The Phantom Lobster

When you're out to survey lobster, one would normally expect to actually find some lobsters. Lobsters were one of those creatures I only ever found when I wasn't looking for them, which made me a pretty poor lobster surveyor. 

Lobster surveys were usually done via snorkeling, because we only surveyed the back reef sites, which were shallower. It also meant that more people could participate, so it was a good activity for everyone to try.

We were on the hunt for the Caribbean Spiny Lobster. This species is important to the local community since it is hunted to eat, and served at nearly every restaurant. Thus, the project needs to keep an eye on the local lobster population throughout the year.

Surveying the lobster is, in theory, very simple. All we had to do was mark its gender and size class. That's it. Sounds easy, right? It's just hard to measure a lobster you can't find.

We came prepared

But no lobster in sight

I participated in numerous lobster searches, on top of the water,

And below it

Here lobster, lobster lobster

Nope, that's a cowfish

But alas! They evaded me every time. It was quite a few weeks before I actually managed to spot my first lobster. I had begun to believe it was all a myth.

It was only when I was out on a dive for a different reason say, a lion fish hunt, or coral survey, that I would stumble upon three or four all at once.

There they are!

Not a fairytale after all

So I didn't have much luck on the surveys, but thankfully still managed to find plenty of lobster by the end of my six weeks...Just never at the right time.

We can't all be as cool as Dylan

Lobster hunts were a good time to explore and check all the nooks and crannies in the reef, which meant we found plenty of other cool stuff besides lobsters. Eels, crabs and sea urchin weren't uncommon, and with the occasional puffer to keep it interesting, lobster surveys were still a blast, even without the lobster. I'm not bitter.

Not when I get to dive in this. Artistic desktop background photo anyone?