mshieldsdunn once bubbled...
By my count, Scubaboard.com attendees included:
There were 10 all together. You forgot Mellisaphish, and Gary [I think he's a lurker here]. Also Wackodacko's friend is a lurker as well.
2 dives in Rockport, MA (Back Beach near Rockport Center), a lobster, and the Environmental Police (I will let others tell this part of the story).
Actually it was originally 4 lobsters! I'll start the story, and MSilvia can fill in the parts that I missed.
On the very beginning of the first dive, I lost my tickle stick and my lobster gauge [I must not have clipped it right]. So on the second dive when King Kong Matt and I started grabbing bugs [nice work with your grunting and pointing BTW!], I didn't have a gauge to check the size, so I was using the 'finger' method when I didn't have access to Wackodacko's ruler!
So I ended up with a bag 'o tres bugs. When KK Matt and I got out of the water, I went straight to MSilvia's Scubaru to measure. I got my rig off and measured the 3 bugs. Two were short, one was legal. So I headed back towards the water with the 2 shorts, and as I'm crossing the street I notice the lobstah cop truck right there. I gesture with the bugs and pointing to the water, and he gestures with 'no' and points back to my car. Ok, I turn around and head back.
He pulls up and immediately asks "Where's the water?" I answer "Over there". "And how far from the water are you allowed to have shorts?" "Uh...I'm guessing closer than I am!".
"You can't take shorts away from the waters edge". "Oh. Well, I lost my guage on the first dive so I couldn't measure when I caught them".
"I know you, and I know your honest, so go get them back in the water and remember to leave the bag at the waters edge when you go to get the guage".
So as I'm walking back to the water, he asks if anyone else has any bugs... MSilvia goes to get his for measuring while I'm releasing my shorts. [uh.. no pun intended!]
I get back and the whole group, plus two of my friends from my LDS, are all gathered around the LC, who is holding MSilvia's bug with the guage [and I notice it's short]. He's going through a lecture on how to measure bugs, and continues with the 'fines'.
"$100 for each short. 5 or more illegal lobsters and we take your scuba gear as well".
He instructed MSilvia to take the bands off and release him back into the water, and gave him a verbal warning.
Rick L. It happened to be the same guy we were chatting with on Tuesday, which is why he remembered me. Rax and KK Matt pointed out that it was the same guy from Pebble Beach during Cape Ann Day #2, but I hadn't been looking at faces at that point. So I guess this guy has basically been following me around all summer!
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that they are so on top of policing the lobster diving. The Lobstah Cops have always been great when I've talked with them, giving site conditions and asking about the site conditions so they can pass 'em on to other divers. It's the real cops that are the true hassle... they'll accuse you of holding an illegal class if they see you with your logbooks out!
Hopefully someone else can fill in the details to the 'lobster measuring class' that I missed!
10 divers damn it must have looked like a hot tub out there with all those bubbles
