Celebrating Florida’s Lobster Mini Season – Catch Lobsters – Win Prizes
July 26 – 30, 2022
2022 Bugfest Fun Facts:
Largest number of divers to register in the event’s history
105 Divers registered for the event – 45% more than previous year!
28 Female Divers and 77 Males
52 dived on Wednesday
32 Divers caught the max of 12 bugs each (384 lobsters)
Total catch of 550 lobsters caught for a total estimated weight of 719.15 lbs.
Biggest Bug Caught Off a Boat
| # | NAME | LARGEST |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julie Higgs | 2.88 |
| 2 | Albert Sloan | 2.8 |
| 3 | Sherry Williams | 2.7 |
Biggest Bug Caught Off the Beach
| # | NAME | LARGEST |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dane Tullock | 2.94 |
| 2 | Todd Haley | 2.5 |
| 3 | Catherine Van Dorn | 2.37 |
Biggest Bug Caught by a Female Diver
| # | NAME | LARGEST |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Julie Higgs | 2.88 |
Biggest Bug Caught by an LBTS Resident
| # | NAME | LARGEST |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zach Szloboda | 2 |
Register to win cash and prizes for the biggest catches
Tuesday, July 26
5:30 PM
Lobster Hunt Seminar
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Diver Kick Off Party
**The Kick Off Party will be held in the Plunge Beach Resort lobby, NOT the outdoor bar area**
Wednesday, July 27
7-26-22 Update: Competition is postponed for the Wednesday 12:01 AM beach dive until Thursday at 12:01 AM
12:01 AM
Florida’s Mini Lobster Season Opens!
4:30 PM
Lobster Cookoff
7:00 PM
Diver Awards Party
Friday, July 29
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Scuba4Good Concert
View Flyer
Saturday, July 30
8:00 AM
Anglin’s Pier Cleanup
More Info & Registration @ Discoverlbts.com/bugfest
Enjoy the Party with other divers at Bugfest!
And come and party at Florida’s Biggest Dive Party!
2022 Florida Lobster Mini-Season
The Best Place to Catch Lobsters in Florida is Broward County!
| Mini Season | Bugs Per Day | Night Diving | Tanks | Less Travel | Hotels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broward County | 12 | Allowed | Shore & Boat Diving | Direct Flights to FLL | Oceanfront |
| Monroe County | 6 | Prohibited | Only Boat Diving |
Unlike the Keys, there’s lots to do in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea besides hunt lobster. We have great beachfront hotels, low summer rates, super restaurants and small, quaint shops, all just a very short walk from your hotel.
Tenth Annual Great Florida Bug Hunt
Tuesday – Wednesday – Friday – Saturday
July 26 – 30, 2022
Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL
Florida’s Shore Dive Capital
Registration Begins Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Registration ends 5:00 PM July 26
Registration is ONLINE ONLY
Registration cost is $30*
Don’t want to participate in the contest? All divers are welcome to come and dive and join the parties!
* $30 registration fee gets you a 10th Anniversary Bugfest T Shirt and a diver goodie bag with well over $30 in goodies, including a Diver Awards Party raffle ticket.
We have over $25k in diver goodies for Diver Awards Party so far, and the prizes are still coming in!
Must be present at the Diver Awards party to win, raffle tickets are not transferable to another diver.
All registered divers receive a BugFest Goody Bag and BugFest T-shirt.
Tuesday, July 26, 2022
To participate in the Great Florida Bug Hunt, you must register by 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Bug Hunting Seminar at Plunge Beach Hotel 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Mini-season Kickoff Party at Plunge 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
* PLEASE NOTE: The Kickoff Party will be held in the lobby of the Plunge Beach Resort, not the outdoor bar area*
Music by Scuba Cowboy, hosted by Scuba Radio & Gold Coast Scuba
Wynwood Brewing will be giving a free beer to the first 100 at the Kick Off Party, plus other Wynwood goodies!
Free parking for concert goers along inside median lanes of El Mar from 5:30 – 9:00 PM
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
7-26-22 Update: Competition is postponed for the Wednesday 12:01 AM beach dive until Thursday at 12:01 AM
Due to current beach and sea conditions, Tuesday’s Midnight Dive at El Prado Park has been postponed until Thursday morning/midnight. Divers check in at the Weigh In Station before going in the water. The Shearwater Peregrine dive computer will be awarded after the dive cut off time ends at 2AM Thursday.
Night diving is allowed in Broward County during Lobster Mini Season!
Weigh in:
El Prado Park
500 El Mar Drive – Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL 33308
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Thursday:
12:15 – 2:00 AM
Sands Harbor Marina
125 N Riverside Drive – Pompano Beach, FL 33062
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Dixie Divers
455 S Federal Highway – Deerfield Beach, FL 33441
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Boynton Harbor Marina
735 Casa Loma Boulevard – Boynton Beach, FL 33435
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Click here to view the weigh in schedule as of July 26 as a pdf.
At the Town’s Pavilion at the beach:
Lobster Cookoff starts at 5:30 until 7:00PM
Great Florida Bug Hung Contest, Diver Awards Party & Raffle starts at 7:00 PM
Friday, July 29, 2022
Dance in the sand and donate to the cause!
“Scuba 4 Good” Benefit Concert at Plunge Beach Resort 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
With the Town’s support for adaptive scuba programs since 2017, the event will raise funds for “Scuba for Good”, a non-profit that teaches people with disabilities how to dive.
The non-profit partners with Gold Coast Scuba in coordinating boat dives for adaptive divers.
Free parking for concert goers along inside median lanes of El Mar from 5:30 – 9:00 PM
Saturday, July 30, 2022
Underwater Pier Cleanup at Anglin’s Pier 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
For more information and (required) reservations, contact Gold Coast Scuba
Fun @ BugFest
BugFest Event Locations
