It's been five weeks since lobster mini season in the Florida Keys. People are still out there on the reef going after bugs, but the crowds have thinned now that school is back in session and summer is over. The commercial traps are out and buoys are everywhere. The onslaught is over, but believe it or not there are still lobsters out there very close to Key West.
For freedivers, the key is looking under rocks even when there are no visible antennae sticking out. You just have to look a little harder now. At the beginning of lobster mini season, you could just snorkel and look down to see antennae poking out from under rocks and ledges. But the rocks aren't so crammed with lobsters anymore so the remaining bugs are deep under the rocks and you have to look for them.
Getting down to the bottom and looking under the rocks means you have to be upside down to get a good look. For some, this requires dive weights. A dive belt costs anywhere from $15 on ebay up to $50 from your local dive shop. You will see one size fits all but if you are very small or very large you can buy sizes from scuba gear stores online. For example, you can get a 40 inch belt if you are petite. There are different numbers of weight pockets available, too: 4-pocket, 5-pocket etc.
Dive weights come in two types: normal and fancy. Normal are just blocks of lead that've been used for decades by divers. Fancy cost up to twice as much and consist of bags filled with lead beads. They are supposed to be more conforming to the body. "Normal" or traditional blocks of lead, at just $1 a pound, work fine. You won't even feel the blocks at all because you'll be in the water.
Now that you have dive weights and you can stay on the bottom better, find a rock and look in the crevice. If you see a lobster, give him a nudge with your tickle stick. Get him to come out of the rock. The first step is finding one and getting him out from under the rock. Then go up for air but keep your eyes on him. Then go down and get him into your net. It's a two-step process unless you can hold your breath for a long time or unless you are an expert who's been lobstering for years and years. Usually, after they come out from under the rock, they'll try and find another rock to crawl under. But they don't move as fast as a fish and you can see where they go. Sometimes they can't find another rock and sometimes when they do it's too small for them to fit so they just end up hiding halfway. Sometimes there's already a lobster under the new rock so they get pushed out. It's a tough world out there for lobsters!
With the dive weights you will find that it's much easier to hover near a rock but not that much difference in getting around. You can start out with just a few pounds and see what's best. For most people, at least four pounds will be needed to make much difference. You can buy the weights in 1, 2, and five pound increments and up. Even for a petite woman, one pound increments is pretty negligible so start with some two-pound weights. It will feel strange at first but you'll get used to it, just like everything else with freediving. Have fun!
