Spiny lobsters bite

  • This happened back in 2005. I thought it would be good to repost here for those of us who didn't know lobster can bite.




    Quote from loose cannon

    Our second day of sport season aboard “The Impaler” started out normal enough. The first drops produced a few bugs, but most were full of eggs. I surfaced with an empty bag despite having nabbed six lobsters and sending them back under the ledge. On second drop Rich was a little slow dropping because he jumped in without his gloves. Ken threw him his pair of gloves and down Rich went. Thirty minutes later, Rich was on the surface and we motored over to pick him up. As he handed his gear up he said something that sounded like, “the *****er bit me.” We were all a little puzzled, but were quickly distracted when Rich threw a bag containing a monster, 8-lb lobster on the deck.


    When Rich got on board he pulled his gloves off and revealed a pinky finger sans one side all the way back to the base of the fingernail. Ken, found a lump in the finger of one of his gloves and there was Rich’s fingertip. First-aid was rendered by those on the crew who could handle the site without getting freaked out. Rich opted not to do any more dives, but he’s hardcore and didn’t even consider heading for the beach.


    Evidently, it was an epic undersea battle with this bug. Rich found it up under a ledge in 90’ and was pulling on it with both hands. The bug wasn’t going to come away without a fight, and when Rich stuck his finger too close to the business end of that thing’s choppers the game was on. He said it had him so tight that he had to rip his finger out of its mouth. Once out of the ledge the bug was so big Rich had to break its legs off to fit it in the lobster hotel.


    Quote from Mr.Bill

    A few years ago a friend and I made a drop on a125 ft. spot. I got a big bug, about 8 pounds, and while my buddy held the bag I tried to stuff it in. I don’t know how it happened but my thumb got up in its mouth and it clamped down. I thought that I was going to lose the thump! It felt like somebody had clamped down on me with a giant pair of vice grips! It would not let go even when I tried to release it so my buddy grabbed the tail and while I held on to the head with my free hand and my hand that was in the mouth and he twisted the tail off. And don’t lecture me on that being illegal, a citation was the least of my concerns at that moment. Anyway it turned out that that was not a good idea because it still wouldn’t let go so I headed for the surface, and after some problems in trying to climb on the platform I got in the boat with the head still attached. I still could not pull my thumb out so my buddy started smashing the head with a tank. Its jaws relaxed a little and I was able to pull my thumb out of my glove which stayed in the jaws. My thumb turned black and it was months before all the feeling returned. If I had not had thick gloves on I probably would have lost the whole thumb. I have been careful ever since. If you get a chance take a close look at the jaws. They look like knuckles coming together. I guess if they can crush mollusks and crustaceans they can do the same to a digit.


    PS ;)


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