Florida’s lobster miniseason is back. Here are details on when and where to go.

The most exciting time of the year for South Florida lobster lovers is Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when Florida’s annual miniseason gives them their first chance at catching a delicious dinner since the regular lobster season closed on April 1.

The absence of lobster traps and not being poked and prodded by divers armed with snares, tickle sticks and nets for nearly four months usually results in an abundance of bugs that are less wary than usual for what is officially known as the two-day lobster sport season.

As if that isn’t enough of a reason to go diving for bugs, as they are known because of their insect-like appearance, when the miniseason begins at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, the daily bag limit in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties is 12 lobsters per person, which is twice the regular-season limit.

The miniseason is more restrictive in the Keys, where the daily limit is six bugs -- the miniseason daily limit is also six per person in Biscayne National Park -- and no diving is allowed at night. The reason is to limit the number of divers who descend on the Keys, where spiny lobsters are typically more plentiful, especially in the shallow waters surrounding the island chain. Many lobster hunters catch them in six to 10 feet of water using only a mask, fins and snorkel.

In addition, no lobstering is permitted in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo during miniseason. And law enforcement officers are on the water and on land checking divers for possessing too many lobsters as well as undersized bugs – the hard shell or carapace of a lobster must measure more than three inches – and egg-bearing females.

It’s worth noting that state attorneys and judges in the Keys take lobster cases seriously, handing out fines and sometimes even confiscating boats and vehicles used in the commission of flagrant violations.

Safety is also a concern during the miniseason, primarily because many scuba divers have not been in the water since last year’s miniseason. Their diving skills might not be as sharp and their dive gear might not work properly. Cracked hoses that leak air and mask and fin straps that are on the verge of tearing can endanger a diver’s life.

One of the biggest miniseason hazards is divers who run out of air. In their excitement to catch their limit, some divers who have enough air in their tank to safely get them to the surface spy a lobster and decide to go after it.

Using a snare or a tickle stick and a net to coax a bug out of its hiding place in a reef or from under a ledge can take a while. When divers who are focused on catching one more lobster suddenly realize that they have used all of their remaining air, they typically speed straight to the surface and don’t stop to do a three-minute safety stop to prevent decompression sickness, also known as the bends. And some divers panic and never make it to the surface.

Some boaters, in their rush to get to their lobster hotspot, drive too fast and too close to diver down flags. Boats must make an effort to stay at least 300 feet from dive flags on open waters and proceed at idle speed inside of that distance.

Safety-conscious divers fly a dive flag on their boat and also have a dive flag on a float that they tow behind them. That makes it easier for the person driving their boat to keep track of the divers in the water. They also can use the boat defensively when another boat is heading toward their divers by getting between the boat and the dive flag so the other boat has to veer away.

Lobster hunters can celebrate a safe, successful miniseason opening day at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea’s 10th anniversary BugFest. The event offers up to $10,000 in cash, dive gear, other prizes and awards for divers competing in the Great Florida Bug Hunt, which costs $30 to enter. Registration for the Bug Hunt is open online at www.discoverlbts.com/bugfest and at Gold Coast Scuba in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and runs through 6 p.m. Tuesday.

BugFest’s activities include parties, concerts and a lobster cooking competition. It kicks off with a free lobster hunting seminar by Jim “Chiefy” Mathie from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Plunge Beach Resort. That is followed by a miniseason kickoff party from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

Divers can weigh in their lobsters at several locations. They can win $500 for the biggest bug caught off a boat and off the beach, and they also receive a raffle ticket for every lobster they weigh. Raffle prizes include dive gear, dive charter boat trips and hotel stays.

IF YOU GO

Lobster seasons: The annual lobster miniseason runs from 12:01 a.m. July 27 through midnight July 28. The regular season is Aug. 6-March 31.

Licenses: You must have a saltwater fishing license ($17 for residents) and a spiny lobster stamp ($5).

Limits: The miniseason bag limit is six lobsters per person per day in Monroe County and Biscayne National Park and 12 per person in the rest of the state. The regular-season daily bag limit is six lobsters per person.

Legal lobsters: Spiny lobsters must have a minimum carapace length of more than 3 inches and must be measured in the water. Possession and use of a measuring device is required at all times. Lobsters must remain in whole condition while in or on the water. No egg-bearing females may be taken.

Other regulations: Night diving is prohibited in Monroe County during miniseason. Taking lobsters in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is prohibited during miniseason. Harvest is prohibited during miniseason and the regular season in the Biscayne Bay/Card Sound Spiny Lobster Sanctuary, Everglades National Park, Dry Tortugas National Park, no-take areas in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (visit http://floridakeys.noaa.gov) and in the five Coral Reef Protection Areas in Biscayne National Park (visit https://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bnp).

Dive flags: Dive flags on boats must be at least 20 by 24 inches and have stiffeners to keep the flags unfurled. Dive flags on floats must be a minimum of 12 by 12 inches. Dive flags on boats must be displayed above the vessel’s highest point so the flag’s visibility is not obstructed in any direction. Boats must make an effort to stay at least 300 feet from dive flags on open waters and at least 100 feet from flags in rivers, inlets or navigation channels.

Information: Visit myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lobster . To report lobster violations, call Wildlife Alert at 888-404-FWCC (3922).