Happy Lobster Season, Y'all

[TCS]

That was a great bit of writing! Thanks. Amazing pics too.
I’ve been tempted to try diving for lobster but seem to wimp out every year. How did you get started? Diving with a buddy?

[ProfessorLongArms]

Originally Posted by TCS

That was a great bit of writing! Thanks. Amazing pics too.
I’ve been tempted to try diving for lobster but seem to wimp out every year. How did you get started? Diving with a buddy?

Thanks!!!
Lobster diving can be one of the easier entry points to free-diving/spearing to be sure. Half the time you can find them in 6 feet of water in the eelgrass.

I'd been kayak fishing for about a year, and had also decided to take up Lap Swimming since I was starting to get a little pudge from diet and just not being 20 something anymore....

I'd recommend going about it the same way I did, and if you find you're serious about it, taking a free-diving course. I can't tell you how many people I know who've been diving for a year plus who took a course and said "I can't believe how dangerous I was being"
Some people argue they're an expensive way to get into the sport and not entirely necessary, but compared to the cost of a decent wetsuit, mask, fins, lobster bag, dive light, speargun, etc. etc. etc. it's pretty reasonable as an insurance policy.

There are a number of spearo forums on Facebook for CA and SoCal, and a lot of people just go to a shop, buy the gear, and jump in the ocean.
Similar to Kayak Fishing, it can be a lot more fun and a lot safer if you have buddies. There's a conventional wisdom that you *never* dive alone because most people who die do so from an unrescued blackout.

Feel free to shoot me a DM if you'd like to chat about it more. I tend to almost exclusively dive with certified freedivers for my own safety, but I'm always happy to chat and answer any questions you might have.

[Oolie]

https://shizuokagourmet.com/category/ise-ebi/


Don't forget to eat the "wata" or in english "tomalley".


Some of the best stuff in there.

[Saba Slayer]

Think twice about eating this part of the lobster as it is the liver and pancreas that you are devouring...these are the filters that take out all the terrible stuff...

[chris138]

Originally Posted by Oolie

https://shizuokagourmet.com/category/ise-ebi/


Don't forget to eat the "wata" or in english "tomalley".


Some of the best stuff in there.

I got a comment on my yotube about the tomalley, and I thought he was talking about "Tamales" hahaha I was like dam that sounds delicious!

[bracks]

Such a wonderful read. Thanks for sharing. I too experience the mixed emotions when dispatching a fish. Gratitude is what mostly carries the day, paired with a quick reminder of my commitment to respect the fish by taking care of the catch. That moment is kind of sort of the main way I get that wonderful reminder of my place on this earth and how we're all connected.

Plus ~ yea, factory farming is typically awful for animals and the ecosystems they exist in. The more I can catch/eat wild animals from wild places, the better. I know there's the question of 'how to feed the world' with wild animals which I haven't answered for myself but I'm also a proponent of local food and local supply chains which I think is more philosophically in balance with how nature works.

Thanks for the idea of freezing the lobster before dispatching.

[f'nsabiki]

I love your posts. I look at mine, and there's a doofus holding a bloody fish with a couple sentences. You elevate yours to a whole new cerebral level--coupled with the near work of art photography ( I don't know if you will ever top the lizard eating flies)

[JohnMckroidJr]

Beautiful photos and a nice Read, love the choice of words and vocabulary you bring to your posts.

[DanaPT]

Good post. Unfortunately I see a sea insect. I feel more for the mackeral I kill for the lobster I really want.


I do use every part of lobster, love the stock and do appreciate the vittles the bugs offer.

[ProfessorLongArms]

Originally Posted by bracks

Such a wonderful read. Thanks for sharing. I too experience the mixed emotions when dispatching a fish. Gratitude is what mostly carries the day, paired with a quick reminder of my commitment to respect the fish by taking care of the catch. That moment is kind of sort of the main way I get that wonderful reminder of my place on this earth and how we're all connected.

Plus ~ yea, factory farming is typically awful for animals and the ecosystems they exist in. The more I can catch/eat wild animals from wild places, the better. I know there's the question of 'how to feed the world' with wild animals which I haven't answered for myself but I'm also a proponent of local food and local supply chains which I think is more philosophically in balance with how nature works.

Thanks for the idea of freezing the lobster before dispatching.

Thanks for the kind words and the encouragement

You actually just reminded me of this interview which is really fascinating and a cool look at diversifying food systems to more local options rather than the commercially optimized ones. https://www.noobspearo.com/valentine...-spearfishing/