3-24-01

Hello all Seahunters,

    Saturday was the perfect chance to get out and check the bottom for a few tasty critters. We left the inlet at 6AM and started the trip to one of my favorite ledges thirty miles from the inlet. It was flat, and we ran out at thirty five knots. Once we arrived, Dave went first to check the vis. He stayed on the bottom for thirty minutes so I thought I might be blessed with good vis. When he arrived at the surface, he only had one lobster. The report was vis around 3'.

    My first dive was on another rock 1/4 mile from the ledge (I keep some of the better stuff for myself), and I had around 8 to 10 ft vis. I managed 5 lobster, but there were no fish anywhere to be seen. I did see a couple fat mango snapper hiding deep in some caves, but not worth risking a shaft. The rock was easy to dive since I've been on it nearly 30 times. It looked like someone had been there recently. Another secret spot lost to the commercial guys, darn it.

    The second dive was inshore on a ledge known for bugs. It was zero vis, you couldn't see your fingers until they touched your mask. We call it Braille diving.

    The third dive was out where we found the better vis, and it was cleaned out also. There was a commercial boat working the area, and he was dropping divers. It would be different if they played by the same rules as we do, but they get away with spearing all the lobster they want without any chance of getting caught. The federal government hands out lobster tailing permits to people who don't have any need for them. The commercial divers spear the lobster and then discard the evidence. How perfect. When you hear stories of 60 and 70 lobster on a single dive, you know they aren't doing it legal. It needs to stop.

    The fourth dive was on a ledge we found while running around last trip. It was a 4' ledge with nice undercuts. There were fish and eels everywhere. I saw three big turtles with heads buried deep in the ledge. There was one octopus about the size of a basket ball. The ledge was alive, but no grouper or lobster. There were shells laying everywhere in the sand so I grabbed a few for the rock garden. The murex shells are my favorite, and there were hundreds of them. I took one, and it is perfect. I have a class for spearfishing and lobster collecting for those interested.

Please e-mail Moose@Seahunters.com for details.

The Moose

407-461-7467