you guys are the only people ive ever heard of that freedive at night, i couldnt imagine doing that here in fl.
I made the mistake of staying on an awesome lobster hole until after dark here in broward. The swim back to shore was the most eerie feeling ive ever experienced. there were 2 of us and one little flashlight, its not something Ill ever do again without my boat or more lights.
I think scuba divers lobster at night here. I'm sure some freedivers do it too but you don't hear about it. Another thing that's weird to us is that you can't use anything but your hands to catch them.
sharks are the only reason i wouldn't want to dive at night here,,, i have a healthy fear of the tiburon in the dark
Nice bug. I am guessing he did not escape the boiling water.
I think scuba divers lobster at night here. I'm sure some freedivers do it too but you don't hear about it. Another thing that's weird to us is that you can't use anything but your hands to catch them.
There are certainly a few, uncommon n'er-do-wells here that use the rubber on polespears to get them out (highly illegal) or to shoot them (even more illegal). I could name names from another board, but it's not worth the shitstorm it would create, plus it's not like I have evidence apart from my word. Suffice it to say though, MOST people are upstanding, honorable divers that only use their hands.
In all honesty, diving at night in California seems like totally not a big deal to me, since we are generally close to shore, and thus able to use the shoreline and breaker rocks to navigate and triangulate where familiar reefs are. The darkness is easy for me to get over mentally, since I fundamentally know I'm the apex predator out there. Chances of the man in the grey suit coming in to nab me are kinda remote.
In contrast, my impression is that you need a boat to get to most places to dive in Florida (correct me if I'm wrong), and you guys are also probably diving a bit deeper on average than we do, which would make the darkness more of a hindrance. The hole this guy was in was in less than 20 feet of (very turbulent) water.
That, plus the bull shark thing. Either way, I'm seriously planning to travel out to the Fla/Caribbean area sometime in the next two months, so I guess I'll find out.
Nice bug. I am guessing he did not escape the boiling water.
Yesterday, I scooped and cut out the meat in the tail and head, so I can cook it for lobster tacos. The carapace and tail are currently in a bath of rubbing alcohol while I get the stuff to preserve it more permanently alongside my abalone shells and gyotaku. I still have the leg that broke off, but not the antenna section. Oh well, battle scars.
great videos , i subscribed to your youtube channel. and great bug. keep it going.
Thanks! Added back.
I'm not a big lobster guy, but my impression is that it's usually done between 20 and 40ft deep, and can be done from shore if you know where the bugs could be. The sharks are known to feed at night, and be present in places you never see them during the day. I'd have thought though you have the worst shark to worry about.
I'm not a big lobster guy, but my impression is that it's usually done between 20 and 40ft deep, and can be done from shore if you know where the bugs could be. The sharks are known to feed at night, and be present in places you never see them during the day. I'd have thought though you have the worst shark to worry about.
Well out here I dive for bugs within 5-30ft range at night (usually on the shallower side), maybe if I had a boat I'd try the 40ft range. And if I had scuba spots I'd try it all the way to 100ft.
But if a great whites going to eat you it's fate. There's nothing you can do about it or prevent it. The animal's territory goes from Mexico all the way through California. And the hotspots are well known in California. If you avoid diving were there's been sightings the chances of getting killed is the same as getting hit by lightning IMO.
Well out here I dive for bugs within 5-30ft range at night (usually on the shallower side), maybe if I had a boat I'd try the 40ft range. And if I had scuba spots I'd try it all the way to 100ft.
But if a great whites going to eat you it's fate. There's nothing you can do about it or prevent it. The animal's territory goes from Mexico all the way through California. And the hotspots are well known in California. If you avoid diving were there's been sightings the chances of getting killed is the same as getting hit by lightning IMO.
+1
I'd also add that if you look at all the attacks over the last 50 years, they tend to happen in situations where the shark attacks by mistake. For example, the triathlete in Solana Beach from a few years ago. He was swimming on the surface in really murky, deep water. Perfect situation for a great white to attack vertically, building speed from the depths, thinking it's a seal or sea lion, then back off after an investigative bite.
makes sense, you guys have something really cool in that
Kiiler storie and awesome bug. I really wish we had something similar close to shore here in MS. Its at least an 8 mile run to get to ok vis, and then lobsters are practically ghosts. When I was in FL about 12 years ago I would do some night dives with my brother spearing. It was remarkable eery. I never once saw any sharks on those night dives, but I always felt like they were waiting just out of light range. Thinking about it now though they probably were. I know here night dives here are out of the question, but this thread really made me nostalgic wanting to expierience that uncomfortable excitement once again. Maybe one day may cahones will grow as big as yours spear and ill brave a dive on an overnighter at the rigs....that is considering im not looking down at 10 or 20 sharky silhouttes circling them which seems to be the norm on those occasions.
