GOTCHA GOPRO: Aaron Briggs and Adam Cavanagh with two GoPro Hero cameras. One was lost four months ago at Byron Bay and was washed up at Salty Lakes, Evans Head last week.

GOTCHA GOPRO: Aaron Briggs and Adam Cavanagh with two GoPro Hero cameras. One was lost four months ago at Byron Bay and was washed up at Salty Lakes, Evans Head last week. Doug Eaton

GoPro goes: Footage from a GoPro camera accidentally dropped into the ocean during a fishing trip.

THE mystery of the owner of the camera that washed up on to a beach at Evans Head has been solved, over three months after it was lost.

Single dad Aaron Briggs, of Byron Bay, has come forward as the owner and recounted to The Northern Star what happened when he lost the expensive GoPro waterproof camera which is strapped to a person's head to record action video.

"My mate's head is way smaller than mine and he had been wearing it. I chucked it on my head and had jumped into the water and had only touched the strap as it was uncomfortable and it popped off unexpectedly," he said.

"I just stood there frozen and stared at the water. It just went in the wash."

Mr Briggs said he would have gone looking for the camera but there was no hope of seeing it in the sand and whitewash all around.

The camera was dropped in the water at Little Wategos Beach near Byron Bay while still running in early January.

It showed footage of Mr Briggs and friends Adam Cavanagh and Lisa Bullen fishing on some rocks in the surf before it was lost and filmed underwater as it was buffeted by waves among schools of bream.

Over three months later, and having travelled nearly 70km down the east coast, it was washed up at Salty Lakes just north of Evans Head and found by local resident Esther Mason.

"Adam and I go fishing a lot, about three to four times a week.

"I used to work in the film industry as a 3D animator and we are trying to build up a lot of footage of us doing Bear Grylls-style extreme fishing."

Mr Briggs said he will have to make a fishing trip down to Evans Head to pick up the camera from Ms Mason's son David who had put the call out for the owner.

The Northern Star contacted GoPro in Australia who were understandably impressed by the story.

"We will be forwarding that information to the GoPro marketing team in the US," a spokesperson said.

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