Collecting
Spearfishing is not the only form of gathering game from underwater. Divers can gather other bounty (in season) by collecting.
Some species that are commonly harvested by collecting include: scallops, clams, oysters, abalone, urchins, mussels, crayfish (crawdads), slipper lobster, Maine lobster, spiny lobster, Dungeness crab, red rock crab and stone crab, just to name a few.
There are many different methods of gathering these animals. Be sure you are familiar with the methods that are legal for the area in which you are collecting them. Methods can vary from one location to the next and from country to country. Your NAUI Instructor will cover the methods used in your area. If you are collecting in an area, you are not familiar with, be sure to check local regulations. Always follow the local laws regarding seasons, size, gender, quantity and other restrictions.
Sometimes divers will set traps for the game they are after. Then return some time, usually days, later and collect what has been trapped.
Other divers prefer to collect their prey by hand. These techniques vary from area to area and species to species. One technique is a ‘tickle stick’ that can be used to coax the prey out of a crevasse or hole, then the diver can simply grab the animal. Other techniques can be use of a gloved, or non-gloved hand to grasp the prey. Again, check with your Instructor or local dive facility for recommended technique(s) for the game that you are after in the area.
Remember to properly size and identify the gender of your game if those restrictions apply. Take only the number, size and gender that is allowed and that you will be using for immediate consumption.
Some species that are commonly harvested by collecting include: scallops, clams, oysters, abalone, urchins, mussels, crayfish (crawdads), slipper lobster, Maine lobster, spiny lobster, Dungeness crab, red rock crab and stone crab, just to name a few.
There are many different methods of gathering these animals. Be sure you are familiar with the methods that are legal for the area in which you are collecting them. Methods can vary from one location to the next and from country to country. Your NAUI Instructor will cover the methods used in your area. If you are collecting in an area, you are not familiar with, be sure to check local regulations. Always follow the local laws regarding seasons, size, gender, quantity and other restrictions.
Sometimes divers will set traps for the game they are after. Then return some time, usually days, later and collect what has been trapped.
Other divers prefer to collect their prey by hand. These techniques vary from area to area and species to species. One technique is a ‘tickle stick’ that can be used to coax the prey out of a crevasse or hole, then the diver can simply grab the animal. Other techniques can be use of a gloved, or non-gloved hand to grasp the prey. Again, check with your Instructor or local dive facility for recommended technique(s) for the game that you are after in the area.
Remember to properly size and identify the gender of your game if those restrictions apply. Take only the number, size and gender that is allowed and that you will be using for immediate consumption.
Best Practices for Safety & Success
1. Measure each lobster correctly, and measure while still in the water. Carapace (hard part of shell) must measure greater than three inches!
2. Use the dive flag. Put it UP when diving, and take it DOWN when underway. Divers must stay within 300 feet of their dive flag (or 100 feet if in a channel).
If a lobster is too small, it must not be harvested. Carapace (hard part of shell) MUST measure GREATER THAN three inches to be legal size.
3. Six means six! Limit is six lobsters per person, per day, ALL day in Monroe County. No double-dipping trips.4. It is a felony to damage, molest or take lobster from traps in state or federal waters. Recreational trapping is prohibited.
5. Check and replenish ALL necessary boat safety gear.
6. Idle speed when within 100 yards of a boat displaying a dive flag.
7. It is prohibited to touch coral, bump corals with dive fins, stand on coral and/or anchor your boat on coral.
2. Use the dive flag. Put it UP when diving, and take it DOWN when underway. Divers must stay within 300 feet of their dive flag (or 100 feet if in a channel).
If a lobster is too small, it must not be harvested. Carapace (hard part of shell) MUST measure GREATER THAN three inches to be legal size.
3. Six means six! Limit is six lobsters per person, per day, ALL day in Monroe County. No double-dipping trips.4. It is a felony to damage, molest or take lobster from traps in state or federal waters. Recreational trapping is prohibited.
5. Check and replenish ALL necessary boat safety gear.
6. Idle speed when within 100 yards of a boat displaying a dive flag.
7. It is prohibited to touch coral, bump corals with dive fins, stand on coral and/or anchor your boat on coral.
Hone Your Skills
“Being patient and moving slowly and deliberately will lead to the best success rate. If you approach in this manner, the lobster might even move farther out of its hiding place to inspect you, making it easier to slide your snare or tickle stick behind it. Avoid the antennas on the way past and you’ll be in great shape.”
