Diana Nyad on the way to capturing elusive dream

Sunday 61-year-old American Diana Nyad embarked on an epic 103 mile swim from Havana, Cuba to Key West and will be the first person ever to do it without the protection of a shark cage.

Nyad will be swimming across the Straits of Florida for 4 days in a row with no sleep and is scheduled to reach the Keys on Wednesday. That is a short time considering that the US and Cuba still have no formal diplomatic relations which caused a negotiation agreement to allow the swim from taking place to be carried on for over a year.

In the 1970s Nyad was known as one of the world's greatest long-distance swimmers and first attempted the daring swim in 1978 when she was 28 years old. Now at age 61 Nyad gives the shark-infested swim a second try in hopes of capturing what Nyad calls an "Elusive Dream."

"All my life I dreamed of being the first one ever to swim across without a shark cage," Nyad said. "I never thought I'd come back to this sport. It's a gruelling sport - it's for the young."

Although Nyad retired from competitive swimming 30 years ago, she will be fulfilling a lifelong dream when she successfully accomplishes the stunt.

Winner winner lobster dinner

Commercial trap fishermen welcome this 2010-11 season with big smiles and great expectations as they prepare for what they hope will be a repeat of last season.

"We can never be sure but every indication is that this could be an exceptional season," said Bill Kelly, executive director of the Florida Keys Commercial Fishermen's Association.

There are approximately 650 commercial lobster licenses holders in Monroe County that will begin laying trap lines Monday morning for the soak period shortly preceding the annual Aug. 6 opening of the eight-month commercial and recreational season for spiny lobster.

According to Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute the 2010-11 season marked an upsurge in harvests due to a sudden demand from China and Asia. Florida alone yielded about 5.6 million pounds of spiny lobster and of that 5 million pounds came from the Keys alone.

"Our early scouting reports suggest this has the potential to be as good a harvest as last year or even better," Kelly said. "We expect continued strong demand from China."

The high demand from China and Asia which are good for the fishermen may not be so great for the locals because it has caused a spike in dockside prices. Wholesale dockside prices averaged more than $6 a pound for iced lobster and have reached over $12 per pound for live lobster.  

"When fishermen are getting more than double what they were, it gives them a reason to catch more," Stock Island Lobster Co. owner Peter Bacle said as last season.

Although there may be more lobsters to catch the daily bag limits for recreational lobster hunters remains the same at 6 lobster per day and unlike mini-season, night diving is allowed. Fishermen also must have a saltwater fishing license with lobster endorsement; however a new Monroe County law bans diving or snorkeling within 300 feet of many shorelines during the first five days of regular season.

Every county has different regulations and amateur fishermen should check with state officials for fishing rules and regulations.

Celebrities head to Key West for charity fishing event

Celebrities like Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Wade Boggs and former Denver Broncos football player Mark Cooper will be heading to one of Florida's greatest fishing destinations, Key West to compete in the annual Robert James Sales S.L.A.M. (Southernmost Light Tackle Anglers Masters) fishing tournament.

Anglers of all ages can target the "big three" game fish that include tarpon, permit, and bonefish starting Friday, September 9th on the flats of Key West. Contestants earn points by catching and releasing fish in the tournament’s fly, spin/plug or bait categories and can win by having the most accumulated points representing all species of a slam.

Registration for the weekend event is slated for 4-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 at the DoubleTree Grand Key Resort shortly followed by a kick-off reception, rules meeting and live and silent auctions. The actual S.L.A.M. event starts Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 10 and 11 at 7 a.m. with the public encouraged to join anglers and celebrities at dockside parties scheduled for 3-5 p.m. at Hurricane Hole.

For interested anglers, Entry fee is $3,500 which consists of two days of guided fishing for a team of two anglers and admission to all social functions. The catch-and-release fishing event is just one of three that benefits the fight against cystic fibrosis.

More event information can be obtained at: www.redbone.org or by calling 305-664-2002.

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