Great Britain: Diver catches giant crab (OF COURSE there are pictures :-))

The Crawley Observer (UK) / Various ^ | July 2, 2008

[Stoat]

Diver catches giant crab

 

A giant crab with a shell 12in wide has been caught by an Aylesbury diver off the UK coast.

The crustacean, weighing 17lb and with a claw span of 9in, was found by diver Paul Worsley during a recent diving trip in Lyme Regis, Dorset.

Douglas Lanfear, who runs the dive boat Blue Turtle, said he was amazed at the size of the crab.

He said: "It was truly a monster. It was the biggest crab I have ever seen in all my years and there were fishermen who have been working here for 30 years and they said they hadn't seen anything like it.

"The claws were absolutely huge - as big as my hands - and if you got your finger caught, it would take it off."

Mr Lanfear said the crab was caught on the wreck site of the warship the Empress of India, which was sunk off Portland as a gunnery target in 1913.

He said: "It was caught 13 miles off shore, I don't know why it was so big but probably just because of age. It had managed to escape the fishermen somehow and reach this great size - it was big enough to feed 10 people."

In May, a 36in long lobster with claws 8in long and 4in wide was caught by another diver from Mr Lanfear's boat.

[Stoat]

Thank you very much for pinging your list  :-)

[Stoat]

Thanks Stoat.

You're quite welcome  :-)

I hope you won't be offended if I don't join your new pinglist?  Threads of that nature would be rather upsetting to be sent on a regular basis.....

((((shudder))))

[Daffynition]

LOL ... no apology necessary ... it's a great story and should be enjoyed far and wide ... "Gaetice depressus!!!"

[Stoat]

Thank you....your perpetual courtesy, grace and congeniality sets a benchmark for all :-)

[Daffynition]

Blushing ...

[Jotmo]

I use to do some diving in Puget Sound. We would take a bag with us to gather crabs we found, which we had a license for, of course.

One critter got a hold of one careless guys finger.

In case you're wondering, you can hear someone scream under water.

[Stoat]

awww...is that a giant blue-crab and cookie dinner for the stoat?
Why thank you so very much!
And cooked by such a gorgeous lady no less....
“sigh”
what more could I possibly ask for?
Thank you :-)

[Stoat]

Oh lawdy, that sounds awful!
I’ve done just a little diving in Puget Sound (Tacoma Narrows, Edmonds Underwater Park, San Juan Islands) but never fishing or crabbing...I’d think that an unexpected pinch like that could conceivably end up being lethal if the pinch-ee were to spit out his regulator and y’all were deep enough...not something to do for fun!

[bannie]

We're still cryin' for that picture.

[bannie]

HOLY CRABS, BATMAN!

[SunkenCiv]

The truth is, the logo is the product of the fertile (for now) mind of martin_fierro, and I wouldn’t swear to having concockted the idea for such a list (may have been m’s suggestion) in the first place — strictly as a joke. But you’d be surprised at the number of topics which qualify around here...

[SunkenCiv]

Oh wow...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1969981/posts?page=42#42

[SkyPilot]

You can see it in Post #16.