Lobster miniseason opens with diver flown to hospital, water rescues and possible cocaine discovery

Angie DiMichele, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
·3 min read

On the first day of the 2024 two-day spiny lobster miniseason, one diver was flown to the hospital after being hit by a boat propeller, multiple people in South Florida required rescues for medical emergencies or sinking boats and a diver surfaced with a package of suspected cocaine.

Each year the miniseason, also known as “bug hunting,” spans the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, giving divers a chance to scour for spiny lobsters before the commercial boat season, which runs from Aug. 6 through March 31. It ends at midnight Thursday.

In Broward County, the Broward Sheriff’s Office’s Marine Unit gave oxygen to a diver who had a medical issue Wednesday morning but was able to surface on his own, said Claudinne Caro, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson. BSO Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Michael Kane said the diver had trouble breathing while off of Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park and was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.

Three people were rescued about a mile off Fort Lauderdale’s beach after a bystander reported a boat taking on water Wednesday morning, Coast Guard Petty Officer Nicholas Strasburg said. They were brought ashore at Whiskey Creek. No one was injured.

A Palm Beach County Fire Rescue spokesperson said they had not responded to any calls for help related to the miniseason as of Wednesday afternoon.

In Miami-Dade County, the Coast Guard rescued two people from the water near Bear Cut, south of Miami Beach, shortly before 7 a.m. after a bystander reported a capsized boat, Strasburg said. They were not injured.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue was called shortly before 8 a.m. about a sinking boat and missing diver near Government Cut in Miami Beach, but the diver was found on another boat, the fire department said. Several hours later, two divers missing near Sunny Isles Beach were found and taken who fire rescue found and took back to their boat. No one was injured.

Florida Keys

In the Florida Keys, a man diving near Boca Chica Bridge in the Lower Keys about 8 a.m. was hit by a boat propeller, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. He was brought ashore at the Key Haven Boat Ramp, and a Sheriff’s Office helicopter landed on Shark Key Bridge and flew him to a hospital in Miami. His condition was not available Wednesday afternoon. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating.

Shortly after 11:30 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office rescued four people from a boat that began sinking near Mile Marker 39, about a mile away from the Seven Mile Bridge. No one was injured.

By Wednesday afternoon, a diver found a package of suspected cocaine about a mile offshore of Tavernier in the Upper Keys, the Sheriff’s Office said. It was given to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

Several Miami residents were issued notices to appear in court Wednesday afternoon after Sheriff’s Office officials checked their haul off of Key Largo and found two undersized hogfish, MCSO said.

Rules and safety tips

The FWC’s regulations for lobster miniseason say:

  • Lobsters’ main shell sections must be larger than 3 inches when measured in the water.

  • Daily limit of six lobsters in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, and a daily limit of 12 lobsters in all other parts of Florida.

  • A recreational saltwater fishing license and lobster permit are required.

  • Night diving is prohibited in Monroe County.

  • Lobsters cannot be harvested in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park and in some areas of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and Biscayne National Park.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and FWC officials recommend the following safety tips:

  • Wear a life jacket.

  • Always dive with another person and have an easily visible dive flag.

  • Stay within 300 feet of a dive flag in open water and within 100 feet if in an inlet or channel.

  • Boats traveling near the dive flags must slow to an idle.

  • Designate a sober boat driver.

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