Arrgghh, Thar Be Lobsters Among Us....
--by Dr. Dan Baeza

The annual carnage that is known as lobster season is about to start. This year the season runs from AUgust 6, 2017 to March 31, 2018. There is also a mini 2-day "Sport Fisherman" season falls on July 26th and 27th, per the Florida Fish and Wildlife. During the 8-month regular season, a recreational collector with a valid lobster permit, may possess 6 legally obtained lobsters per day. The lobster must measure at least 3 inches from the eyes to the edge of the carapace. The tail may only be separated on land and measure at least 5-1/2 inches in length. See Lobster Regulations for specific details.

Once you have a grasp of what constitutes a legal catch, you now need to outfit yourself with the latest in lobstering equipment. The absolute first piece of equipment is a lobster gauge, pictured at right. The gauge has a cutout that is exactly 3 inches long. Measuring the carapace underwater is one of those involute rules that we must do. If the gauge slips over the carapace, the lobster is too short and must be set free. The overall length of the tool is 5-1/2 inches long, the minimum size for a lobster tail. If in doubt, check both measurements underwater to ensure you are within the legal limits.

To catch a lobster, you need patience, cunning, and a tickle stick or lobster snare. Lobsters will generally back into whatever hole they are near if you attempt to approach them from the front. Using a tickle stick to coax them out of the hole works well. A tool I prefer is the lobster snare, pictured at left. Take the snare and carefuly position the loop behind the lobster, slowly moving the loop around its tail. Quickly tighten the loop and the lobster should easily be pulled from the hole.

So, you got it out of the hole. Now what? Well, the next two pieces of equipment are a pair of sturdy gloves and a catch bag. A catch bag with a one-way trap door such as the bag pictured at right works best. Firmly grasp the lobster by the carapace and loosen the loop. Good gloves will minimize the potential for personal injury from the sharp spines covering the lobster's body. The lobster will attempt to escape, so be sure you have a good grip on it. Push the lobster all the way through the trap door. Be sure the bottom of the bag is properly sealed, or all your work will be for naught.

.....And that would make you very sad.....

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ADA Diveheart-trained Dive Buddies and Instructors Invited
to Participate in Aug. 19-25 dives in Key Largo

--by Connie Crowther

ADA members who were certified by Diveheart instructors in 2007 and 2008 as buddies and instructors for divers of varied abilities are invited to participate in the August 19-25 Diveheart adaptive diver trip to Key Largo.

The Diveheart dives are hosted by Rainbow Reef in Key Largo, the dive operation ADA also regularly uses for Key Largo dives. Certified buddies and divers must register now for the August dive trip by using this link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0f4ca4a929a31-august

ADA was responsible for originally bringing Diveheart training to South Florida 10 years ago. We offered several Diveheart/Handicapped Scuba Association courses during 2007-2008. About 30 divers in ADA at the time received HSA certifications. The first rigorous course, held in September 2007, culminated in a dive in the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables with 10 students with various physical challenges. That original ADA/Diveheart event was covered on the front page of the Miami Herald Neighbors and local TV at the time.

Rainbow Reef offers a full range of Diveheart adaptive diver training programs and many of their staff are trained to work with adaptive divers. They currently offer Diveheart-developed courses for adaptive diver, adaptive buddy, advanced adaptive buddy and adaptive instructor. Anyone interested in completing the online course and then doing the diving portion of the training with Rainbow Reef before the late August trip can sign up now. For information about training, contact Chris Adams at Rainbow Reef Dive Center at 866-KEYS-IDC or email chris@KeysIDC.com. For further information about other Diveheart adaptive diver certification courses, go to http://www.diveheart.org/training/get-started

The Diveheart trips are open to divers of all abilities. Adaptive divers will have the opportunity to dive with Diveheart-trained buddies. All divers are responsible for their own travel, gear, tips, food and accommodations. Itineraries will be sent out two weeks before the trip. Space is very limited for both adaptive divers and trained buddies and instructors, so early registration is suggested.

For more information about the Diveheart experience, call Connie Crowther, South Florida Diveheart Ambassador, at connie_crowther@msn.com.

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Grenada: What an Adventure!!!

Thirteen lucky divers just completed an amazing ADA trip to Grenada from July 8 to 13, 2017. Situated in the southeastern Caribbean Sea northeast of Venezuela, it is an island country consisting of seven islands. It has not been widely recognized as a dive destination but the country is working to develop a more robust tourism industry with a focus on water sports.

We stayed at True Blue Bay Boutique hotel which is a beautiful, very Caribbean style resort consisting of about four different style buildings. Our group had rooms in just about every one of the sections and all were very pleased with the accommodations. All of the dining options were open air venues on the water with a delightful breeze. The staff was friendly and dedicated to making sure our visit exceeded our expectations.

