As I mentioned in other pages I grew up in South Florida; between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. We spent a lot of weekends and the summer at the beach. My sister, cousins, and I would normally spend a lot of time in the water, snorkeling. We would find shells, try to catch fish, and attempt to steer clear of sharks. As we grew older we spent a lot of the weekends on my Uncle's boat fishing and snorkeling.
Every year during the last week in July there is a two day sport diving season for Florida Spiny Lobster. During this two day season commercial fishers cannot put traps in the water to catch lobster, only divers and amatuers can catch them. From the age of 12 to 15 we did this by anchoring in shallow water (less than 20 feet) and free diving to the rocks and catching lobster. When I was sixteen my Uncle, his son, and I decided to get our diving license so it would be easier during lobster season.
I know that most people take up diving, initially, to see the beauty of the ocean and its inhabitants. But the three of us did it to catch more lobster during a two day season (and subsequent two month commercial season). We spent three weekends attending class and learning how to use the equipment in a swimming pool. After the classes were over we had to take a written test and then complete three dives that included all of the fundamentals we learned in the pool. For the three of us this dive was in the Atlantic ocean off shore of Boca Raton. Of course the three of us passed and were ready for those lobster!
Side note on Florida Lobster and catching them: Florida lobster do not have claws, like Maine (or
New England) lobster do. They do not have any real weapons of defense except that they can swim very fast
(backwards) and hide in rocks and other debris on the ocean floor. They only come out to feed at night.
To catch a lobster you find their hiding place in the rock. Then you take a long metal rod and insert it
in the hole you found them in and start to tap them on the back of their tail. Since they do not know
what is hitting them and they cannot see directly behind them they will walk forward and come out of
their hole. They are looking for the moment to escape whatever is pestering them by taking off backwards,
but since the hold they were stopped this they must get out of the hole and turn another direction before
they can actually try to escape. The key is once they first clear the hole that you get a net stationed
behind them and then tap them on the head with the metal rod you had been using to coax them out. Now
since they were hit on the front they freak out and shoot backwards. If you have done everything correctly
they will swim right into the net. Of course when they hit the net they start to go crazy trying to
continue to swim and turn and swim and turn so you have to be quick with your hands and collapse the
net and grab a hold of them. Finally, you will have to untangle them from the net, put them in a carrying
bag that holds all of the lobster that you have caught so far and find the next victim.
Though this does not sound all that difficult, it is amazing how quickly they can swim and how they seem to just make that one final thrust before you can close the net and they get away, and you have to start all over with them at the rock they found for cover.
So my primary reason for being certified was to catch lobster. However, I found that I enjoyed to
sight seeing aspect of it just as much if not more. I started to look for adventures that had nothing
to do with catching lobster or spearing fish, but were multiple dives on protected reefs. Since I had
only been certified with my "Open Water" license by PADI I was not trained for extreme depth, or helium
enriched dives. So most of the dives that I went on were less than 60 feet in depth and during the day
I was fortunate while in college to meet a couple of others that had spent a lot of their time diving before going to college. One break we headed down to the Gulf of Mexico near Panama City to dive. Since the area was not home to a true living reef like the Florida Keys are first day left a little to be desired, at least for me. I was expecting big coral heads, a living reef, but that was soon to change. The two other guys had "Advanced" certifications and had been night diving on many occassions. I was hesitant at first, but I was convinced to give it a shot. The next night we headed out at dusk on the dive boat to a newer artificial reef. By the time we arrived and we ready the only lights that could be seen were from the sky above. The three of us checked our equipment (including our lights) and dropped in to the ocean.
The first ten minutes were stressful, I was trying to look in all directions with the light to make sure there was not a school of sharks just waiting for me to look away and devour me. I watched my two friends heading down into the darkness and decided I should probably not lose them. As I concentrated on following them I started to feel more relaxed and secure. As we approached the artifical reef (a sunken ship) fish and life started to abound. It was so different to pass your light around and see flashes of all different colors, from the fish, sponges, etc. We got so caught up that we almost forgot to check our air supply. Fortunately, we did remember and had enough air to return to the surface.
Recently I have not found myself in the ocean with SCUBA gear on. Hopefully soon I will find myself back in the beautiful blue water, a tank on my back, fins on my feet, and effortlessly floating through that beautiful under water world.