Grab your mask, fins and snorkel, it’s Florida’s Mini-Lobster season! 

Every July just before the official lobster season kicks off in Florida, a two-day aquatic celebration takes over the Florida Keys, it’s called Mini-Season.  

It’s a time-honored saltwater ritual that draws thousands of divers, snorkelers and lobster lovers into the turquoise waters in search of the Spiny Florida lobster.

For locals and seasoned “bug hunters”, this is more than just a fishing trip.

It’s an event, a reunion and and a chance to connect with the sea. Families pack up boats, coolers and dive gear days in advance, while waterfront marinas buzz with activity

The last Wednesday and Thursday of July (30th and 31st) are the days, and you’ll need a Florida saltwater fishing license ($17.) and a lobster stamp ($5.). 

The daily bag limit is six per person and you must release egg-bearing females. Keep your lobster gauge with you and don’t forget to put up your Diver Down flag so you don’t get run over by a boat. 

At first light on the first day, the race begins as boats cast off like sprinters from the box, heading toward coral outcroppings and hidden ledges where the lobsters like to hide.

There’s a thrill in spotting those long antennae poking out from a rocky crevice and it takes finesse to coax a lobster out with a tickle stick and catch it with the net.  No claws on these guys just speed and spines. 

Divers surface grinning holding up their catch like trophies, the water rings with laughter, boat horns and the snap of underwater photos.

The dockside scenes are just as lively.   Locals and visitors gather to compare hauls, share tips and clean their catch while sipping a cold one.

Neighborhoods and Tiki Bars throw impromptu cookouts, garlic butter sizzles in pans and the air smells like paradise– saltwater, sunscreen and lobster tails on the grill, it’s a total blast.

It’s not all fun and games, because rules are strict, there are size limits, daily bag limits and no taking for protected zones like John Pennekamp coral reef.

Conservation officers patrol these waters reminding everyone that the mini-season is a privilege earned by respecting the ocean.

For the Florida Keys, the mini- season is a vibrant kickoff to the end of summer, it’s about family tradition and the delicious reward that comes from diving into the deep blue and emerging with the meal worth sharing.

Whether you catch your limit, or come back empty-handed, just being out in the water during these two sacred days is reward enough.

And all this is happening on both sides of Route 1 in the Keys.