At Stan Blum Boat Ramp in Fort Pierce Wednesday morning, D.J. Fisher of Vero Beach shows off a nice lobster - his boat's only lobster - caught the first hour of mini-season. ED KILLER TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS

Photo by Sam Wolfe

A catch of lobster swims Wednesday in the live well aboard Little Adam fishing charters with Capt. Richard Hunt. Lobster divers enjoyed two days of good diving conditions even if the lobster pickings were a bit slim.

Spiny lobster mini-season 2012 was calm, safe and by most accounts, a thoroughly enjoyed sportsman's holiday.

As for the personal take of highly prized crustaceans, Treasure Coast reports indicate that it was "so-so" for some and "great" for others.

The annual two-day dash by recreational divers in Florida waters came to a close Thursday with no fatalities for the first time since 2003.

Beginning Aug. 6, recreational divers and commercial fishers can begin the regular season for lobster that continues until March 31, 2013. The daily bag limit statewide for recreational divers will be six lobsters per person instead of the 12 it was during the sport season.

Brandon Dolan of Kirk's Dive and Surf in Port St. Lucie said the feedback from his customers was that diving for lobsters seemed to be a little better off Fort Pierce and St. Lucie inlets in 50 to 70 feet of water than it was closer to shore.

"It sounded like visibility was minimal and the water was colder closer to the beach in Fort Pierce and that many divers did not find their limits," Dolan said. "We had several customers come in who did get their limits, including one boat with four divers that had 48 including three larger than 10 pounds, and several grouper, too."

Tim Russell of Dive Odyssea in Fort Pierce was part of a group that limited out easily early Wednesday morning.

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Lobster mini-season 2012: Success was hit and miss, safety was priority