Scuba Diving for Lobsters

One of my favorite foods is lobster.  There are basically two types of lobsters commercially caught and served up in restaurants, fish-markets and supermarkets.

When you buy "lobster tail," you are generally getting what's known as a warm water lobster.  As you'd probably guess, these lobsters are generally caught in warmer climates.  Called "Spiny Lobsters," these are found in the waters off of California, Florida, throughout the Caribbean Sea and along the coast of South America.  Africa and the Middle East have their own spiny lobsters as well.

The tails tend to be brownish with reddish hues.  The tails often have spots as well:

Spiny lobster, ready for cooking

The most obvious thing you'll note about the spiny lobster is that it has no claws:

Spiny lobster, just caught

When you buy the whole lobster, you are generally getting a "North American Lobster," often called a "Maine Lobster:"

The North American lobster is a much redder color, and it turns bright red when cooked.  Nature did a kind thing for the color blind, by adding a pair of claws to the North American lobster, just in case you couldn't see the color.

The biggest difference between the two lobsters, from a epicurean vantage point, is that for the spiny lobster, most of the meat is in the tail, while the North American lobster has a lot of meat distributed in its claws.

So why the discussion of lobsters on a scuba diving web site?  Because after getting their basic open water experience, many divers develop underwater interests.  Here on the east coast, a common scuba diving activity is catching lobsters.  Or, as some of us sardonically say, "rescuing them from the ocean."

Lobsters tend to live in shipwrecks, hiding under wreckage, in pipes, in "caves" formed by debris and any other place where they can take refuge from predators.  Since the eastern coastline is littered with shipwrecks, it's a great place to find lobsters.

I've been diving for about 25 years, but I'm still a baby when it comes to catching lobsters.  However, let me share this link to a "how to guide" for scuba diving lobster fisherman, courtesy of Dan Berg, one of our Pinterest followers.  Thanks for following us Dan, and thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise:

http://www.aquaexplorers.com/lobster_diving.htm

The full article to Dan's Lobster Diving Guide can be found by clicking here.

A quick parting word about lobstering: the cold Atlantic coast isn't' the only place where scuba divers find lobsters.  Coming up in a future post, catching Spiny Lobsters.

Thanks for reading - DSAO!  (Dive safe and often)