Nikole Heath, Force-E training director, shows a lobster she caught during a mini-season. Photos provided
By Steve Waters
For most Palm Beach County scuba divers, the annual two-day lobster mini-season is the highlight of their year.
Not only is it the first opportunity to catch lobsters since the regular season closed on April 1, but it also allows underwater hunters to keep 12 of the tasty crustaceans a day, which is twice the regular season daily bag limit of six per person.
That will have local divers, as well as visiting divers from everywhere, heading to the coral reefs spanning from Boca Raton to Jupiter in search of a lobster dinner during the mini-season, which is July 29-30.
Steven Constantiner, the owner of Force-E Scuba Centers, calls it the “World Cup of lobstering,” a timely reference to the excitement that soccer fans are currently experiencing during that sport’s biggest event.
That makes July the busiest month for Constantiner’s dive shops, which are in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Riviera Beach, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale, with a sixth scheduled to open this month in Jupiter, as divers get their air tanks filled and scuba gear checked in time for opening day.
If you’ve never caught lobsters during mini-season, whether it’s because you haven’t tried it before or because you stink at it, Force-E’s training director Nikole Heath said the stores not only can get you prepared and book dives on local charter boats, they also can guide you to a successful mini-season.
“We have certified diving professionals, instructors that teach underwater hunting,” Heath said, noting that Force-E (www.force-e.com) also has lobster-hunting guides to help you catch lobsters just as fishing guides help you catch fish.
“You can actually just hire them to come out for the day for your mini-season and you’ll catch everything together. That’s something pretty different. So instead of an instructor teaching you how to dive, they actually take you out hunting for lobsters.”
Heath, who also handles marketing and social media for Force-E — the YouTube channel @ForceEDivers has an abundance of videos on everything from scuba gear and travel destinations to spearfishing and sea turtles — said the company has professionals who can help set up your boat for mini-season. That could include checking safety items such as first aid and oxygen kits to securing air tanks, so they don’t roll around or fall over in choppy seas.
Force-E Scuba Centers staffers inspect air tanks, a process fill stations require annually. Lobster mini-season is July 29-30. Speaking of air tanks, Heath said all the Force-E stores will have extended hours both days of mini-season to fill tanks. It’s wise to bring in your tanks well in advance of mini-season to get them inspected and filled, or replaced if they’re unsafe.
“Any fill station requires a visual inspection of tanks once a year,” Heath said, explaining that tanks need to be checked for pitting, rust, cracks and even insects such as spiders that crawl into them. She added that for mini-season, Force-E will inspect two tanks for the price of one inspection.
If you haven’t dived since last year’s mini-season or longer, you also need to have your dive gear inspected. Something as simple as a worn-out O-ring in a regulator can keep you from diving. Air hoses that have leaks can be deadly — you might not be able to breathe underwater or get back to the water’s surface.
Heath said if your diving skills are a little rusty, it’s a good idea to dive with an instructor, whether it’s off a boat or from the beach.
“We get a lot of people who come out for mini-season and they’re like, ‘My last dive was 10 years ago.’ We really try and emphasize that people do refresher dives with us before mini-season or even get their rescue diver certification so that they’re a more well-rounded diver,” Heath said. “We want you to get your lobsters and we want you to be safe.”
Outdoors writer Steve Waters can be reached at steve33324@aol.com.
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