Lobster mini season underway

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. - Captain Sandy and her crew earned their bragging rights Wednesday morning, coming in just a few lobsters short of their max.

"Did two dives and the total count for this morning was 105," said Sandra Brammeier, Captain of "Sandy's Sunday."

"I got my limit, others did really good, 9, 10 you can't complain about that," said Daniel Carroll, who was diving off of Peanut Island.

For divers lobster mini season means getting their hands on the deep sea delicacy a week before the pros.

"My wife says we can go buy a lobster dinner for the price you pay for this, but it’s the camaraderie, it's the thrill of the hunt," said Larry Cayne, who was also diving off of Peanut Island.

For dive shops it means big bucks. But for law enforcement it means work.

"We get a lot of dive accidents people that they haven’t done in a while, they're unprepared," said Officer Eric Howell, with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Here is what FWC officers are looking for:

-Divers must only harvest non egg bearing adult lobsters.
-The hard shell between the head and the tail must be longer than 3 inches.
-Divers across the state are limited to 12 lobsters, except in the Keys; their cap is 6 per day.
-Don't forget you need a Saltwater fishing license with a lobster permit to catch them.

There is still plenty of time for divers to get their claws on the lobsters, mini season ends Thursday at midnight.