BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK, Fla. -- If you're ready to dive into lobster mini-season on Wednesday and Thursday, you're not alone -- authorities expect this year's event to be a busy one.

The lobster mini-season runs from 12 a.m. Wednesday until 11:59 p.m. Thursday. It is a few weeks before the regular season, which runs from August until March.

Law enforcement officers said they are ready to keep divers safe and enforce the rules. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers, area fire departments and the U.S. Coast Guard are teaming up to protect the habitat as well as the hunters.

"Every year, somebody loses their life as a result of carelessness, as a result of not doing a proficiency dive, not checking their equipment before they go underwater and also just pure greed," said Jorge Pino, of the FWC.

Officials urged divers to remember the rules.

• Divers must only harvest adult lobsters.
• The space between the head and the tail must be longer than 3 inches.
• Divers must have their own measuring devices.
• Divers must have a fishing license and a lobster stamp.
• In Miami-Dade County, the limit is 12 lobsters per person per day.
• In Monroe County and Biscayne National Park, the limit is six lobsters per person per day.

Authorities said divers also should have a first-aid kit and a dive flag. Officials said they would use lobster-sniffing dogs to make sure divers don't try to catch extra lobsters and hide them.

Also, authorities cautioned divers to watch out for lionfish in the water.

"There's always a chance that someone sticks their hands in a crevice, trying to get a lobster and there's lionfish hanging out there. Lionfish have venomous spines all over their body," said Vanessa McDonough, of the National Park Service.

Fire rescuers stressed that divers should remember the buddy system.

"It's a lot safer and you don't lose your life over a lobster. That's very important for us," said Capt. Carlos Jimenez, of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

Authorities will patrol on boats, helicopters and fixed-wing planes. Officers have already arrested two people off Boca Chita and 21 people in the Florida Keys who they said were hunting for lobsters before the start of the mini-season.

For the Stantin family, one hour and 10 minutes was all they needed to harvest 108 lobsters. They caught so many that they had to put some back.

At the Crandon Park Marina, some boaters reported finding only one lobster, while other groups caught dozens.

It's not too late to get a license. Obtain a license by phone at 888-347-4356.