Lobster miniseason under way in South Florida

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Lobster miniseason under way in South Florida

Enjoy the hunt, but don't put your life in jeopardy through careless diving during miniseason.

By Steve Waters
Sun-Sentinel

July 28, 2004, 11:34 AM EDT

Lobster miniseason is one of the most enjoyable times of the year for South Floridians, as well as one of the most dangerous.

The two-day miniseason, which opened at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, July 28, and runs through midnight Thursday, July 29, gives recreational divers the first shot at catching lobsters since the recreational and commercial lobster seasons closed April 1. The regular season opens Aug. 6.

In theory, since lobsters haven't been bothered by traps and tickle sticks for nearly four months, they have let their guard down, which means the chances of finding and catching some are excellent.

In addition, the daily bag limit during miniseason is 12 per person (except in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park) compared with six per person during the regular season.

With all that going for it, the miniseason attracts hordes of divers in search of an easy lobster dinner.

Problems arise because many of those people have not dived since last miniseason. Their skills may have deteriorated, along with their equipment.

Capt. Mike Lamphear, who retired after a long career as a law enforcement officer with the Florida Marine Patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, had a grisly collection of tales of miniseason misadventures that he used to share with local dive clubs.

Lamphear was the one who had to break the news of diving deaths to victims' loved ones. In almost every case, Lamphear said, death was caused by failure to follow basic diving safety protocol:

Plan the dive and dive the plan, which involves deciding where you'll dive and how long you'll be in the water, then sticking with that plan.

If, during your dive, you decide to stay down longer than you planned or swim off to a different area, problems such as running out of air or surfacing far away from your boat can have lethal consequences.

A common mishap: Divers agree to surface with 500 pounds of air remaining in their tanks, but one of the divers sees a lobster and tries to snag it before heading for the boat. Next thing you know, the diver is dangerously low on air, which imperils the other divers, who now have to share their remaining air.

Dive by the book, specifically the textbook you got when you took your dive certification course. The book covers issues such as properly displaying a dive flag, decompression stops and what to do in case of equipment failure.

Lamphear was a proponent of taking a refresher course if it has been a while since your last dive, or at least re-reading your textbook before heading out for miniseason. Getting out for a dive or two before miniseason builds confidence.

You might also discover that your dive gear needs attention, whether it is replacing the strap on your mask or a more complicated repair. Keep in mind that dive shops get swamped the weekend before miniseason by people seeking everything from air fills to refurbished regulators to tank inspections.

Among the most disturbing cases Lamphear handled was the diver who had too much weight on her weight belt and was using borrowed dive gear that had not been checked out before the dive. Diving in 25 feet, she quickly went to the bottom and was unable to get air into her BC because the inflation mechanism was corroded.

Three miniseasons ago, Frank Schmidt of Lighthouse Point and his two companions pulled two stranded divers from the water. One of the divers got separated from his dive buddy and his boat. The other diver had equipment problems -- dry rot in his BC caused it to fill with water.

Use the buddy system. Diving by yourself is asking for trouble. A buddy can help you safely get back to the surface if a piece of gear fails or show you the way back to the boat if you get disoriented. Plus, diving with someone else is more fun because you can share the experience and later compare notes on the things you saw.

Being able to communicate with your buddy is a big part of diving safely. Schmidt, a dive certification instructor with more than 11,000 dives to his credit, always goes over basic dive signals with his companions before they go in the water. Consider that one diver's thumbs up to indicate that all is well is another's sign to go to the surface. Anyone can appreciate the importance of talking the same language while diving.

Schmidt also discusses the direction of the current, the direction he'll head on the dive and how to get back to the boat.

Another common miniseason mistake is not having an experienced driver in the boat while you're diving. Some drivers don't even know how to start the boat. Other drivers fail to keep tabs on their divers, who surface a quarter of a mile or farther from the boat and have to hitch a ride back.

While you're at it, make sure your boat is in working order. A few miniseasons ago, when seas were rough, several boats sank because they took on water and their bilge pumps didn't work.

You also want to make sure you have all your safety gear, such as dive flags, as well as a saltwater fishing license and a crawfish stamp if you are not diving from a licensed dive boat.

Law enforcement officers are out in force on the water and at boat ramps during miniseason checking for licenses and required safety equipment, such as life jackets and fire extinguishers. They also write tickets for common violations, such as possessing too many lobsters, undersized lobsters and egg-bearing females. Most violations are second-degree misdemeanors punishable by up to a $500 fine and up to 60 days in jail.

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How to catch a lobster

To catch a lobster, it helps to think like one

By Steve D'Oliveira
Staff Writer

July 25, 1997

Yes, even you can learn to catch a spiny lobster in two easy steps. First, find a lobster. Second, catch it. What could be simpler?

