[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA BUGFEST: One of the area’s most anticipated annual events —  Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Bugfest by the Sea — kicks off lobster hunting mini season with multiple fun events. There are two Florida lobster hunting seasons when divers can legally catch lobster —  the two day mini season and the eight-month regular lobster season. The mini lobster season is always the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. Lauderdale-by-the-Sea kicks off the mini season with fun events, a concert and workshops. Participating divers can win $15,000 in cash, dive gear prizes and trips. Unlike the Keys, divers during lobster mini-season in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea can also bag up to 12 bugs (lobsters) per day. Guests can also night dive for lobsters, which is prohibited in the Keys.

Bugfest is sponsored by Reef Safe  (a brand of sunscreen that won’t harm the fragile reef system like traditional sunscreen). This year’s event is from Tuesday, July 23, 2019, to Saturday, July 27, 2019, and features a free concert on July 27 to benefit Diveheart, a non-profit that teaches people with disabilities how to scuba dive.

The event also helps promote Lauderdale-By-The-Sea as an awesome South Florida vacation destination.  The beachside city has fabulous beachfront hotels on wide beaches at low summer rates, several great restaurants, fun public plazas with kids games and quaint shops, all just a short walk from accommodations.

You can find the latest lobster mini-season regulations at Florida Fish and Wildlife.

Online registration opened on June 1, 2019. The contest fee is $20. Divers receive a BugFest Goody Bag and BugFest T-shirt. You can REGISTER HERE.

LBTS BugFest activities this year include:

  • Free Bug Hunting Seminar with “Chiefy” (Tuesday, July 23, 2019, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.) at Plunge Beach Hotel (4660 El Mar Dr., Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL 33308).
  • Free Lobster Mini-Season Kickoff Party (Tuesday, July 23, 2019, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.) at Plunge’s beachfront Backflip Bar. Meet the Scuba Cowboy, ScubaRadio host Greg Holt and the ScubaRadio mermaids!
  • Free BugFest Lobster Chef Competition (Thursday, July 25, 2019, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) in our Beach Pavilion/Ocean Plaza on Commercial Boulevard at the beach!
  • Free Florida Reef Fish ID Presentation (Friday, July 26, 2019, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.) in Jarvis Hall.
  • Free BugFest Mini-Season Diver Awards Party (Thursday, July 25, 2019, 7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) in our Beach Pavilion/Ocean Plaza.
  • Free Anglin’s Pier Clean-Up Dive with Gold Coast Scuba and PADI’s Project Aware (Saturday, July 27, 2019, 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.), followed by a free barbecue at Ocean Treasures Hotel on El Mar Drive.
  • Free music concert (Saturday, July 27, 2019, 6:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.) in Anglin’s Square to benefit Diveheart!

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Bugfest attracted participants from neighboring cities like Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and Fort Lauderdale as well as from all over South Florida and even from around the world!

If you have questions about BugFest, call Steve at (954) 640-4209 or e-mail him at steved@lbts-fl.gov.

This story was prepared by our LBTS/Pompano Beach News Desk with information provided by on-line sources.

For the latest news and things to do in Lauderdale By The Sea, go to our website.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”8204″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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