Lobster diving in the middle keys

I've been doing an annual trip for about the last 6 years to Sunshine Key in late December thru early January. Ive done a fair amount of recreational diving and lot of fishing and boating in the area. Curiosity has finally gotten the best of me and this year I want to try lobster diving.

Are there any dive operators in the area that cater to bug divers?

Are there any "bug diving for dummies" videos available so I could see the general concept of how its done?

Ive heard from some local divers down there that the lobsters "come and go" would I be wasting my time to even try this in late dec./early jan.??

Thanks in advance,

Tony

Tony,
Right now the lobstering is not too good (hasn't been good all season). You would really be wasting your time and money chartering a boat to bug hunt($300.00 - 2dives). There are no dive ops that solely bug hunt this time of year.
As for learning how to catch lobsters any dive shop will be glad to show you. Just like fish, lobsters do move around.

Come down, go diving, have fun

This time of year I think you are better off targeting fish and if you come across a lobster then that is a bonus.

If you are insistent on targeting lobsters then you can dive the old bridge pilings. You would need to dive the bridges at slack high tide because of the currents and you get the best visibility during high tide. Be sure you carry a dive flag and watch out for other boats passing at high speeds along the pilings and running between the pilings. I used to dive the bridges in the Sunshine Key area where you are going. When the currents pick back up full force you will not be able to swim against the currents for more than a minute or so so take that into consideration when in the water. It's best to have a 3rd person run the boat and follow the divers in the water. I would recommend snorkeling the bridges because most pilings are extremely shallow and carrying a tank on your back will just slow your hunt down and make you less manueverable in currents if you happen to stay a little beyond slack tide.

If you think you will be diving the bridges PM me and I can give you some more information about bridge diving.

That is an understatement about the current around the bridges. It screams - depending on moon phases.
If you are coming up on a full moon and the wind is out of the northeast you will not be able to dive at all. The tide will slack but the current will continue to scream due to the wind pushing water out of the Gulf.
As Ocean Obcessed said make sure you have a flag and a buddy in a boat to pick you up. Every other week we hear about someone going "for a ride".

Thanks guys, I will be visiting relatives who keep a boat in the marina so I may just go diving and hope for bugs. Most of the fishing we do is around the bridges, so I know what the current and boat traffic is like. In other words, I wont be diving around the bridges.

OceanObsessed:

.... then you can dive the old bridge pilings.

Click to expand...

You and Richb live there, but I thought the bridges or any artificial structure was illegal to hunt for lobster within 100 yards. Wouldn't want to steer a vacationer wrong.

Thrillseeker the other part of your question asked about video's. You can try "Tail Tamer" which may not be sold in your area, but it's available on the internet.

Our Video

They also have some on line clips that will give you a taste of what you are looking for.

Technically diving around Any man made structure is illegal in Monroe County. But the fact is people do dive the bridges and nobody bothers them unless it is abused (overlimits, short lobsters, wrung tails).

And yes you will have a problem if you are found diving on a casita by FWC.

Right now (last few weeks) most of the inshore pots have been on grass flats in about 20ft. water oceanside.