NORTH BAY VILLAGE, Fla. (WSVN) -- The first say of Lobster mini-season has begun, and already at least two separate boaters in Miami-Dade County have required rescue assistance.
The start of the lobster mini-season has proved to be a busy one for rescue personnel, Wednesday morning, and has even claimed one life.
Two miles east of South Beach, the first call that a boat was taking on water went out at about 9:45 in the morning. On that boat were reportedly five people, including one captain and four divers. All the divers were in the water at the time. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and City of Miami rescue responded.
Meanwhile, Seatow assisted the sinking boat and took it to North Bay Village. There were no injuries.
Less than an hour later, a boat off Bear Cut, a waterway that separates Key Biscayne from Virginia Key, capsized with six divers on board. Once again, law enforcement responded, and once again they were lucky to have no injuries to tend to.
"We only had one motor," said Savannah Pilafian, who was on board the boat that flipped on Bear Cut. "We tried to get back, and then it capsized, got thrown out, and luckily there was some people around to help us."
"The weather is not as good as it was planned to be," said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Lt. Leo Reyes. "It's really bad, it's really windy. The waves has three to five-foot seas. It's getting ugly out there."
A tourist from Massachusetts, a man in his 50s, was reported dead in the Keys, however. He was found unresponsive in the waters while diving for lobster with his son. An autopsy will need to be performed to determine a cause of death.
The seas have been rough and choppy when the mini-season began at 12 midnight. Some have skipped heading into the water because of the rough surf. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue said they had to respond to nine situations that either involved divers or boats in distress.
Forecasters say a tropical wave off the coast is to blame for the rough surf. The last day of lobster mini-season is July 28.
The two-day event allows lobster lovers to capture the sea creatures within the legal requirements. Officials said lobsters must be a length of three inches or greater, measuring from the horns to the end of the carapace. There is a limit of 12 lobsters per person everywhere in Florida except in Biscayne National Park, in Miami-Dade, and the Keys, where the limit is six lobsters per person in both those locations.
