All at sea: Man to reunite with camera lost off coast in 2015

It could be a photo from any typical holiday: a slightly sunburnt man holds his breath underwater, tiny air bubbles collecting in his eyebrows and beard as he smiles for the camera.

Tim Pullyn lost his camera in the ocean in 2015. Years later, it turned up.Credit: Facebook

But the man, New Zealander Tim Pullyn, never thought he would see the camera – let alone the photo – again.

Mr Pullyn was on holidays with his children at the Whitsundays seven years ago when they last used the camera.

“My daughter, who was six at the time, was swimming with it and the current was getting a bit too strong for her and my son, who was about eight,” he said.

“I ended up waving for one of the boats to come and grab us for the kids’ sake because it was a bit of an effort for them.

“We realised as she was scrambling onto the boat, she prioritised her safety but the camera was lost.”

Mr Pullyn said the cruise staff joked that he could alert the lost property team, but he had no hope it would be returned.

Four years later, a volunteer helping with the regular clean-up of Orpheus Island found the camera, intact in its waterproof case.

Tangaroa Blue Foundation chief executive officer Heidi Tait said they charged the device and flicked through the images.

One photo stood out – a man smiling underwater.

A hunt for the owner was sparked last November, with people tagging others on social media to find the mystery man.

“We found the guy,” Ms Taint said.

Mr Pullyn described it as “small world syndrome” after a friend of a friend showed him the foundation’s social media posts.

“It was a bit of a surprise that my face was in the news and I didn’t think I’d ever see those images again.

“I bought the camera with a kit years ago and I originally was using it for motorbike riding but I was taking my two children to Airlie Beach for a holiday and it had a waterproof case so we thought we’d take it with us.”

Mr Pullyn said he was eager to relive their five-day trip from Brisbane to Airlie Beach through videos and photos.

“Probably not so much when it was lost but the day before at Cedar Creek Falls, I’d love to see the footage,” he said.

“I had the kids on my back and we swam under the falls and had the video going.

“It’ll all be a blast to go through it with the kids.”

Much has changed since Mr Pullyn and his children finished their holiday, and not just with the ongoing pandemic.

Years after they swam there, the Great Barrier Reef is being inspected amid concerns the World Heritage Area may have to be listed as “at risk”.

Tangaroa Blue Foundation projects manager Brett Tait said some photos were sent to Mr Pullyn and the video camera had been dispatched to New Zealand earlier this year.

“It was incredible to track someone down from a camera across the ditch,” he said.

“It’s a good outcome and it was an adventure for our volunteers.”

Mr Pullyn said his children thought it was incredible the camera had been found.

“My daughter felt bad about it and tried to buy a replacement one so she offered me $20 towards it,” he said.

“She was so upset at the time that I accepted it but now that’s it found, I told her, ‘you can get your $20 back’.”