Lobster Hunt! - May 14, 2020

We have been busy posting lots of food pics and some videos, but have not posted as many blog entries as we should have. It’s hard to believe, but we have been really busy out here and the time has been absolutely flying by, so we will try to be better about posting entries about what’s going on as well as sharing videos, etc. Very sadly, our time here will be coming to an end toward the end of the month as we prepare for our journey North, which you will all be a part of.

This was another great week with lots of work going on during the day for both of our consulting efforts as well as the volunteer group Dirk is involved with for the charter yacht owners in the Caribbean. We have also been busy keeping our marine life aquarium going and soon we will return the rescued babies to the reef in a safer environment for them to continue to grow.

Today was a rare treat as it is only Thursday, but between meetings we were able to leave our home base for a new anchorage, then take the rest of the afternoon meetings from here and then we were in position for an evening lobster dive in a new location.

When we splashed on the dive, we were swimming WITH the current, which is not ideal, as you normally want to start a dive against the current, so that your “ride” home is easier, but, given the direction we needed to go, we had to go with the current to start and plan to swim against the current as we ended the dive. This just means we need to make sure to reserve energy and air for the last leg back to the boat.

We drifted with the current to the point off the shore of Flanagan Island (off St John) and then swam around the point at a depth of about 30 feet. We saw lots of beautiful reef fish and then… what we were looking for. A lobster! Dirk prepared the lasso and went in for the catch, He secured the lobster and drug it out of the hole only to find that she was an egg bearing female, so we wished her well and let her go. We continued the dive.

We continued around the point, swam into a small cove, REALLY started battling the current and then decided to turn around. Just after we started back, we saw another lobster. Dirk took the front of the lobster hole and I came around the back in case he found a way to retreat. Sure enough, the lobster backed as far as he could into the hole, but that left his back end exposed to me. I could not get my lasso around him, but I signaled to Dirk to come around. We switched places, which left me at the front of the lobster hole. Dirk chased him forward in my direction and I was able to get a lasso around one of his knuckles and crank down on him. The lobster did not like this and fled the hole but was able to squirm out of the lasso. This was because he was just small enough that the knuckle at the end of his antenna was a tiny bit smaller than the lasso’s smallest setting. Not giving up, Dirk and I staged a combined frontal attack, but the lobster ran away again into a small hole. Dirk said let’s go, and I said (underwater in SCUBA sign language) “No, I can see him in there!” so we staged one more attack and this time we were victorious, coming up with our dinner.

We lightly steamed the lobster aboard and then met some friends ashore for an amazing beach BBQ under the stars (including the Southern Cross on the South Horizon) and gave him a final quick roast on the grill with some beautiful asparagus before dunking him in garlic butter for a very tasty evening meal.