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Lobster Season Woes: Scuba Diving Fatalities in Florida's Lobster Mini-Season
Lobster Season Woes Each year Florida waters see record numbers of divers trolling their depths for the spiny lobster, or rock lobster. The divers' aim is simple: Bag their limit of these tasty crustaceans. The trouble comes when divers' ambitions override their conditioning. From 2005 to 2008, DAN® recorded 20 fatalities in Florida involving divers collecting lobsters. Fourteen deaths occurred during the two-day mini-season and six during the regular eight-month lobster season. Why the higher percentage of deaths in the two-day preseason? Our best guess is that mini-season may be the time many divers take their first plunge of the year. Or they've made relatively few dives thus far and haven't gotten up to speed on their skills and conditioning. Plus, many divers may have fallen out of condition over the cooler months here in the northern hemisphere if they haven't been diving. |
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