LOBSTERS
There are these funky alien looking creatures that live in the coral. They are called LOBSTERS. You know what I am talking about, that item on the menu that costs more than everything else. Most of the time, they don’t even put the price on the menu.
Well, these things hang out on the bottom of the ocean, out of sight from the typical snorkeler, but often seen by scuba divers and the adventurous free diver. They look different than the lobsters you see in the Northeast, as they don’t have claws. The local lobsters are called Spiny Lobster, as they have spines on their back and face, making them difficult to handle. But I am here to tell you that they taste great, in my opinion, better than elsewhere in the world.
So I jump in my boat and head to various locations around St. Thomas and St. John. Hop in the water with my snorkel gear, a pair of gloves, and a homemade snare. Start snorkeling the reefs while diving below the surface and looking under rocks and coral. When I am lucky, I see one of these “bugs” staring back at me, probably in awe of my strange looks. Place the snare down its antennae, pull, and dinner is served.
As you can imagine, “lobstering” is my favorite pastime here in the VI. Unfortunately, I don’t really find the time to catch these critters more than a few times per month. Maybe if there was cheddar cheese or ice cream under there I would go more often? I doubt it, but that would be pretty cool.