The 2023 Florida Lobster Mini-Season Returns This Week; Please Don't Die UPDATED

Update 7/28/2023 10:45 a.m.: According to various news reports, day one of Florida's spiny lobster mini-season saw one fatality and one bizarre injury.

One man drowned after failing to climb back into a boat off Key Biscayne; Miami-Dade police believe the victim, said to have been in his 60s, may have suffered a medical episode that caused him to fall back into the water.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the second incident took place off Boca Chita Key in Biscayne Bay, where a man was struck by a police boat. WSVN quoted radio transmissions from a first responder as stating, "A 40-year-old male with injuries to his right heel, right arm, right shoulder. Patient is stable. They have applied tourniquets."

Neither victim has been identified. Both incidents are under investigation.

The original story is below:

Divers, prepare your tickle stick. Home chefs, fire up your grills. And shellfish lovers, prepare to feast. This week, Florida's annual lobster mini-season returns.

Every July, tens of thousands of snorkelers and scuba divers take to the (exceptionally) warm waters off the South Florida shores in search of spiny lobsters, the clawless crustaceans known for their sweet meat that live along the coral reefs of the southern third of the state. The event precedes regular lobster season, which runs August 6 through March 31, when commercial fishermen can also catch lobsters.

If you plan to partake in the two-day bender, we beseech you: Please don't die.

Every year, the hunt, which takes place the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July, seems to bring a fatality or two. Treasure Coast News reports an average of two people die each mini-season. Catherine Harris, research associate for fatality and injury monitoring for Divers Alert Network (DAN), tells New Times that as many as 15 people were involved in fatal accidents related to mini-season dives between 2016 and 2022.

"We've had a reported average of as many as three to four fatal accidents each year and a lot more injuries — everything from shortness of breath to something more serious like being struck by a boat prop," says Harris, whose department monitors news and social media, as well as its member testimonials, to gather data.

Last year, two people died on the first day of sport season in the Florida Keys. Three people died in 2021 while participating in activities related to the mini-season. In 2014, a notable loss occurred when University of Miami Hurricanes walk-on football player Joey Grosso died off the coast of Pompano Beach while out with a group of people during mini-season. And 2008 and 2009 saw four deaths apiece, making them among the most deadly mini-seasons in South Florida.

Harris points out that the lobster mini-season is a time when many inexperienced divers take to the water.

"They often venture into areas where they are less familiar or fail to take the proper safe diving precautions, leading to accidents that result in injury or death," adds Harris, who encourages part-time divers participating in this year's spiny lobster frenzy to check out DAN's tips for staying safe during mini-season.

The 48-hour recreational Florida lobster mini-season officially begins at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, July 26, and remains open until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. Sport season regulations, set forth by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, require that divers hold a valid recreational saltwater fishing license and lobster harvest stamp to take part. The spiny lobster carapace (measured from between the horns to where the head joins the tail) must exceed three inches, measured in the water, and a measuring device must be carried at all times.

As in years past, the lobster limit is 12 per person, per day, across South Florida, except in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, where the limit is six. The number is also six per person per day statewide during the regular season. Harvesting is prohibited in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, and areas within the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.