Lobster diving season has hit the California coastline from Monterrey Bay to the Gulf of Mexico. Popular coastal sites in San Diego like the La Jolla Ecological Reserve, Point Loma’s giant kelp forest and Wreck Alley off Mission Beach’s shore draw in lobster divers from all over the nation for the thrill of catching the delicious crustaceans. San Diego safety officials and diving experts urge caution and proper knowledge of regulations when catching the elusive critters, which only come out at night and hide in rocks and reefs during the day. Ignorance about lobster diving regulations can lead to hefty fines — up to $1,000 for fishing without a license, said Andrew Hughan, representative for the California Department of Fish and Game’s South Coast Region. According to California laws, lobsters must be measured underwater and those with carapaces less than 3 1/4 inches must be thrown back. Additionally, no more than seven lobsters can be taken per person per day, divers can only use their hands to take lobsters and all recreationally harvested lobsters must remain whole and intact while at sea. Hughan said opening day of lobster diving season on Oct. 1 went smoothly. “It was a great day — no safety violations, no one got hurt,” he said, although wardens did issue several citations throughout the day for undersize lobster catches and exceeding limits. The season has not gone all that smoothly since then, however. One death already occurred from the aquatic pursuit — that of 35-year-old Jimmy Somphiringa Tanovan on Oct. 9. According to police, Tanovan went into the water alone around 7 p.m. He was found dead in waters south of Children’s Pool in La Jolla — in an area known as “Hospital Point” — around 8:30 p.m. Tanovan’s death marks the 11th diving fatality in San Diego since 2007. Marine safety lifeguard Lt. John Everhart emphasized the importance of diving safety during the height of the season. “Don’t dive alone,” he said. “You have to think that every diving death that we’ve had where a diver was diving alone could have been prevented. It’s critical to have a buddy.” He also urged divers be aware of their abilities and surroundings both on the surface of the water with currents and swells and below the surface in the kelp forests, reefs and rocks. “Most people go at night because the lobsters are walking around then,” he said. “But if you’re going to an area that you’re not familiar with, you should first go during the day.” Even if a diver is familiar with the area, “conditions change frequently,” he said, urging divers to check surf, visibility and wind conditions beforehand and watch the water 30 to 45 minutes before entering. San Diego freediving instructor Mark Lozano recalled receiving a phone call last year from Daniel Garcia, diving buddy of Luke Ausdemore who died freediving for lobsters in Mission Bay last October. “They were diving together, but they were about 30 yards apart,” Lozano said. “If you go into the ocean with another person and they’re your buddy, but they’re 100 yards away from you, they’re not your buddy anymore.” Garcia detailed the night for Lozano, describing the moment when he noticed that Ausdemore was no longer at the surface of the water. Despite doing everything he could to save his friend, Ausdemore experienced a shallow water blackout — common in freedivers. By the time Garcia noticed he was missing in the water, 10 minutes had lapsed and it was too late to save him. Lozano urged divers to have someone watching and waiting for them at the surface of the water. “When you black out, you don’t make any noise,” said Lozano, explaining that when one blacks out, the muscle used to hold air in relaxes and the blackout only sounds like an exhalation of breath. “There are too many variables. Because of that, blackouts and motor control failures happen, and time is of the essence. [For] something so simple as lobster diving, there’s no real good excuse not to have a safety buddy.” Lozano said the majority of diver blackouts occur after they have resurfaced or are within 15 feet of the surface, so just because a diver is in shallow water does not mean the diver is safe. “This is one of those sports where ignorance is not bliss,” he said. “Ignorance can get you killed.” For more information about lobster diving regulations and safety tips, visit www.dfg.ca.gov or contact the Department of Fish and Game at (858) 467-4201. To check beach and weather conditions call (619) 221-8824.