Lobster season is here: Experienced diver says know the rules and be safe

The hundreds of critters crawled around underwater, unaware they were being watched.

The lobsters were in luck, they were still off-limits as free diver Brad Thompson watched at an undisclosed Southern California location a week ago, a spot he doesn’t want to share for fear lobster hunters might show up in force.

But as soon as 6 a.m. hits on Saturday, Oct. 3, the opening of lobster season, the mouth-watering crustaceans better watch out as Thompson and countless others scour the sea to nab the bugs – as they are called in the diving world – bringing home tasty treats for friends and family.

“You just look at them and lick your chops,” said Thompson, director for OC Spearos, a free diver and spearfishing community group with 200 members across Southern California.

It’s also a time to warn of dangers that can happen in the underwater world, posing hazards for even experienced lobster hunters. The day marks not only a day of excitement, but one of remembrance after a diving death during last year’s opening day.

Follow the law

It could be a bountiful year for lobster hunters.

It takes five to seven years for California’s spiny lobsters to reach the legal size before they can be taken. So what happened a few years back in Southern California?

El Nino, bringing warmer-than-normal water temps across the coast, which happen to be just the right conditions for lobster to spawn.

“There was a major El Niño event that started in 2014, so we might see an abundance of legal-sized bugs this year,” California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Environmental Scientist Jenny Hofmeister said in an announcement about the season kick off.

Lobster divers and hoop netters should know the rules before heading out, including the start time of 6 a.m. on Oct. 3. You can’t even bait your hoop net or grab a lobster with your hands before that time.

“With a sunrise at around 6:45 a.m. on the morning of the opener, that means there will be a very short window of time to legally take lobster in the dark, when most lobsters are out,” the agency’s Lt. Eric Kord said in the announcement.

Experienced divers know the rules and warn that enforcement is big during the first week of lobster season.

“Research and follow the laws closely,” Thompson said. “Fish and Wildlife are extra vigilant this time of year. They bring in agents from inland to the coast to verify limits and size and location because there’s such a high level of poaching during this season.”

And, divers and hoop netters should know the location and regulations for each Marine Protected Area near where they will be fishing.

“Unfortunately, every year we issue numerous citations to people taking lobster, both divers and hoop netters alike, for unlawful take in an MPA,” Kord said.

A lobster report card is required for anyone fishing for lobster, and individuals 16 years or older must have a valid sport fishing license and ocean enhancement stamp, the state agency warns.

The report cards, which can be bought online, must be returned or submitted online to the department after each season – by April 30 – even if no lobsters were caught or the card was unused.  The season closes at midnight on the first Wednesday after the 15th of March.

When finished fishing, changing locations or changing gear type, people must immediately record the number of lobsters kept from that location.

Last season, an estimated 46,600 lobster trips were reported with an average of about two lobsters kept per trip, officials said.

The daily lobster bag and possession limit is seven. Any lobster kept must be at least 3.25 inches long measured in a straight line on the midline of the back from the rear edge of the eye socket to the rear edge of the body shell.

“In California, we have the hardest path toward success ahead of us. We’re only allowed to use our hands, no stick to coax them out of holes, we’re only allowed to touch them with our hands,” Thompson said. “Throughout the world, we have the hardest path to success, which makes us, I believe, the best lobster divers in the world.”

The commercial lobster season starts about a week after the recreational season, meaning that first week is when there’s the most catch out there for recreational enthusiasts.

“The numbers drop pretty quickly as they clean up the reefs,” Thompson said. “The first week it’s, ‘Sorry hun, it’s lobster weekend, you won’t see me for a while.’”

Joining a club like OC Spearos helps people be better informed about conditions, rules and the best places to dive. This weekend, for example, there will be a strong swell affecting conditions.

“Having information about winds and how to read the swell are things you can learn with more experienced people within the club,” Thompson said.

Training and safety

A year ago, during the season kick off, the diving community lost one of its own.

The death of Ryan Huff on opening night in Laguna Beach during a dive sent shock waves through the tight-knit community.

Huff, of Lakewood, was an accomplished, certified freed diver and his death illustrates that even experienced divers need to use caution, Thompson said.

His goal is to change the culture and people’s thinking – from what they are going to catch to thinking first about what their safety plan should entail.

“In my experience, it’s been the opposite,” he said. “By constantly harping on certification, the more you hear about it, the more it’s at the forefront of your mind.”

Currently, it’s not the law to be certified, but Thompson wants free divers to think about safety the same way scuba divers do by taking courses through Free Dive Instructors International or Performance Freediving International first before hitting the water.

The club, with Huff’s wife, Diane, has added a scholarship fund for people who want to get certified, but can’t afford it. They’ve raised enough money to get 32 people certified, and donations are still coming in.

A raffle on Nov. 5 is expected to raise even more money.

“My personal goal is to get 100% member certification,” Thompson said.

Diane Huff is also in the process of getting certified and the hope is one day she will take over the scholarship fund, said Thompson, who is currently its chair.

“Ryan wanted nothing more than for his boys, now 8 and 4, to enjoy the ocean the way he did,” Diane Huff wrote in an email. “They regularly went fishing, took trips on his boat to Catalina, and he couldn’t wait to teach them how to free dive and spear fish.”

That’s her motivation for learning to free dive, to pass on his passion to their children, she said.

“I want to ensure that they have every opportunity to experience the ocean the way they would have with their dad.”

Source: Orange County Register