord, take photos and help save the rainforest. you never know.. though one might doubt...

I just bought my self a Nikon D70s and am waiting for the bloody mailman...


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## fresh_lynny

Symbiot..it is like watching paint dry, no?

Well A buddy on my Scuba board forum used to have a shop down there, and he found out that this guy got fired form the place right before he told them about this happening...They were upset about it and said he did some other things and was fired...so they wanted to go to the police. I think I will let it go....I hardly doubt he would use the camera to save anything, other than someone else's money, but I don't want to get the police involved...I may get knifed in my sleep ha


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