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This camera filmed its own disappearance, crossed 350 miles and reunited with its owner

Dec 20, 2017 by Dunja Djudjic Add Comment

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In November 2017, an SJCAM HD 1080P action camera washed up on the shores of Süderoog, a tiny island off the coast of Germany. A man picked it up and after a long online search, the camera was reunited with the owner.

What makes this story especially interesting is that the camera filmed its own disappearance. It was wrapped in a waterproof housing, which meant that the memory card was still intact when the camera was stranded on the shore at Süderoog. The photos and videos show that it belonged to a young boy who lost it while he was exploring a beach. And apparently, his camera crossed 350 miles to find its way to Germany.

Roland Spreer, a retired seaman, found the camera during a routine beach clean-up while he was covering for his son Holger Spreer. Holger and his partner Nele Wree are the island’s only regular inhabitants. When Roland showed them the camera, they uploaded the contents to a computer and discovered a few short videos that told them more about the owner. They uploaded the last video to Süderoog’s Facebook page.

Schnackendes Strandgut

Das gab es mit ziemlicher Sicherheit noch nie :-)Auf Süderoog ist ganz besonderes Strandgut angekommen.Eine Kamera, welche genau berichtet, wie es dazu kam, dass sie am 01.09.17 (vermutlich an der Küste Großbritanniens) in der Nordsee gelandet ist, um ca. zwei Monate später hier auf der Hallig Süderoog anzukommen.Da sie in ein wasserdichtes Gehäuse verpackt war, ist sie immer noch funktionstüchtig und so konnten wir uns die aufgenommenen Filme von der Speicherkarte anschauen.Wie sich herausstellte, gehört die kleine schwarze Kamera wohl einem ca. 10 bis 12- jährigen, englischen Jungen, der sich und seine Familie gerne mal filmte. Dabei spionierte er ab und an sein Schwesterchen aus, nahm die Eltern beim Herumlungern auf der Couch auf oder auch die Großeltern beim Besuch. Eigene Aktivitäten, wie Tretrollerfahren in einer Indoorhalle oder Rumtoberei mit der Schwester auf dem Trampolin im Garten mussten natürlich auch festgehalten werden. Die Videos des Strandbesuchs, welche ihr hier in gekürzter Fassung zu sehen bekommt, sollten vorerst die letzten sein, die er mit seiner Kamera aufgenommen hat. Beim Spielen stellte er sie auf einem Stein ab, beschäftigte sich dann weiter mit Eimer und Schwester, vergaß wohl die noch laufende Kamera und entfernte sich immer weiter. Langsam kam allerdings die Flut und eine kleine Welle schubste sie dann ins Meer. All das und noch einiges mehr ist somit gut dokumentiert. ;-)Gefunden hat die Kamera übrigns bereits am 02.11.17 mein Vater, der das Strandgutsammeln noch sehr gut aus seiner Kindheit kennt. Geboren (1950) und aufgewachsen ist er nämlich bei Dranske auf Rügen. Damals, meint er, konnte man die meisten Dinge, die das Meer brachte (hauptsächlich Holz, wie Balken und Bretter, aber auch mal Apfelsinen usw.) noch gebrauchen. Zu dieser Zeit war Strandgut noch gut. Heute ist es fast ausschließlich Müll. :-( Dieser Fund hier, so meint auch er, ist schon etwas ganz besonderes. Man fragt sich so oft: „Wo kommt das bloß wieder her?“ oder „Wie ist das wohl im Meer gelandet?“Endlich „schnackt“ ein Stück Müll mal mit uns.Die Uni Oldenburg macht ähnliche Experimente (nur nicht so ganz unfreiwillig wie diese Kamera) mit Driftern. Diese Holzklötze, welche auch schon zahlreich bei uns angekommen sind, werden mit einer Nummer und einem Hinweis versehen und in Massen an verschiedenen Orten ins Meer geworfen. Wer einen, z.B. beim Strandspaziergang, findet, kann dann die Nummer, Fundort und Zeit auf der Internetseite www.macroplastics.de eingeben. Durch die somit gewonnenen Daten versucht man sich ein Bild zu machen, wie sich der Müll in den Meeren verteilt und welche Zeit er für welchen Weg benötigt.Vielleicht ist der Weg dieser Kamera ja auch interessant für die Uni. ;-)Schön zu wissen wäre jetzt aber natürlich auch, ob jemand diesen im Video zu sehenden Jungen oder markant wirkenden Küstenabschnitt wiedererkennt. Für Eure Hinweise und Hilfe der Verbreitung sind wir sehr dankbar!Und wer weiß . . . , vielleicht bekommt der kleine Junge am Ende ja sogar seine Kamera wieder!? ;-)Grüße von der Hallig SüderoogFenja, Nele und Holger :-)

Posted by Hallig Süderoog on Wednesday, November 22, 2017

In this video, the young boy who apparently owns the camera is playing on the beach with his sister. He puts the camera on a rock and continues exploring. Then a wave drags the camera into the sea and its long journey begins.

In addition to sharing the video, the couple also explained that the boy in the video is English, around 10-12 years old. From the footage, it would seem that the boy used the camera to film himself and his family. Holger and Nele asked everyone to share the info, hoping that someone would recognize the boy or the coastline from the video.

After a while, a man commented that the camera started its journey in Thornwick Bay. He added a screenshot from the video and a photo from Google Maps, which show that this was indeed the starting point of the camera. He added that this meant the camera would have journeyed at least 560km (around 350 miles).

A few days later, another man left a comment saying that it was his son’s camera. As he explains, the boy was “playing with his sister on a day out with his Nanna at Thornwick Bay.” Judging from the comments the camera has now been reunited with the boy.

This is one of those stories that demonstrate the power of the social media, but it also shows the power of people united for the same cause. It’s pretty amazing that the camera survived a journey as long as it did, kept working, and found its way back to the owner. It’s like some kind of a modern message in a bottle.

[via Atlas Obscura, image credits: Holger Spreer and Nele Wree]

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Filed Under: news Tagged With: Action Cameras, Germany, SJCAM HD 1080P, social media

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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