THE GOOD AND BAD NEWS

Well, the first day of 2008 lobster mini season turned out to be beautiful; calm sea and plenty of bugs! (Another blessing from God). My dive buddy and I had 8 tanks total but only needed to use 6 to get our 24 lobsters. We really enjoyed the beautiful day in the water and were all smiles with our limit of bugs aboard the boat.. This is the GOOD news.

Now the BAD news :-(… On the way back to the dive shop, on I-95 North, all of a sudden traffic decided to stop for no reason whatsoever (surprised?). We were able to stop on time but the full size working van behind us had no idea what was going on in front of him. By the time he realized what was going on it was too late. He tells me he was going 60 miles an hour when he applied his brakes. On top of it all, he had bad brakes so only the front wheels engaged!!! SLAMN!!!! Thank God the boat was strapped down!!

Damage: Broken Transom :-( Broken Bottom unit, and Trailer bent. (I think it is totaled). BUT nobody was hurt. Of course, we had no boat to go out on the second day :-(.

2008 Lobster Mini Season Warnings

Mini season is a very exciting time and sometimes in the midst of everything we forget little things that could be dangerous to us and the people around us. So, let’s not forget the following items:
1) Make sure you inspect your equipment weeks before mini season.
a. Check your tanks VIP’s and hydros.
b. Check your lobster bag for holes, and proper closing.
c. Check the operation of your tickle stick.
d. Check your flash light and change the batteries.
e. Check your dive computer.
f. Check your regulators and pressure hoses.
g. Make sure you have extra lobster measuring gauges.

2) You need to have a Florida fishing license with a craw fish stamp. The chance that you will be checked by the Florida Coast Guard or marine police is very high (for information on how to obtain a license check my other posts). Make sure you have your license with you. If you are going out on your boat, make sure all of your paperwork and safety equipment is up to date.

3) NEVER NEVER NEVER bring an under sized lobster up to the boat. Before you head back to the ramp, double check all of the ones you have aboard the boat.

4) Lobster mini season starts at midnight. Therefore, the waters are full of divers (including beach divers). Drive slow!! Have your buddy help you watch out for divers. There are a lot of divers that violate rules such as “diving without a dive flag”. So please be careful.

5) Speaking about diving flags, stay await from them while driving your boat. Check your local rules for the minimum distance that you need to stay away. Once you find that out, double it.

6) When you see a lobster, control your enthusiasm. Relax! It will help you save air. Check its escape routes and what other creatures may be sharing the lobster’s home.

7) Last but not least…. Be kind to the reefs. Don’t destroy the reefs trying to get a lobster out. It is not worth it!

Have fun and enjoy 2008 Lobster Mini Season. C ya out there!