Snorkeling for lobster is a great family sport in the Florida Keys, with the general season opening soon. (Florida Keys Tourism)
Today is the first day of the two-day spiny lobster sport season in Florida, and it will be a circus. Boat trailers will be lined up at every gas station, dive shop and boat ramp in the southern half of the state, and particularly in the Florida Keys, which is “bug” center.
Spiny lobsters taste just as good as the New England variety, but they don’t have those meaty crackable claws. And, they’re not nearly so numerous over nearly so wide an area. In Florida, they’re primarily confined to areas in the southern half of the state with coral reef bottom, though in the Keys they can also be found around hard structure in the many dug canals as well.
It’s way too late to participate in the sport season if you’re not already there, but the general season opens August 6 and runs through March 31 of next year, so there’s plenty of time after the opening gun to get your fix.
A lot of the easy pickin’s in shallow water get scooped up early, but persistent snorkeling over hard bottom areas anywhere from 3 to 30 feet deep will find enough for dinner throughout the Keys. This is a great family activity, which is part of the reason it’s so popular. Catching enough for dinner and then taking them back to cook on the grill at the campground is a memory that stays with most kids for a long time.
The LobsterFest in Key West takes place in early August to celebrate the season opening--even if you don't dive, it's a great party. (Florida Keys Tourism)
Scuba equipped divers can find lots more on the outside reefs at depths down to 100’ and more. (If you don’t want to run into trouble with locals, don’t dive on any submerged barrels or boxes—they put ‘em out as their own private harvest spots, and if they happen to arrive while you’re raiding whatever lobster are down there, they will be unhappy.)
And if you’re not up to diving for your own, there are plenty of fish houses that will have lobster tails for sale after the first few days of the regular season.
August 8-11 is Key West Lobsterfest—see details here: https://keywestlobsterfest.com. August 10 is the official Lobsterfest Pub Crawl on Duval Street (though pretty much every night is a pub crawl there in my experience).
Because so many people love lobster, there are tight regulations on them—and the Florida FWC has been known to set up road blocks on U.S. 1 coming out of the keys to search every towed boat during the sport season for over-limit catches. No kidding, they actually do this—expect it.
Spiny lobsters have no claws, but taste just as good as Maine lobster whether broiled, baked or grilled. (NOAA Fisheries)
They also actually send divers into the water at times to trail suspect bag and size limit violators. Best policy is to follow the rules exactly. (You can also get a ticket for dropping anchor on live coral—be aware!)
The limit is six per person per day in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, 12 per person per day in the rest of the state. (Though you mostly can’t catch 12 in a day in the rest of the state—the Keys are bug central.) They have to have at least a 3” carapace to be legal. And you need a saltwater license and a lobster stamp to participate. Learn more here.
Because there are so many people in the water during the early part of the lobster season, it’s a must to watch out for diver-down flags—divers will be popping up everywhere. The rule is divers are to stay within 300 feet of their boat, which must display the flag, and that passing boats within 300 feet must operate off-plane.
For more on hotels and marinas in the keys, visit the Monroe County Tourist Development Council.
