Since this will be my third straight season of lobster hunting on SCUBA, I have decided to share some important advise and tips on how to make your lobster hunting trips more successful and keep the Department Of Fish And Game off your back.

I am breaking this in to a two part series.

This week are the basics that a lot of readers already know; next week will be the secrets of success.

When To Hunt

Lobster season starts at 12:01 AM the Saturday before the first Wednesday in October and runs until the next Wednesday after the 15th of March.

For the 2008 season, the season runs from 12:01 AM on September 27, 2008 until 11:59 PM, March 18, 2009.

Lobsters are nocturnal; they hide in rocks and reefs during the day and come out at night to seek food.

So, diving at night is a necessity for successful lobster hunting.

Yes, you can hunt during the day, but it requires a lot more luck and effort.

When the sun’s out, you’ll be digging into holes that are shared by eels and sometimes disassembling portions of the reef – not worth it in my opinion.

Make Sure You Are Properly Equipped

Aside from your standard SCUBA gear, you’ll need:

• A heavy duty pair of thick nylon gloves.

Even though spiny lobsters have no claws, if you pin them or hold them incorrectly, their tail can wrap around your hand and the spikes can puncture your skin; the “bulls” also are able to inflict a painful bite.

• Be sure to obtain a current California Fishing license, with an “Ocean Enhancement” stamp along with a “lobster report card” – something new this season.

• A good underwater halogen light and a reserve light; good lights pay for themselves by catching more lobsters.

Rechargeable batteries will also be good to your budget in the long run.

• A lobster gauge for measuring the carapace.

I have one that fits on my light; I can measure the lobster and hold my light with one hand.

• A good, spring loaded lobster bag that you can open with one hand, that stays closed by default, and a cheaper “holding bag” to keep your lobsters in between dives.

Basically, with a lobster in your hunting hand, you want to plan to do everything else with your other hand – measure, open your bag and insert.

Know How To Stay Legal

Observe the rules on how to catch lobsters and you should stay out of trouble…

First, the obvious – hunt only during lobster season!

• Have your fishing license with the proper endorsements within 500 feet of you when diving from a boat or shore.

• You must catch lobster with your hands; spearing or netting them while diving is illegal.

• The carapace of the lobster must be at least 3 1/4 inches long.

Rule of thumb, if the lobster looks like it’s probably legal, throw it back; if it feels like you’re grabbing a beer can, bag it!

• You must carry your lobster measuring device with you while you dive; all lobsters must be measured in the water and released unharmed if under sized.

• The bag limit for a 24 hour period is seven legal lobsters; “trading up” is illegal.

• Even in season, it is illegal to take “egg bearing” female lobsters; “egg bearing” females will have a swollen underside.

• You must keep your lobsters whole while at sea, although I have also heard they must remain whole until eaten.

• As a recreational lobster hunter, you cannot sell your catch; I give many tails away during the season and tend to have a lot of friends at that time.

Make Sure You Are Physically And Mentally Prepared

Night time SCUBA diving freaks a lot of people out; every passing sea lion might look like a shark, every piece of kelp may look like an electric ray.

A first time night diver described the experience as “very claustrophobic.”

Make sure you have done a few “for fun” night dives to get comfortable with the concept.

Lobster hunters also make really crappy dive buddies; be sure you are self reliant underwater.

Be sure you are physically able to perform the tasks at hand, whether it be shore diving or boat diving.

Eat a good meal before hand to provide you enough energy; the crap about not eating an hour before you swim is a wives’ tale.

Pin Lobsters, Don’t Grab Them

So what happens when your light hits a traveling lobster that’s out foraging for food?

Personally, I move my light off to the side, towards the back, swim up and pin (NOT GRAB) the lobster by it’s carapace.

Pin it against the ground, which can be tricky depending on the terrain.

Hesitation, waiting, thinking and positioning yourself for too long will cause the lobster to flee.

You have to develop the skill of spotting them, approaching them and pinning them in a matter of a few seconds.

Lobsters crawl forward looking for food very slowly, but in a panic, they flap their tail and swim rapidly backwards to avoid danger.

If you don’t have a good grip on them, their tail will propel themselves out of your hand.

Yes, they use their spiny tail as a defense also; grab them at the tail, and you might pay in a few puncture wounds.

Lobster Hunting Verbage

Bug – Another term for a lobster.

Bull – Large, even huge lobsters that can bite…

From left to right, a “bull” compared to a “legal” lobster.

DFG! – When you hear this, make sure you don’t have any illegal catch.

Opening Night – The morning lobster season opens.

It’s actually Saturday morning, but hunters show up Friday night; so, they call it “opening night.”

Short – Your lobster is too small; not legal. Throw it back.

Next Week: Where To Go, Boat Tips, Shore Diving Tips and other lobster hunting secrets!

The diving world was praying for the safe return of eight Taiwanese divers who were reported missing from “Seven Star Rocks” off the Southern most tip of Taiwan.

They called each other’s names to keep themselves awake and drank rain water to survive.

They had drifted about 60 miles until they were rescued by the heroic act of the Dive Coach Ting Po-ling, 32, who had swam 11 hours to shore, after waiting in vain for help, after they drifted for 24 hours.

Ting made it to shore at night and yelled to a fisherman for help.

The fisherman, who initially thought Ting was a ghost, called the authorities to let them know where the other divers were.

Another search was launched, but it was still difficult to to find the other divers.

Thanks to one of the divers clicking a camera’s flash, the helicopters were able to spot and rescue them after the other seven had been adrift for more than 40 hours.

All were severely dehydrated and had low body temperature.

One female diver promised her mother that she would never go diving again because “It’s just too dangerous.”

So, What Went Wrong With This Dive?

They dove off of a private boat, with no Dive Master on board; no big deal, it happens all the time.

But, it was an off shore reef, and the only person who knew exactly where it was went diving.

The agreement with the boat Captain apparently was, “I’ll meet you back here in an hour to pick you up.”

Well, an hour went by and the boat Captain went to pick them up.

Either the current took them, the Captain couldn’t find the reef or it was a combination of both.

They were reported missing, and the search started from there.

The boat, as planned, left the dive area to return to pick them up.

If there would have been problems during the dive, no boat would have been available to assist.

Since the boat wasn’t there, it could not judge potential current, nor follow a current buoy or signal sausage.

So, yes, recreational diving is still pretty much safe!

Accidents still happen, but don’t be influenced by the lack of someone else’s common sense.

There would be no way I would have gone on this dive if I knew how it was planned.

Stay safe everyone!

Links To The Articles:

Rescued divers describe near-fatal lost-at-sea scuba diving accident

Miracle rescue for Taiwanese divers

All divers saved after 40 hours