Key West Lobstering - Lobster Fest 2013

We headed down to Lobster Fest in Key West for the opening weekend of Lobster Season. The first thing we did was search for where to "Snorkel for Lobster in Key West" we had very few hits and searched for any information on where to go. Someplace close to shore, someplace that may have lobster. We weren't expecting much since we were new to lobstering and weren't really sure if we would catch ANY at all. We rented a boat from Spencer's Boat yard and for a very reasonable price we have a boat that could hold 12 people even thought we only had 7 it made it quite comfortable. The cool thing is we did find a few places to go right in the local area and not far away so we wouldn't burn much gas and would still have a chance to Snorkel and find Lobster. It was kinda rainy and cloudy but we had some sun which helped with the water clarity.

As you can see from the map that we only tried one area but we are sure there are many more locations and if you look at a GOOGLE MAPS satellite image and look at these locations you can see how the ledges look on the map and can possibly find many more.

I know this is a very simple post BUT If I would have had this info it may have helped US tremendously. The ledge is literally a square that was dredged and is now a ledge and looks very prominent. We saw many lobster holes as well as other fish, octopus and Barracuda, including Goliath Grouper and Lobsters. I believe this spot holds a lot of lobster but during the sportsman's mini season it is probably hit pretty hard.

Make sure you have your license, your dive flag, measuring device and a tickle stick. Good luck and I hope this helps.

Egmont Key

South of Ft. Desoto in the mouth of Tampa Bay is a small island that is only accessible by boat. You can catch the ferry off Ft. Desoto for $20 a person and it takes you to the island for the day depending on the year the schedule changes and for the most current information you may have to actually travel to the park to see the schedule. The typical schedule is departing at 10:00am and 11:00am and returning at 2:00pm or 3:00pm. There are other companies that will take you to Egmont key but you must remain within the parks designated areas since some of the southern beaches are all Bird Sanctuaries and the interior is designated as Wildlife Sanctuaries. The southern part of the island is a Bird Sanctuary and if visited by boat you should stay in the water to respect the birds that are nesting. There are walking tours and paths on the northern end of the island. In the summer the sand can be very hot. I am not sure if you can get to the South West of the island without a private boat or charter but if you can there are large cement Structures that once housed gun emplacements that were on the island. They have sense been partially consumed by the ocean and are visible in the water a good ways off shore. At times people have snorkeled around them and in the summer you will see people jumping off some of the rocks that are still in the water. On Egmont key there are ruins of the old Fort Dade which housed soldiers during the Spanish American War. Fort Dade is also listed as a Ghost Town at http://www.ghosttowns.com/ . You can walk around the ruins of this historic fort. It you want more info you can call 727-867-6569 or visit the official Egmont Key Ferry Website. http://www.hubbardsmarina.com/um/egmont.html

Caladesi Island

If you're looking for some secluded sand, and a beach that is not overly crowded and has some beautiful clear water then Caladesi is one of the best beaches in the Tampa, St. Pete, Clearwater area. Island video. As a local we typically get to the beach from the Dunedin Causeway located right off hwy 19 on hwy 580 heading West. I recommend two options of getting to the island once you're ready to go.
1. From Dunedin Causeway itself you can rent a Kayak right from the beach and paddle over and it gives you a great experience and allows you to explore other areas that are right on the beach and along the intercostal waterway. $70 for a two person Kayak for the whole day.
2. From the West side of Dunedin Causeway you can take a ferry that departs on a regular basis, takes 20 minutes and you can stay up to 4 hours based on when you go. The trip is $14.00/person and kids 5 and under are free. Both options are very good and based on your situation you should check both out. I personally have never taken the ferry but have seen it go by and can be a very relaxing and easy beach going option. If you want a more connect with nature and freedom to explore experience you should try the Kayak and experience the beach and the closeness to the water. The waterway between Dunedin and Caladesi can be busy in the summer with boats and other water vehicles. The water in the winter and on windy days can be rough due to the pass between Honeymoon island and Caladesi. Once on the island there are long stretches of open sand and areas that are restricted due to bird sanctuaries so be mindful of the environment and take trash with you when you depart. Also there are no facilities on the island unless you take the Ferry across. But packing your own food, drinks and snacks is a good way to enjoy the island in a rather affordable manner and get away to a beach that is not busy and has some unique and beautiful views.

Hit the Beaches

Beaches around Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater are abundant
There is one thing about Florida we have Beaches. Some of the best ones
are listed in all the newspapers and articles that rate beaches every
year. We who live here don't put much stock in those "ratings" because
they are market driven, advertisement, travel promotions that sometimes
exaggerate and do not take into account "what" the beach looks like
today. One year North Ft. Desoto had the #1 rating.....well just so
happened we had a horrible red tide bloom that year and that entire
beach had dead fish on it and it smelled horrible, still an amazing
beach BUT it may have been a surprise if you would have shown up just to
see it.. SO here is what is happening right now on our beaches.
A lot of rain has made the beaches a pretty place to be the cloud cover
is making for some tremendously beautiful sunsets and some of the best
places to see the sunsets in Florida is on our beaches. Obviously we are
on the west coast of Florida so the sun sets over the ocean.