As anyone who has tried nabbing a lobster for the first time knows, bagging a ``bug'' isn't quite as easy as it may sound. Once you learn the proper technique, however, the odds of returning home with something to throw on a grill will improve.

Step one is finding a lobster.

Lobsters live on shallow and deep reefs. The deeper the reef, the less bottom time you have to search for them. On the other hand, they tend to be bigger.

At night, lobsters ramble across the reefs to feed. During the day, they congregate in reef crevices and under coral heads or ledges. They also are found in rocky jetties, marinas, saltwater canals and under boat docks.

A lobster's antennae can often be seen protrouding from its lair, but not always. To catch a lobster, think like a lobster. If you spot a nice ledge but no antennae, stick your head down there and take a peek.

During miniseason last year, Doug Powers, a dive instructor with Dixie Divers in Deerfield Beach, was making a night dive north of Anglin's Pier in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. He was kicking out to the reef on the surface when he looked down and spotted 15 to 20 lobsters in 8 feet of water.

``They were walking in a line in the sand,'' he said. ``It was like going to a grocery store and taking your pick. We had our limit in about 20 minutes.''

Once you find a bug, few things are more exciting than matching wits with a crustacean that will do whatever it takes to stay off of your dinner plate.

There are two basic methods for catching lobster. Many divers use a tickle stick and bully net. Others prefer the lobster loop.

Divers using a tickle stick should tap the lobster on the tail. This usually, but not always, causes the lobster to walk forward.

Once exposed, a net should be placed behind the lobster. Once that's done, make the lobster back into the net by trying to grab it.

``Make them think the net is their friend and they can hide under it,'' said Matt Stout, a Fort Lauderdale dive instructor.

Once the lobster is netted, you have a few seconds to grab it. Get a firm grip, measure it and put it in your mesh bag. Always wear thick gloves.

Don't be too aggressive with the tickle stick. Tap them gently. Some will walk right out. Others know what you're up to and will kick back deeper into their hole, leaving a wispy cloud of sand in your face.

At this point, you may want to move on. Spending 10 to 20 minutes trying to catch a well-entrenched lobster isn't a good use of time. Scott McClary, who owns Dive Shop II in Boynton Beach, instructs novice lobster hunters how to use the lobster loop.

``We teach the loop,'' he said. ``It's a lot quicker and more efficient. The net and tickle stick [can do) too much damage to the lobster.''

Once you spot a lobster, maneuver the open loop around its tail. Once that's done, quickly pull the loop closed. That's it. The lobster is yours.

A few tips:

Relax. There's nothing like a reef chock full of waving antennae to get the Adrenalin flowing, your heart rate climbing and your regulator working overtime. Try to calm down. If you don't, you will soon be out of air.

Before you even decide to catch a lobster, look at its tail, because you can sometimes spot the bright orange roe [eggs) underneath. Leave it alone. It's illegal.

Unless you get there first, try to avoid the reefs where dive boats take their passengers. Those reefs tend to get picked over fast.
 
hey- I know mini-season has a lot of divers, but does the regular season start have the same attraction. I was looking to get a keys diving trip in beffore I relocate, but was planning on the 8th of aug. I don't want to go if its gonna be choc full of lobasta hunters.

any thoughts?
 
Good luck for us all!
 
munkispank:
hey- I know mini-season has a lot of divers, but does the regular season start have the same attraction. I was looking to get a keys diving trip in beffore I relocate, but was planning on the 8th of aug. I don't want to go if its gonna be choc full of lobasta hunters.

any thoughts?

It depends on where in the keys you go. Large areas are designated as marine sanctuary, and there's no taking allowed.

If you change your plans to the 7th, there's a whole Scubaboard trip planned. Look in the FCD Private Trips forum for details.

Marc
 
Annual 2-day lobster miniseason under way

By Steve Waters
Staff Writer

July 29, 2004

Calm seas and lots of lobsters -- at least for some people -- made for an enjoyable opener Wednesday of the annual two-day lobster miniseason.

Rainstorms put a damper on things for some lobster hunters, but for the most part, the miniseason got off to a safe and successful start in South Florida.

The season concludes tonight at midnight.

"It's been pretty busy," said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement officer Lenny Salberg, who was on the water checking divers. "A lot of people got their bag limit, and I saw a lot of good-sized ones brought in."

Salberg added that most people obeyed the law. The majority of the citations issued by FWC officers were for having over-the-bag limits (12 lobsters per person) and egg-bearing females.

Roray Kam, Bill Dennis and two others caught their limit of 48 lobsters in three hours free-diving in 25-30 feet off Pompano Beach. Kam, of Oakland Park, thought the overcast skies helped the lobstering because the lobsters seemed to stay out of their holes more than usual.