“Lobsters push sand up around holes they are hiding in, so look for this. They also like to move after storms, so go out after a storm to see them walking around.”
“Two of the easiest ways to miss your catch are by rushing into the hole to get the lobster and scaring it back inside, or not knowing how to properly use your lobster equipment. Think about lobster hunting like the emergency first-responder course — stop, think and act.”
“I prefer the streamlined approach of carrying only a snare (which can also serve as a tickle stick), a lobster bag and a gauge so I’m not carrying a bulky net that can easily get snagged on things underwater. Store your snare so it does not get bent or kinked, because having that nice circular opening will make getting it around a tail that much easier. Always carry two gauges, with one stored in a safe place in your kit in the event you do lose one underwater; you’ll have a backup that could keep you from getting in trouble.”
“Lobsters push sand up around holes they are hiding in, so look for this. They also like to move after storms, so go out after a storm to see them walking around.”
“Two of the easiest ways to miss your catch are by rushing into the hole to get the lobster and scaring it back inside, or not knowing how to properly use your lobster equipment. Think about lobster hunting like the emergency first-responder course — stop, think and act.”
“I prefer the streamlined approach of carrying only a snare (which can also serve as a tickle stick), a lobster bag and a gauge so I’m not carrying a bulky net that can easily get snagged on things underwater. Store your snare so it does not get bent or kinked, because having that nice circular opening will make getting it around a tail that much easier. Always carry two gauges, with one stored in a safe place in your kit in the event you do lose one underwater; you’ll have a backup that could keep you from getting in trouble.”
Scuba Diving for Florida Lobster
After you attach your BCD and regulator setup to your tank, make sure you load your weights in the weight pockets, don your dive computer, and gear up with your mask, fins, and snorkel, then you’ll grab your lobster gauge. Again, gloves are recommended, and you might want to take along your catch bag, a snare, net, and tickle stick as you drop below the surface.
Now, I know a few Scuba Diving lobster hunters that are able to catch and bring to the surface their daily limit with just their gloves, a lobster gauge, and full scuba gear. No net, tickle stick, or snare because they learned how to catch them with their hands. No catch bag because they’ve learned how to stash up to 5 lobsters in their BC and hold onto one while surfacing. Yes, even with a safety stop at 15 feet. But most of us aspire to be those people. So for the rest of us…you’ll drop down and mind your gear while keeping an eye on your pressure gauge.
Why is Scuba Diving for lobster so great? You can go deeper and aren’t tethered to anyone else, so you have more freedom to move around. You’re also not tethered to an air supply unit on the surface so you can more easily move through and around wrecks and overhead environments to catch the lobster. Though limited to the air in your tank, you can stay down much longer than the free divers and usually can bag your limit on one to two dives.
Now, I know a few Scuba Diving lobster hunters that are able to catch and bring to the surface their daily limit with just their gloves, a lobster gauge, and full scuba gear. No net, tickle stick, or snare because they learned how to catch them with their hands. No catch bag because they’ve learned how to stash up to 5 lobsters in their BC and hold onto one while surfacing. Yes, even with a safety stop at 15 feet. But most of us aspire to be those people. So for the rest of us…you’ll drop down and mind your gear while keeping an eye on your pressure gauge.
Why is Scuba Diving for lobster so great? You can go deeper and aren’t tethered to anyone else, so you have more freedom to move around. You’re also not tethered to an air supply unit on the surface so you can more easily move through and around wrecks and overhead environments to catch the lobster. Though limited to the air in your tank, you can stay down much longer than the free divers and usually can bag your limit on one to two dives.
What gear do I need for Scuba Diving for Lobster?
Required:
- Mask
- Fins
- Snorkel
- Weights
- BCD
- Regulator
- Octo
- Pressure Gauge
- Depth Gauge
- Compass
- Dive Computer
- Lobster Gauge
- Gloves
- Catch Bag
- Net
- Snare
- Dive Socks/Boots
Other forms of collecting include looking for lost artifacts or fossils. In many cases these items from a bygone era are found in areas of limited visibility and other hazards. Divers should be sure they are trained to deal with the environmental factors associated with hunting and collecting artifacts, as discussed later. Additionally, they like hunting and collecting game, divers must be aware of the laws and regulations associated with artifact collectio