The beaches are in fantastic shape and the waters are nice a clear despite the rain
we have had all summer so far. Remember our summertime patterns for
weather here can be a little crazy from Hurricanes, to Thunderstorms,
heavy electrical storms to wind and blazing heat and humidity.
Clearwater beaches can never be a bad choice. All Along Gulf Blvd you
can find public access and multiple places to get to the water. Watch
illegal parking they love to write tickets to fine people for illegal
parking.
Tampa proper doesn't have many beaches per say unless you are talking
about the bay beaches along Gandy Blvd or 275 or Courtney Campbell
causeway those are local hangouts and can be an option but they do not
offer the full "turquoise" water and white sand experience but you can
find a lot more wildlife, fishing and birds at these locations. The one
of the most popular ones on these roads is the beach on the South East
side of the Courtney Campbell causeway (hwy 60).
St. Pete beaches are another good choice and they extend from Clearwater
down to Ft. Desoto which also has its own beaches and I will talk more
about it later and in my post "Ft. Desoto, Explore a Historic Fort in
our backyard."  St. Pete has St. Pete Beach and it also has John's Pass
a famous location for shopping and fishing charters and has some good
beach and site seeing right on the water.

These are all Beaches that offer the typical beach atmosphere. Sand,
People and long stretches slowly rolling waves and seashells. If you are
looking for a hidden secret that most people are not familiar with try a
more remote beach that just about anyone can afford to go to and is
accessible with just a short paddle of a kayak.  Caladesi Island is a
favorite island of mine and of many locals and it can be accessed rather
easily.  Check out my "Caladesi Island, A Beach by itself."

Joey's Pizza - Marco Island

Wanted to go out into town and have something different and maybe a little more affordable than the typical resort fair. So we heàded into town and foud Joeys. It was already 9:45pm so we thought it might be closed because the islands in southern Florida always seem to close early. But it was open and thankfully so. The restuàrant is decorated in an old Italian theme, The Waiters and Waitresses are all in black and they all seemed pretty attentive. I did not snap any pics but should have becuse the food was very appetizing looking. The Deep Dish stle pizza was about 3 inches think and looked huge. The hand tossed looked similar to a new york style and the Super Thin looked very crispy.
We ordered the hand tossed at the suggestion of the waitress because of the number of toppings we had the combination and she said if it was the thin crust it might not turn out as good. My Wife had a Beer and after being on the beach all day I needed just water. All in all the food came out fast, hot prepared as we wanted it and we never wanted for a drink. The bill came to under $30 for the small pizza (more like a medium, perfect for two to four people). I highly reccommend Joey's and hope to return to try some of the other items on the menu and the deserts.

Camping on Florida's Beaches - Segment 3

Setting up Camp

This is an important step and should be thought out.  If you have more than one tent going then placement will help with many things.

Arranging your tents

1. 
   
   Scout your area in advance. If you can go to the area and see whats there you may have a better chance of finding a good smooth spot to put your tents up.
2. TIDES. Make sure if you setup close to the water that you don't setup in a tidal area that will be under water when the tide is high.
3. Mangroves and No-See-Ums. If you setup near the water and there are no mangroves too close you will be much happier. HOWEVER they will still be there. Make sure your tent is zipped up about 2 hrs before sunset to seal it off from the little critters. Also if you can sleep with a pair of light long pants, and a light long sleeve shirt this will keep the critters off most of you and if you sleep with a sheet as a cover you can use that to cover all the way up while your sleeping. trust me this will make you more comfortable.
4. 
   
   Find the direction of the wind and depending on where your Camp Fire will be place your tents Up wind of the fire so they don't get smoked out.
5. 
   
   Place a Tarp on the ground towards the front of the main entrance so that you have an area in front of the tent that will have less sand on it and give you an entrance area.
6. 
   
   Setup a Clothes Line so you have a place to hang shirts or towels. Two long poles with a string in between them and then two support strings staked at 45degree angles should hold the line. Make sure your stakes are in the groud  good and hold the weight of what your placing on the line. Long Sand Stakes are better if you have them.
7. 
   
   Your tent should be free Standing and only need stakes to ensure the wind doesn't blow away your tent. Put your rain cover on so you don't have to worry about it later on. This also will help with Hunidity over night.
8. Keeping Sand out of the tent is a chore. The best bet is to have a bucket of water that you can step into and then step out onto a towel or directly into the tent without any sand on your feet. this will eliminate about 90% of the sand in your tent.
9. For your beach Fire you don't really need to dig a pit BUT it does help with containing the area. However starting the fire can be tougher if you dig it so deep that you don't have a good wind flow to it.

These are a few Camp Setup things to think about and may help you out with your comfort while camping on Floridas beaches.

See Florida Boat Beach Camping - Segment 4