Wreck Diving In South Florida

[Jessica Anderson]

I had Jim (Chiefy) Matthie, author of the famous book about how to catch lobsters, Catch the Bug,
join me for a Q&A about wreck diving in South Florida. It was a very informative session including where some of the best South Florida wreck dives are, their histories and tips on diving them. Jim was personally involved in the sinking of one of these wrecks as an artificial reef and he tells us this story, which is truly touching. If you dive wrecks or are interested in wreck diving in South Florida this is a must-see!
Wreck Diving South Florida with Jessica Anderson | Navionics

 

[sportxlh]

Neat interview. So I gotta ask, where in the world did you catch that monster bug pictured at the start of the powerpoint slide deck?

 

[Jessica Anderson]

Neat interview. So I gotta ask, where in the world did you catch that monster bug pictured at the start of the powerpoint slide deck?

Rum Cay in the Bahamas. Yep, it was a monster!
Glad you enjoyed the interview.

 

[aue-mike]

Hi Jessica (and Chiefy)-
During the talk Chiefy mentioned it was only legal to catch lobster on permitted artificial reefs in Florida. That is incorrect. Monroe County has a ordinance that prohibits the harvest of lobster on material other than FWC/COE permitted artificial reefs, but that is directed at the illegal deployment of debris to serve as lobster casitas. The intent was not to prohibit lobster harvest on "natural" shipwrecks that are found inside and outside the reef along the Florida Keys. Further, this is only for Monroe County...there is no such ordinance for Miami-Dade, Broward, or other Florida counties....
Cheers,
Mike

 

[aue-mike]

As it turns out, this prohibition is statewide and does prevent the harvest of lobster from "natural" shipwrecks...not sure how they can effectively enforce this though...
F.A.C. 68B-24.006(10)