Lobstering in John Pennekamp: Rules, Season & Spots

John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, at MM 102.5 in Key Largo, was the first undersea park in the United States, and it plays by its own rules when it comes to lobster. Get the timing and the zones right and it's a rewarding, accessible place to dive. Get them wrong and you're looking at a ticket. Here's exactly how Pennekamp works for a recreational lobster diver.

Closed for mini-season, open for the regular season

This is the part most people get wrong. During the two-day mini-season, all of Pennekamp is closed to the harvest of any lobster. While the rest of South Florida is fighting for elbow room on July 29-30, the park sits off-limits.

That's actually the opportunity. Pennekamp opens for the regular season on August 6, and because it never took the two-day mini-season beating, it can be a quieter, less-pressured option in the early regular season. The mini-season crowds have gone home, the water is settling down, and a well-run state park with easy access is a great place to put together a mellow early-season day. If you couldn't make mini-season, or you just don't love the circus, Pennekamp in August is a smart play.

New to lobstering? Read how lobstering works and pack from the gear checklist first.

Where to lobster in Pennekamp

The rule of thumb inside the park is simple: hunt the open bottom, not the coral. Lobster harvest is allowed over sand, seagrass, and bare nearshore rock, but every coral formation and patch reef in the park is off-limits, marked zone or not (more on that below).

• Nearshore rocks (the easy option). Pennekamp has an abundance of nearshore rock ledges, and on a calm day they're a genuinely fun, low-commitment dive. Shallow water, short run, plenty of bugs tucked under the rock. This is the spot for newer divers or anyone who wants an easy morning.
• Open sand and seagrass flats. Between and around the protected coral, the open noncoral bottom holds lobster on the move. FWC's 2026 zone update specifically opened more of this noncoral habitat to lobstering.

When it's calm and you want classic reef structure, the deeper reef is out there too, but remember the marquee reefs are no-take (more on that next).

Know the protected zones (they're marked in the app)

Start with the park's bedrock rule: inside Pennekamp you cannot take lobster from or within any coral formation or patch reef, anywhere in the park, whether or not it sits in a marked zone. Under the regulation, a patch reef is any coral formation, a roughly circular area of hard coral, soft coral, and other invertebrates. Lobstering is only legal over the open, noncoral bottom (sand, seagrass, and bare rock ledges) between and around those formations, so even a lone coral head out on the flat is off-limits.

On top of that blanket rule, two kinds of water are specifically marked on the water with buoys, and clearly marked in the Lobsterly app too, so you can see the lines before you drop:

• The seven Coral Formation Protection Zones. As of July 1, 2026, the updated zones are Turtle Rocks, Basin Hill, Higdon's Reef, Cannon Patch, Mosquito Bank North, Mosquito Bank Southeast, and Three Sisters. No lobster harvest on these coral formations.
• The no-take Sanctuary Preservation Areas in and around the park, including Molasses Reef, French Reef, Grecian Rocks, Key Largo Dry Rocks, The Elbow, and Carysfort Reef. These are closed to all harvest year-round.

Diving and snorkeling are welcome in all of these. You just can't take lobster from them. When in doubt, check the map before you pull a bug.

Getting on the water

Most people launch right inside the park:

• The Pennekamp boat ramp and marina at MM 102.5 lets you launch and run straight out to the lobster bottom. There's a park entrance fee, and a separate launch fee, so check current hours and rates before you go.
• Nearby Key Largo public ramps are an option too if the park is full or you're staying elsewhere in Key Largo.

As everywhere in the Keys, parking and trailer spots fill up on busy weekends, so get there early.

Pennekamp sits in Lobsterly's Upper Keys region (Key Largo to Islamorada), so you can map this whole end of the chain without buying the rest of it.

The rules that apply at Pennekamp

Pennekamp is in Monroe County, so the Keys rules apply on top of the park's own closures:

• Closed to lobstering during the two-day mini-season. Open for the regular season, August 6 through March 31.
• Bag limit: 6 per person, per day in the regular season.
• Size: carapace larger than 3 inches, measured in the water. Carry a gauge.
• License plus a spiny lobster permit are both required to harvest.
• No taking from coral, anywhere in the park. You cannot harvest lobster from or within any coral formation or patch reef in Pennekamp, even outside the marked zones. Take only from the open, noncoral bottom (sand, seagrass, bare rock).
• No-take and protected zones: the seven Coral Formation Protection Zones and the SPAs above.

Full breakdown in the Florida lobstering rules guide and the mini-season dates and limits.

Stay safe out there

Calm conditions make Pennekamp friendly, but the basics still apply:

• Fly a dive flag and stay near it. Within 300 feet in open water, 100 feet in channels. Boats must slow to idle within 100 yards of a flag.
• Watch the current through the cuts and channels on a moving tide.
• Dive with a buddy, track your boat, and watch the weather.

Working down the chain? The Islamorada guide covers the next town south, and the Miami & Biscayne guide covers the region to the north.

Frequently asked questions

Can you lobster in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park?

Yes, during the regular season (August 6 through March 31), but not during the two-day mini-season, when the entire park is closed to all lobster harvest. Even in the regular season, a park-wide rule prohibits taking lobster from or within any coral formation or patch reef anywhere in the park, and you must stay out of the marked Coral Formation Protection Zones and the no-take Sanctuary Preservation Areas. Harvest is allowed only over the open, noncoral bottom: sand, seagrass, and bare nearshore rock.

Is John Pennekamp open during lobster mini-season?

No. The entire park is closed to the harvest of any lobster during the two-day sport season (July 29-30 in 2026). It opens for lobstering when the regular season starts on August 6.

Where can you take lobster in Pennekamp?

Over the open, noncoral bottom: sand, seagrass, and bare nearshore rock ledges. A park-wide rule prohibits taking lobster from or within any coral formation or patch reef anywhere in Pennekamp, even outside the marked zones, and you must also stay out of the seven Coral Formation Protection Zones and the no-take SPAs like Molasses Reef and French Reef. The nearshore rocks are an easy, fun option on a calm day.

Regulations change. Always confirm the latest rules on the FWC spiny lobster page and with John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park before you dive. Last updated June 2026.