The dive shop was conveniently located just a short distance from our rooms, and they also worked very hard to make sure our diving was as effortless as possible. Once our gear was set up on the boat they took care of storing and rinsing it daily so all we had to do was show up ready to dive. We had a boat dedicated to us throughout the week so there was plenty of room and we were able to stay together as a group. Our crew consisted of Chris, Larry and, Myron, who alternated as boat captain and divemasters throughout the trip and were very experienced and helpful.

Our package included two morning dives each day from Sunday through Thursday, with optional afternoon and night dives. Our winners of the “Ironman” diver award were Rachel and John, who logged 15 total dives! The dives consisted of a variety of wreck and reef drift dives as well as a special visit to the marine park. Widely seen on magazine covers is an underwater sculpture of children holding hands which is among several other sculptures placed throughout the park. The reefs and marine life were all healthy and at depths anywhere from 40 to 100 feet. Our biggest disappointment was a layer of “green” water that had been swept up from heavy rains in Venezuela which diminished slightly throughout the week. We were lucky to be there that week with good weather, as Tropical Storm Don was approaching as we left.

On Friday we all went on a tour of the island with Edwin Frank, a very experienced and entertaining guide and driver. We spent 10 hours seeing waterfalls, a spice plantation, chocolate factory, rum distillery, the old city of St Georges and too many other sites to describe here.

And then it was time to pack and get ready for our flights the next day- and to ask which island paradise would be the next destination for an awesome ADA dive trip !!

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Registration is now open! >>Click here to register <<

ADA is partnering with Florida International University's Aquarius Reef Base for the unique opportunity to dive down and tour the Aquarius Base. The Aquarius Experience guest dives were developed to provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for non-professional divers to make a dive to Aquarius. Less than 1,200 divers have ever had the opportunity to enter Aquarius.

The mission at Aquarius is to conduct marine ecosystem science, test bed novel marine technologies, train professional divers for extreme environment operations and develop formal experiential education programs. Aquarius is located in a research-only area within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, and access to the area is tightly controlled and mission protocols for dive operations are rigorous out of necessity.

We are offering six lucky ADA divers the Aquarius Experience opportunity on Sunday, August 20th for $500 per person. The cost covers a full day (8am to 5pm) including introductory program overview of Aquarius operations and scientific research, two dives to Aquarius including a tour of the inside guided by scientists, plus a box lunch.

SPACE IS VERY LIMITED SO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY!

This program has been added to the 2017 Dive Schedule. >>Register and make your payment here <<

NOTE: Due to our contract with the providing agency, no refunds are possible unless the project is cancelled due to weather. In that case, full refunds less a small service charge, will be issued.

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Still Time To Save the Coral Reefs!!

>> UPDATED!! <<

Receive a Free One-Year Membership

Although there is still room to reserve your spot on ADA’s November 5^th full-day Coral Restoration Foundation (“CRF”) program, act now to book the dive and add a whole new perspective to Florida Keys diving. Thanks to CRF and the work of volunteers, including dozens of ADA members over the last ten years, the reefs are coming back to more of the spectacular beauty they had decades ago, before contaminated waters, ship groundings, and extreme weather events started taking their toll.

Now when I dive the reefs where I and dozens of other ADA members started transplanting baby corals back in 2007, it is amazing to see healthy staghorn branches stretching up more than three or four feet tall. We really have made a difference that we can see for ourselves! With your continued help during this year’s CRF trip, generations to come will enjoy spectacular beauty instead of a bleached-out decimated reef system.

Don’t know anything about marine science and coral transplanting techniques? Not to worry; CRF trains every diver in morning lecture and hands-on sessions in its state-of-the-art facility, where we will learn the latest techniques for cutting and prepping baby corals for outplanting; transplanting them onto the reefs; maintaining previously-planted coral gardens; and documenting the successes of our efforts. Then after a lunch break, we will board a boat specially reserved only for our ADA/CRF program, for a two-tank dive. Our first dive will be a tour of the coral nursery, and involve setting-up for our outplanting tasks. Then we will move to the reef and perform outplanting and maintenance activities on the corals.

The cost of the program is $130 for the full day, including classroom instruction, boat trip, tanks, weights, diving, and lunch. For an additional charge you can receive your PADI Coral Restoration Specialist Certification and accompanying PADI Certification Card.

CURRENT MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE A FREE ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP EXTENSION ( TO DEC. 31, 2018), and NEW MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE A FREE MEMBERSHIP (to Dec. 31, 2018).

The cost is well worth it. You will for years in the future remember the important work you are doing, when you visit the reefs you replanted and see the results of your efforts. Click here to book this dive.

A Youtube video showing ADA divers at work on a past CRF project (mine is the bald head)can be seen by clicking here.

Call me at (305) 519-8897 or send me an email with any questions about this year’s CRF program. My email address is roy@wassonandassociates.com. I hope to plant some coral with you next month.

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