Now that's water-resistant! Scuba diver is reunited with the underwater camera she lost off the coast of Scotland three YEARS ago after it washed up 600 miles away in Sweden still working 

  • Adele Devonshire lost her Fuji camera while scuba diving three years ago
  • The mother of two, 37, gave up hope when she couldn't find it in Scotland
  • But last week the camera was found on a rock on a Swedish island 
  • The finder then put the pictures on social media and found Mrs Devonshire

By Abe Hawken For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A scuba diver who lost her camera three years ago was stunned when it was finally found after it washed up 600 miles away in Sweden - and still worked.

Adele Devonshire, 37, was diving off St Abbs in Berwickshire, Scotland, when the clip holding her Fuji camera snapped.

She searched the shore in July 2013 but gave up hope when she couldn't find her device or the waterproof case the camera was inside. 

But she was astonished when she saw an online post last week by Lars Mossberg, 57, who found it perched on a rock on the shore of a small Swedish island. 

This is one of the photographs of Adele Devonshire's father that Lars Mossberg found on her camera in Sweden

This is one of the photographs of Adele Devonshire's father that Lars Mossberg found on her camera in Sweden

Her Fuji camera was lost in 2013 off the coast of Scotland and was remarkably found last week on a Swedish island 

Her Fuji camera was lost in 2013 off the coast of Scotland and was remarkably found last week on a Swedish island 

The plastic housing was covered in scratches, but despite having travelled across the North Sea, the camera turned on first time - without even being charged.

Father-of-two Lars tracked down Adele by posting some of her photos - of her father and her husband - to a 'Lost at Sea' Facebook group where they were seen by a friend.

And it took just five hours to find Adele, after the pictures were recognised by a friend who had been on the dive when she lost it three years earlier.

Mrs Devonshire, an ecologist from Manningtree, Suffolk, said: 'It's mad really - I'm still shocked.

'To think that it had presumably been bobbing around in the sea for all that time - and still works - is remarkable.

'It just goes to show the power of the internet and the kindness of people.'

Mr Mossberg, a management consultant, added: 'The more I think about it and the journey it has been on, the more exciting it is.' 

Mrs Devonshire, a mother of two, only realised she had lost the camera when she surfaced following a dive, and was devastated when she could not claim it back on her insurance. 

The camera travelled a staggering 600 miles from St Abbs in Scotland to Gullholmen in Sweden (pictured) 

The camera travelled a staggering 600 miles from St Abbs in Scotland to Gullholmen in Sweden (pictured) 

Mrs Devonshire (pictured) only realised she had lost the camera when she surfaced following a dive

Mrs Devonshire (pictured) only realised she had lost the camera when she surfaced following a dive

Mr Mossberg lives in a fishing village called Gullholmen, which is on a 31 hectare island of the same name, and home to just 90 people and no cars - just boats.

He spotted the camera amongst sea grass and shells on the rock coastline during his daily morning stroll a couple of weeks ago.

He added: 'I don't know why I looked down at it but I saw something orange.

'I left it for a while when I took it home because I didn't believe it would work.'

After leaving it to dry out, he prised open the waterproof cover to find a perfectly unharmed camera inside which turned on without a problem.

He added: 'But it did and there were 400 to 500 photos, from all different places.

Mr Mossberg found the camera on a Swedish island
Her camera was found in its case - and it still worked

Mr Mossberg (left) found the camera on a Swedish island and was pictured holding it when it was still in its waterproof case (right)

'I could see the last photo was from around July 2013, and a diving trip, so was amazed it had reached me.'

After listening to the voice on movies on the camera he thought it must belong to a British person, so posted a few photos of Mrs Devonshire's husband Paul and father Roger to Lost At Sea.

The photos were posted at around 5.30pm on Friday, and remarkably were spotted by Adele's friend by 10.30pm the same evening.

Astonishingly she had only joined the 2,500 member group that day.

Mr Mossberg verified Mrs Devonshire was the owner by asking her some questions about the photographs, and was set to post it back to her on Monday. 

Delighted Mrs Devonshire added: 'I never did buy a new one so I'm really looking forward to getting it back. It has been on quite the journey.'

SwedenScotland

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