How I Became A Waterman- Part 1
Sep/090
Lobster Diving
It was like when I learned to surf… I had known about it, I had seen it, and it made perfect sense that I should try it, but it never occurred to me to do so. Once I did try it there was no going back!
I am the kind of person who latches onto something and dives in “full throttle.” It consumes me to the point where I think about it every day. It’s like that song you like then play it over and over again until it just doesn’t sound good anymore. With watersports, there is no way to get tired of being in the water…being one with the water.
I thought it may be a good idea to chronicle my progression into being a waterman only because I put so much time and effort into researching (it is the engineer in me) and buying the right gear. My wife jokes that I make spreadsheets of the pros and cons of gear before purchasing (I only did that a few times). At this point, I’d say I am inthe beginner to intermediate stages of freediving/spearfishing and I will do my best to bring all events current and post them.
Our underwater adventures started about 9 years ago when my wife, Cindy, and I bid on scuba lessons at a silent auction and won. We were certified and entered the underwater world with awe, but it was never something that we were obsessed about like we were with surfing (our above water experience). I think it was because it took so long to get all the gear on for a dive and we always went with a group of people who were as slow as molasses to get dressed (sorry James, but you are really slow- you talk too much). We did buy all the equipment and the expensive extras that looked cool, but we never used all of them(read dive computer!). After a few trips to Catalina and some vacation dives, we were ready to get more hardcore! How about ditching the gear and just holding our breaths and get really close to the fish? How about getting in a tank and have sharks swimming around us? Can you rent a Submarine? Maybe we can freedive off the surfboard? I mean, who needs the boat?
Fast forward to Fall 2008. I am pretty sure we were at the beach and I saw a guy come in from a freedive with a lobster in a bag. “Your kidding me,” I said to myself, “anyone can just swim out and grab some dinner!” So, I rounded up some of the old dive gear…mask, snorkel, booties, fins, mesh bag, and gloves! I soon found out that this gear was obviously not enough to make the experience successful. So after a search on craigslist, I pickup a 4mm surfing wetsuit for $60, a neoprene hood from unrealfind.com for $25, traded a Surf-fur to Amy at the local Oceanside Dive Shop, visited Underwater Schools of America at www.usascuba.com for 2 weight belts with weights and I was ready to go. I also had to get a fishing license with a lobster card… about $40. The trick was in finding the lobster card since most places were sold out already. I ended up in PL by the airport at a local tackle store for that.
I started with a shore dive during the day. Lobster can be an elusive prize if you don’t know where to look. Good thing for me I am persistent. I started finding my groove half way into the season and towards the end I never came back in without, at least, one bagger. The trick with lobstering during the day is getting right down to the bottom. 5-10′ of depth proved to be all I needed. Rocks and reef are where it’s at- those are the key. Lobsters are curious crustations and they like to look at you. If you are patient and slow then they usually let you just grab quickly at their backs. The first few times I would get so excited and spook them back into their holes. Lobsters seem to rarely hole up in a spot where there is only one exit.
Don’t forget the gloves!! One day I left the gloves behind on accident. I got a hold of a good keeper and bagged it but I paid the price with slices all over my hand. I had to exit the water right after that! (I could have used my hand to catch a shark?) Lobstering is like fishing to me. It’s fun to explore new areas and see what you can find. I am constantly trying new spots.
Half way through the season, I pretty much mastered daytime lobster diving. then, I heard the real fun starts after the sun goes down. Those lobsters are out and about by the dozens socializing with their friends, ready to be nabbed by the first hungry diver. So, I buy a dive light. I think it was one of the cheaper models from leisurepro.com. It works great. I haven’t had the time to coordinate and wait for anyone else so all my dives have pretty much been alone. Let me tell you that the first night dive I did was pretty spooky! There is that constant thought of sharks in the back of your mind! Night diving is what they say it is for sure…the bugs come out! On more than 1 occassion I have grabbed 2 lobsters on 1 dive using both hands. The trick is trying to get those suckers into a regular mesh bag with a regular lock (more on that later). All you need to do is shine a light on a moving lobster and they freeze as if to say “pick me!”.
Some things I learned about lobster diving:
1) If it’s big enough to surf then it’s probably too murky to lobster dive.
2) If diving at night then a gage (for measuring the lobster) that attaches to your light is really important!
3) A good lobster bag is important! I have done plenty of research and spearboard.com was instrumental in helping me pick out a new bag. I just bought one that I am really looking forward to using. It has nylon sides mostly throughout with a mesh bottom to allow the water to drain. It has a little plastic clasp that you can open one-handed and put the lobster in with the other hand. I really wanted to get the Trident one-handed spring-loaded bag but it was a little more expensive and had a few poor reviews. Whatever you choose, the regular mesh bag with the steel clasp is not good because you need 2 hands to open -which is a challenge with a lobster in 1 hand!
So there is lobstering in a nutshell. I love to do it and can’t wait for this season to start.
Here is a shot from a fruitful dive last season…