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Originally Posted by ahud
Thanks!
I am studying those regulations, I don't want to get in any trouble. I bought an ID book as well so I can throw that in my bag and reference in case I am unclear on anything. From what I gather, as long as I recognize the take limits (5 polyps per person for zoas) and do not collect in sanctuaries then I should be golden. I'm a legal eagle lol, not a fan of breaking rules when it comes to wildlife.
I'm sure we will spend the first half of the trip exploring and getting everything figured out before we decide to collect anything. I'm worried about navigating the waters via kayak. Is there any good information on tides? The rivers and lakes where I live are very calm, I have not kayaked choppy water. It looks like all of the areas you can collect from need to be accessed via boat/kayak. Do you recommend a sit on top kayak for easy in and out at the cost of padding ease, or a sit in sea kayak?
I'm coming up short on any type of shrimp goby in Florida. The popular websites list "Indo Pacific" as the area the fish are from, which is not helpful. I know KP Aquatics collects in the Keys and they do not list any shrimp gobies on their website.
Another thing is we are trying to decide how long to stay. We are a 12.5-hour drive so two days will be spent traveling.
I'm a huge cichlid fan and one of my dreams is to go collect in Peru. I'm pretty excited about the opportunity to collect and keep critters. I'll cherish those Zoas if I am lucky enough to collect and transport them safely!
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I don't have a answer for all your questions but I prefer a sit on to kayak for ease of getting on and off. My wife and I use Hobie kayaks which have flippers that you operate with foot pedals and steering is controlled by a rudder or you can use the kayak paddles and we love it. We've only been down about 5 different times now but it's always pretty obvious what the water conditions are like as to wether you want to go out usually if it's rough in one area you can find another spot that's fairly calm by going to the other side of that island at least that's been my experience.
A 12hr dive is easily doable in 1 day my drive is about 21hrs without including stops and we get there in 2 days.