"[Wednesday's] weather was one of the best first-day miniseason days in a long time, along with the amount of lobsters out there," Kam said. "The majority of the lobsters were all nice size where we didn't even have to worry about measuring them."

Bully netters were out in force in Biscayne Bay when the miniseason opened. They ease their boats across the shallow grass flats in the bay while using spotlights to locate lobsters and catch the crustaceans in a bully net, which has a hoop bent at a 90-degree angle to the net's handle. The net is lowered straight down on a lobster and when the lobster tries to scoot backward, it gets caught in the netting.

Drew Gregg of Davie went bully-netting for the 28th consecutive year and had one of his best miniseason nights, getting a three-man total of 33 lobsters.

When Gregg started in 1977, the miniseason was three days, the limit was six lobsters per person and he did his bully-netting in Barnes Sound in Key Largo. Some friends who owned a tackle store in Perrine turned him on to miniseason.

"I bought some nets and went out with two other people in my 13-foot Boston Whaler, and we got 18 lobsters all three nights," Gregg recalled. "It was just amazing. I thought, `Gee, I gotta do this every year.'"

Miniseason didn't attract the hordes it does now. When Gregg arrived at Crandon Park in Key Biscayne to launch his flats boat at 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, the parking lot was jammed with tow vehicles, and empty trailers and boats were all over the flats.

The miniseason did produce some odd experiences back then, like the time Gregg and a friend were looking for lobsters near the Card Sound Bridge.

"Around midnight we heard a tremendous splash," Gregg said. "Then we went to another spot and shined the spotlight at the bank and saw something. I said, `Doesn't that look like a life jacket to you?' We went over and it was a floating body. This is before cell phones, and we're wondering what we're going to do when the guy sits up out of the water and falls back down."

Gregg and his friend dragged the fellow into the boat. He was fully clothed and drunk. Gregg asked him how he had ended up in the water.

"He said he had a fight with his brother and jumped off the bridge," Gregg said. "That was the splash we'd heard."

They brought the man over to the bridge's tollbooth, then went back on the water and caught their limit of lobsters.

For the past 10 or 12 years, Gregg was accompanied by his daughter, Susan, 19. She couldn't make it this year because she's in Germany, taking an intensive course to learn German.

So Gregg went out with Susan's boyfriend, Eric Koger of Davie, who had been bully-netting with him and Susan the two previous miniseasons.

Koger, 20, has a talent for spotting lobsters, especially distant ones. He'd mark the lobster with his spotlight, then Gregg would use the boat's electric trolling motor to position the boat so Koger had an easy shot with the net. They got their first lobster at 12:15 a.m. not far from the boat ramp and quickly added two more in the next four minutes.

Things slowed as they hunted over a flat frequented by other bully-netters, as well as by snorkelers and people wading with nets alongside their boats. All that activity stirred up the bottom, which made it hard to see. So Gregg soon headed for another flat that was unoccupied.

"I like going where there's no other boats," he said, "because if there's five lobsters there, you catch all five. If there's other boats around, then you each get one lobster."

The strategy paid off, as Koger netted 29 lobsters on the flat over the next three hours.
 
The guy that I got my OW certification with brought up 24 of those bugs just yesterday down at Marathon Key. I can't wait till he and his wife bring them back. There's gonna be a huge lobster feast at their house next week.......mmmm mmmm mmmm.
 
Thanks for the articles, Marc. Entertaining and informative.

-G
 
Damn those lobster divers! :D

Deputies say Keys woman shot at lobster hunters snorkeling in canal

sun-sentinel.com

July 30, 2004, 11:09 AM EDT

STOCK ISLAND – An elderly resident was arrested yesterday afternoon for firing her gun at two boatloads of lobster hunters who were snorkeling in the canal behind her house, the Monroe Sheriff's Office said of Friday.

MSO spokeswoman Becky Herrin said deputies were dispatched to a house on 12th Avenue around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. When Deputy Paul Shultz arrived with a number of other officers, they found 69-year-old Mary Workman on the back deck of her house yelling and waving her arms. After officers handcuffed her, they asked about the gun. She told them her gun was under the pillow on her bed. The pistol, a .38 caliber revolver, was found there and seized. Deputies said it appeared to have been recently fired.

Three young men on a boat in the canal told deputies that Workman had a gun and had pointed it at a nearby pontoon boat. The men said when they tried to warn the people on the pontoon boat, but Workman fired the gun at them instead.

Other witnesses told the same story.

No one was injured.

Workman was placed under arrest, charged with aggravated assault and discharging a firearm in public. She was booked into the Monroe County Detention Center, Herrin said.

The incident occurred just hours before the state's two-day minilobster season was to end at midnight. Thousands of divers, netters and snorkelers hunted the lobsters this year.
 
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