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DAYTONA
BEACH, Florida
Lobster
Mini Season - 2002
DAY
ONE - DAY
TWO
We
left the house at 3AM, and made our way to the ramp.
It wasn't looking to be a great day already, as I
passed the Dunkin Donuts which was closed. No coffee
for me translates to a rough time for you. We managed
to break the inlet before the sun came up, and pushed
ahead at 30 knots. Once we had the ledge marked,
we suited up and rolled into the water. I looked
around to see millions of tiny jellyfish floating in
the water with me, but I didn't give it a second
thought as I loaded the bands on my gun and made my
way to the bottom. The water was warm and clean, until
I hit the 40ft mark, where it turned dark and was
cold. So I continued to the bottom, where the vis
actually opened up and we were excited to see about
40ft.
The
lobster were there, but most had eggs. Even the
slippers were covered with berries. Every once in a
while I would find one that wasn't clutching caviar.
There were very few "edible" fish, but there
were plenty of jacks. We stayed in the area for most
of the day due to the great vis and the number of
lobster we were finding. We would drop the next group
on the reef where the last group finished. I spent
most of my time between dives writing notes for my
logbook. Next trip out I will be the only one who
knows where the better spots were.
We
made three dives each, and were finished by 1:30PM.
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I
wonder why they didn't all speak to the
council and commission when I asked them for
help.
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Reports Page
Posted on Fri,
Jul. 26, 2002
Second
diver dies in lobster mini-season
FORT
LAUDERDALE, Fla.
- (AP) -- An Orlando man died while diving for
spiny lobsters, marking the second death in the
two-day lobster mini-season.
James
Hite, 49, was pulled from the surf Thursday by two
boys. He was wearing his face mask, an air-filled tank
and an inflatable vest, police said.
Officials
are still determining the cause of his death.
Hite
had complained of a stomach ache shortly before he
died, said his brother, David Hite, who was diving
with him off the Hollywood Boardwalk.
The
two-day mini-season, which ended Thursday, gives sport
divers a chance to catch spiny lobsters before the
eight-month commercial season begins Aug. 6 and
depletes the stock.
The
season's first death was on Wednesday. Juan Carlos
Sanchez, 42, died at a Miami Beach hospital after he
was pulled up from the water about two miles off Miami
Beach.
Officials
were still investigating the cause of his death.
Eight people
have died during the mini-season since 1993.
Diver
dies during S. Florida's annual quest for crustaceans
MIAMI
– The lobster mini-season claimed its first victim
in South Florida Wednesday morning after a scuba diver
ran out of air in the Atlantic waters off Government
Cut, the Coast Guard said.
Also, a search
continued at 1:20 p.m. Wednesday for a diver who was
reported missing off Boca Raton earlier in the day.
And a missing
diver was found OK in the Stiltsville area of Biscayne
Bay shortly after 10 a.m., Coast Guard Petty Officer
Ryan Doss said. Three others were found safe off Lake
Worth Wednesday afternoon.
The two-day
lobster mini-season opened at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and
ends at midnight Thursday.
In the
Government Cut case, the unidentified diver apparently
ran out of air underwater, then suffered cardiac
arrest while surfacing around 10 a.m., Doss said.
Other divers on
the commercial dive boat, Warp Factor I, which runs
out of the Miami Beach Marina, pulled the man from the
water about two miles east of the Cut. They
administered CPR until Coast Guard medics arrived
aboard a 41-foot rescue boat. He was reported
unconscious at that point.
The man was
brought to shore, then rushed by Miami Beach
Fire-Rescue to South Shore Hospital in South Beach
where he was pronounced dead around noon.
In the Boca
area search, Coast Guard crews were using a helicopter
to search for the missing diver. No other details were
immediately available.
No other
information was available on the missing diver found
OK in the Stiltsville area or the three who were
rescued around 2 p.m. by the boat that reported them
missing off Lake Worth.
Copyright © 2002, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
7-20-02
Report:
7-20, Ponce - Dave said vis 2', current ripping. Not
looking good.
Report:
Steve said cold and cloudy. He felt like "Steevie
Wonder in a pumpkin patch"
Moose
Predictions as of 11PM Monday, 7-22.
I think I'll stay home! HA HA
Reports are
flooding in of thermocline and zero vis out of PONCE
and CAPE CANAVERAL. I have also heard reports of
caviar. Lot's of caviar. If we were smart, we would
head down to the KEY'S for a relaxing two days of easy
diving. However, we decided to stay and feel our way
around the reef using the Braille method. The plan is
the same as last year. Except this time Dave has let
everyone know where he is heading for the first dives.
Last year there was controversy, and I was dragged
into it.
Andy and I
are planning a midnight trip to the reef, weather
permitting. We are looking for a few additions to
the aquariums. Hopefully the trip from 100' to the
surface won't kill them.
moose@seahunters.com
A full
report will be posted as soon as I get time. I'm
teaching a class during the same time frame, so time
will be scarce. Maybe we'll all get lucky and
Tony will submit a report also.
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