Divers brave seas to chase lobster

Divers brave seas to chase lobster

**1 death reported**

BY KEVIN WADLOW Florida Keys Keynoter

Windy weather and bumpy seas tossed divers seeking lobster during the two-day season that closed Thursday, but many came back with their daily limit of six lobster.

A retired football star battled a shark to get his lobster on a dive trip with a Marathon guide, coming away with the crustacean and a new scar. “Warren Sapp versus the Vicious Shark T-shirts already are available through the former NFL and University of Miami standout online store ($27 in three colors).

One person perished during the mini-season, Little Torch Key resident William Simko, 60.

Simko was diving off a boat on the north side of Cudjoe Key with his son and three other people. Simko surfaced from the 10- to 12-foot depths and “became distressed, the Monroe County Sheriff Office reported.

His companions brought him back to the boat and radioed for help. A U.S. Navy helicopter picked him up and flew him to Lower Keys Medical Center. Rescue attempts were not successful. An autopsy will be conducted to determine cause of death.

Other reports of boats taking on water, especially during the stormy early morning Wednesday, were called in but no major incidents injuries were reported. “It was a manageable season, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer Bobby Dube said. “For the most part, there were no major boating accidents and nobody got hurt or maimed.

“I think the rain slowed it down a bit in the morning but by afternoon, everyone was hard at it, said Capt. Corey Bryan from the Monroe County Sheriff Office station in Islamorada. “We had quite a few contacts but only about 12 boating citations and 12 warnings, no resource violations.

But FWC officers did issue citations for under-size or over-the-limit lobster with the final numbers still being tallied on Friday. Agency officers booked five people at county jails for more serious conservation violations.

David Rodriguez Cayetano, 38, of Florida City, was charged of with possessing 36 lobster over the six-lobster limit when his catch bag was checked Thursday afternoon near Long Key Bridge. Seven lobster were undersized and one was speared.

Victor M. Garcia Blanco, 66, of Key West, was arrested Wednesday after he ran from FWC officers on Big Pine Key, crossing U.S. 1 before officers caught up. He was charged with interference with an FWC officer, resisting arrest without violence, exceeding the bag limit by four lobster, having speared an undersized lobster and violation of probation. Garcia Blanco previously was charged with possessing 88 lobsters in a July 2014 case.

“A lot of people were congregating at the bridges because of the storms, Dube said. “It was pretty rough on the oceanside. There were boats out there but they were scattered.

Mini-season regular Don Lynch, of Loxahatchee, and his two passengers came back with their 18 lobster from the Tavernier oceanside by midday Wednesday. “There were times when water was coming over the pointy end of the boat, he said. “That rough.

Craig Stilwell, of Fort Lauderdale, and two buddies headed out at 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, only to turn around and wait an hour until seas calmed a bit.

“We got our limit because we did a pretty good job scouting Tuesday, he said. “We knew where we were going.

Sapp, a Florida native and NFL Hall of Famer with the Tampa Bay Bucs and Oakland, went lobstering with Capt. Jack Carlson out of Marathon. He was reaching into a lobster hole when a shark, believed to be a 4-foot nurse shark, lunged for the lobster and ripped a gash on Sapp arm, according to news reports. They taped up the wound and kept lobstering.

The regular eight-month lobster season opens Saturday.