OP
Michael Alonso
Registered
thanks for all of the great advice guys, it seems like i'm going to sit this one out
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+1 on all the above advise.
My first mini-season, I had 3 rescues on day 1 and have avoided being anywhere near lobster opener madness since. Yes I lost a dive club buddy on a lobster opener when he ran out of air at 90 ft desperate to take home his limit.
If you search, you will find a large number of dive & boating accidents, fatalities, & near misses occur at this time every year!
If you must join in:
Make sure your dive skills are dialed-in, current and refreshed.
Dive sites that you already know.
Dont attempt a dive you havent done before, like jumping in 1 hr before sunrise if youve never done a night dive, or dive deeper than your experience level.
Ensure your gear is in top notch working condition.
Do NOT instabuddy with a stranger for hunting. Divers have become so task focused on the hunt, that they lose focus of their buddy, their gas management, and even self-preservation.
Same applies to boating. Go with a paid charter where the professional captain is focused on your safety, rather than an unknown private boat where you dont know the skill level (or sobriety) of everyone aboard or if the boat has all the safety gear like O2 kit and AED.
Watch out for the mosquito fleet of Captain Morgans, Admiral Budweisers, & Gilligans driving out there who dont see you & your flag in their path.
No lobster is worth your life. Please stay focused on safety.
I think I will go cave diving
Happy Diving!
Elena
Well Rae, obviously you have not dived with some of the people I have. I have seen people ditch their rigs to squeeze in after a lobster. I have seen LOTS of people shove their arms up to their shoulder into a hole after a lobster. And I got one guy who didn't notice that he had drained his tank chasing some damn fool crustacean. The reason that I was still down there to rescue him was that I was screwing with yet another unneeded anchor that I had just found....no bug is worth your life!!!
Somewhat related question: Given the undeniable risks associated with mini season, why do they continue to allow it? Is it to vent some of the pressure of the first weeks in regular lobster season? Is it the associated tourist income?