The thing about night diving is that you gotta let go of the fear/be sure that some mysterious beast is not going to grab you. It's a very primal feeling. Hell I felt that way about daytime diving at some point. I'm sure it takes a few night dives to get the right mindset.
I think Daniel said a while back that it's easier to catch bugs at night, but I forget why?
Isn't it also cold as hell now? What kind of wetsuits are you using and are you warm enough? How long was the total dive?
I think Daniel said a while back that it's easier to catch the bugs at night, but I forget why.
Cause at night that's when the lobsters come out of their holes, run all over the place, and look for food. During the day they're bunkered down tight in their holes. I'm sure in the past you could easily pick a limit of daytime lobsters, but overfishing has just made that impossible in most areas in SoCal. The lobsters that are left (at least in Laguna) tend to stick to hard to reach holes and can be completely inaccessible during the daytime. So nighttime is the best chance at grabbing them.
The only place I've seen lobster out in the open walking around was in the Atlantis hotel Bahamas aquarium. They were walking single file, f'n amazing. Here they're always in a hole which is damn convenient, when you have something to tickle them out like you said. California must've had a serious lobster decline to make such a stringent rule.
The only place I've seen lobster out in the open walking around was in the Atlantis hotel Bahamas aquarium. The were walking single file, f'n amazing. Here they're always in a hole which is damn convenient, when you have something to tickle them out like you said. California must've had a serious lobster decline to make such a stringent rule.
Well every reef has it's own amount of lobster depletion going on with it. Some are full of bugs. While on the otherhand some reefs in Laguna look like they've been wiped clean of lobsters, in spots where there could have been hundreds if left undisturbed. I've seen pictures from Southern California of the past. People used to be pull out limits of 7lb bugs shorediving. Now if someone pulls a single 7lb bug it's a rare sight and everyone's jealous.
So I'm 100% positive that our lobster fishery will hit a noticeable decline in the next 20 years if not sooner. Something major enough for the government to get involved and place even more stringent rules.
It's not really overfishing to blame, because we already have a size limit to safeguard against that. It's the overfishing combined with large amounts of poaching that will cause a decline in this fishery. However it's just my opinion, no science to back it up.
Here they're always in a hole which is damn convenient, when you have something to tickle them out like you said. California must've had a serious lobster decline to make such a stringent rule.
There are old timers who come in to dive meetings to beat their chests and talk about the glory days, and how the limit used to be as much as you could catch. Also how dive club entrance exams involved grabbing an 8 pound lobster and an abalone in the same breath. And as proof, they have some amazing photos that are unreal by today's standards. So yes, there's been a serious decline. Part of me blames such old timers who were so aggressive and arrogant in their harvesting (though in fairness some were probably feeding their families), but it's mostly probably to do with the huge increase in the human population here (and everywhere in the world for that matter), and as such, the associated poaching, commercial harvesting, etc.
Isn't it also cold as hell now? What kind of wetsuits are you using and are you warm enough? How long was the total dive?
The water was in the mid 50's, so not that bad. 5mm farmer john bottom and 7mm top for me, and I think Daniel and Davis had 5 mils all over. Total dive including paddling was from about 6:45 until 10.
The water was in the mid 50's, so not that bad. 5mm farmer john bottom and 7mm top for me, and I think Daniel and Davis had 5 mils all over. Total dive including paddling was from about 6:45 until 10.
5mm top and 7mm bottom for me.
3 hours on the water, just enough to enjoy oneself and not get too tired. For some reason I thought you guys were out at some ungodly hour, like past midnight. You used a GPS to get to the spot right? Would it be possible to find the spot at night without a GPS?
3 hours on the water, just enough to enjoy oneself and not get too tired. For some reason I thought you guys were out at some ungodly hour, like past midnight. You used a GPS to get to the spot right? Would it be possible to find the spot at night without a GPS?
No GPS necessary in this particular case. We were really close to shore, so we could navigate using landmarks.
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