FLORIDA (25 July 2007) -- As thousands of divers fanned out across South Florida's waterways Wednesday looking for lobsters, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer Santi Ayala was looking for something else: "Knuckleheads.'' It was opening day of the annual two-day lobster miniseason, and the well-trained and novices alike took the plunge to score a gourmet meal. Some did well, bagging the daily limit of a dozen lobsters per diver. Others? Not so good. Some just don't know what they're doing. Others are willfully breaking the law. ''People don't think when they do this,'' complained Ayala, a veteran FWC officer. ``They lose their brain for a day or two.'' The miniseason, which continues through midnight tonight, holds special appeal for divers because the regular-season catch limit of six per day per person is doubled in some areas. Today, as they did Wednesday, Ayala and his FWC colleagues will focus on safety and lobster resource violations, patrolling South Florida waterways, boat ramps, beaches and parks in boats, helicopters, airplanes and land vehicles. Ayala and partner Jared Cloud ruined the day Wednesday for the six-man crew aboard Hunt Em Up -- found diving in the Biscayne Bay-Card Sound Lobster Sanctuary, which is off-limits year-round. Ayala wrote boat owner Mike Gruter of Davie a notice to appear in court as Cloud dumped the crew's six hard-won lobsters overboard. ''I really did think we were on the other side,'' Gruter said, referring to the sanctuary boundary. ``I apologize. I do know the rules. I'm just trying to have a good time and make dinner for the family.'' He still got a scolding from Ayala. ''You're the only boat that's over here -- that sticks out like a sore thumb,'' Ayala said. 'You don't want to make this `whoops' again.'' DIVER DIES Last year's miniseason was the deadliest in recent memory, with five divers lost in South Florida waters, according to FWC spokesman Jorge Pino. Wednesday, James Gilkinson, 58, of Venice was diving in about 10 feet of water near the Content Keys when he showed signs of distress, the Monroe County Sheriff's office said. Gilkinson's wife helped him onto their boat and yelled for help. Nearby firefighter-paramedics and an FWC officer performed CPR and rushed Gilkinson to an ambulance on shore. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Lower Keys Hospital. That was the day's lone death, but ''we still have a whole day left,'' Pino said. ``I want to be optimistic that everyone stays safe and comes home to enjoy the lobster.'' Since 2000, state law has required dive boats to display a red-and-white, 20-by-24-inch dive flag high enough to be visible all around so boats don't run over them. Boaters are required to keep at least 300 feet away from dive flags in open water and 100 feet away in channels unless they approach at idle speed. Coming upon a 15-foot skiff about a mile off Key Biscayne on Wednesday, Ayala was dismayed at what he saw: a young woman driving a boat around in circles with a dive flag lying on the deck. A man wearing mask, fins and snorkel surfaced nearby, also without a flag. "TOTAL STUPIDITY' ''This is total stupidity here,'' Ayala said. | | Lobster miniseason often means total stupidity. Coming upon a 15-foot skiff about a mile off Key Biscayne on Wednesday, Officer Santi Ayala was dismayed at what he saw: a young woman driving a boat around in circles with a dive flag lying on the deck. A man wearing mask, fins and snorkel surfaced nearby, also without a flag. ''This is total stupidity here,'' Ayala said. He wrote Philip Bastos of Miami a $65 citation for improper display of a dive flag. ''I did it. This is her first time out. She didn't know,'' Bastos said of his female companion. Ayala and Cloud learned a colleague had taken a lobster diver to jail on a misdemeanor charge of interfering with an officer. The suspect, identified by an FWC spokesman as Ino Halegua, 59, allegedly threw a bucket of lobsters overboard after being ordered to stay put. ''Crimes of passion,'' joked Cloud. The most successful crew they encountered Wednesday was on board the Gotta Go II, skippered by Bobby Brown of Miami. In about six hours of diving, the three men and six women had scored 72 lobsters, well short of their limit of 108 but still plenty bountiful. Brown's secret? ''You have to swim in dirty water,'' he said. ``If it's pretty, it ain't good.'' The officers punched holes on the crew's fishing licenses to indicate how many lobsters each had taken, with the aim of preventing divers from exceeding the dozen-lobster limit. Checking another boat, Ayala found one undersized lobster among the catch of 18. He decided to be kind to skipper Ray Szwanke of North Miami Beach and his five crew mates, writing them a warning instead of a citation. ''Sorry about that. That sneaked by,'' Szwanke said. ``It must have been in the heat of the moment.'' Replied Ayala: ``I could see where somebody could make a mistake with all the excitement.'' Some of the amateurs Ayala encountered were law-abiding but not very successful. Motoring off Miami Beach, Ayala and Cloud came upon four men diving off a boat -- wearing no masks, snorkel or fins, holding no nets, tickler sticks or other lobster-catching equipment. ''How you fellas doing?'' Ayala asked jovially, like he might know the answer. ''Terrible,'' they replied, with no lobsters to show for their effort. The lawmen chuckled. SOURCE - Pacific Daily NewsSCUBA FORUMDISCUSS THIS TOPIC - Dive in and have your say at Scuba Forum |
