Where are the Pembrokeshire Spiders?

[surflew]

Hey Folks,

I was just wondering if anyone from Pembs is willing to give me a heads up on Spider Crabs in the area.

I've dived for them in St. Brides and have been told Stackpole is meant to be a gold mine, but was wondering if anyone can fill me in on where else I'm as likely to find a few.

It's not that I'm too lazy to look myself but my dive time is restricted to Sunday afternoons ONLY:vangry, so would just like to head out and dive somewhere new with a reasonable chance of success.

Cheers

Chris

 

[ben]

bit late for the big males now!

 

[andycornish]

Finding plenty of big females around but no males at all bar the odd juvenile.

 

[DafyddRees]

Hey, Stackpole is great for crab but the big males left a few months ago matey! I never take females as there is considerably less meat in them.

DOn't make the same mistake the lady and gent made on the British Seas programme though as they found nothing compared to the amount of spiders that can be found there during mating season! DO a little searching to discover the jackpot! In May time, from the surface, mounds of crabs form during mating that look like skull piles placed there by a tribe of cannibals - really quite eerie!

 

[andycornish]

Just to add to my previous post, I dont take females as we need them to get more crab. They all seem to have huge amounts of eggs at the moment as well.

 

[surflew]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the input. Yeah virtually every crab I find right now is a pregenant female. And the few males have all been below size. I did manage to luck out and come home with one male just above size the other week but that has been the only one so far.

Thanks for the May info as the book I've been usuing as a guide says that they congregrate in late summer. Is this the same around the country or mainly this area? Any ideas?

Cheers
Chris

 

[andycornish]

Back down here in cornwall (at uni in Cardiff) its the same story, had the same thing when I went for a dive last night

 

[pembroke]

i have hardly seen many spider crabs this year last year was great

 

[Pete wyllt]

Theres still alot of big males out there. been to a few spots recently that are crawling with large male spider crabs. The coast between Manorbier and Tenby is heaving with big males. Especially at the base of the limestone cliffs and into the deeper water. Church Rock at broad haven south is always pretty good for big males too

 

[Andy Davies]

You may find that the big males are just about, or have just changed, their shell and so will have no meat in them. The moult seems to be very early this season (pers comm Ben).

 

[Pete wyllt]

dived stackpole two days ago, no sign of any big males. There were still huge piles of them off tenby a week and a half ago, moulted back in june/july. Some of the largest i've ever seen amongst them