Lobstering

After two miles of bike riding, the last thing I wanted to do was to walk for and extra quarter mile over sharp, stabbing limestone with poisonwood on my left and an ocean blasting spray up over my head on the right.  Numerous blowholes rumbled underfoot, surging and draining with each wave.  This area is tricky to navigate under the best circumstances, but adding to the difficulty was a bag of dive gear and two spears.  Each step had to be carefully placed to avoid an off-balance landing that would certainly result in a puncture. 

Actually entering the water proved to as challenging as getting to the point of departure.  Timing the waves in such a way that the force pushing towards the rock occurs while in the air, so the ebb away will draw you into the ocean current took a few moments to become acquainted with.  Not knowing how deep it was also proved to be a factor in the jumping process.  And finally, controlling the spear and goggles made hitting the water a frightening experience.

Our spot is about 200 meters offshore, which is perfect, since Bahamian law stipulates that all fishing must be conducted at the distance or greater from the coastline.  Swimming out there with a decent swell and strong current was difficult.  Since I didn’t have fins or a snorkel, I had to frog kick out with one arm doing a freestyle pull.  It was the easiest way I could find to make progress, but it was by no means fast. 

The Caribbean Spiny Lobster doesn’t look a lot like their counterparts from Maine.  They have extremely long antennae and no front claws.  Most of the meat comes from the tail, and if you have eaten at Red Lobster in the past 5 years, there is a pretty good chance that those tails came from Eleuthera.  Another interesting feature of the lobster is that the antennae can rub against the skull to create a clicking sound.  This warns off potential predators and is very interesting to hear in person.

Setting up on top of the rock, I let Matt show me what to look for and the proper way to spear.  By moving up current from the target, energy can be saved that would better be used searching for prey.  Coming into the shot, draw back the spear against the rubber holder to increase tension, aim, and fire.  Aiming underwater is difficult as many factors can affect the accuracy.  Wave action overhead, current, breath control, and the animal itself all determine if the shot will be a success.

Matt began the session by finding a target and chasing him around the rock.  The lobster went into a crevice that could only be accessed by one opening from above.  The spear could fit through, and the lobster could make it, but together, they could not.  After Matt got his shot in and hooked it on, I came around to make sure that if the lobster wriggled off the end of his spear, I would be there to recapture it.  As Matt forced the lobster up and out of its hole, it slid off the end of the spear, but not before separating the carapace from the tail.  We went down to pick up the tail and Matt cleaned it out, putting it into the mesh bag we were using as storage.

After a few minutes of regaining composure and basking in the thrill of the chase, it was my turn to find a lobster and take it home.  At first, I thought that the long protruding antenna coming out from underneath the rock was a stingray.  When I dove the 5 feet to the bottom to inspect, I had the wonderful surprise of seeing a lobster staring me in the face.  Matt dove down to take a look, but he said that this one was all mine.  Setting up so that I could float in with the current and draw my spear, I took a deep breath and made for the overhang.  My first attempt missed, but the adrenaline was pumping through my veins.  I stayed directly above the spot where the lobster lay hiding, took a quick breath, and made my way down again.  This time, the spear hit with precision, however it did not go all the way through the body.  As I pulled the spear out of the hole and back towards the surface, the lobster came out into the open and fell to the floor of the ocean.  Lying on its back and completely vulnerable, the lobster had no chance as I went in for the final kill.