Captain’s Corner: Bill Hardman

The Tampa Bay Times

Just a month ago, the regular Florida Spiny Lobster season started, and this has been one of the most consistent years for Lobster hunting in over four years.  The early season amount of lobsters is not as high as it was two years ago, but overall the lobster numbers have been good regarding the whole state and more time for the lobsters to move into local areas. Our divers gathered lobsters from west of Crystal River all the way south as Naples.  These lobsters this far north from the Florida Keys are always bigger, older and found with less frequency.  This season has been much, much more prolific in Gulf of Mexico lobster habitats.

Just last week we had a trio of lobsters turned in by our divers, on different boats, and the lobsters weighed in a six, a seven and an eight pound bag of bugs.  Most of the depths with lobsters was 30’ to 80’ of water.  Some of these bigger lobsters don’t hang around when a diver uses a tickle stick and a hand net.  If you run across a big lobster use your stick, or unloaded speargun or your arm to quickly block the lobster from backing away into its safe cervices of the reef.  Use your strong dive light to research the situation then make a quick move to block the best escape of the lobster.  Then as fast as you can grab the lobster by the front spiny knuckles and hold on.  Even though these are bigger and older lobsters are wary foe, your speed and grip strength can win the battle.

Capt. Bill Hardman teaches scuba classes and runs trips for Scuba, Spearfishing, Freediving and Technical diving courses at Aquatic Obsessions, 6193 Central Avenue, St. Petersburg, FL  33710.  You can reach Capt. Hardman at (727) 344-3483 (DIVE) or info@aodive.com