Lobster diver catches 18-pound spiny crustacean - PHOTO

Joseph Ali, 27, who has has been lobster diving for nearly a decade, said it was something of a battle to bring his latest catch ashore.Now he faces the problem of how to cook and eat the monster as his mom doesn't have a pot big enough.'As soon as I grabbed him, he just went straight to my face and wrapped around my body and my mask fell off,' Ali told NBC News. 'It's the biggest lobster I've caught in my life.''At that point, instead of one hand, I gotta wrap my whole body around him and hug him all the way to the top of the water.On the day he dove in, the water was calm and clear along the Huntington Beach Pier.After bagging four regulation-size lobsters, Ali noticed what he thought might be part of the old pier. He explored the underwater structure and swam toward the underside for an average-size lobster he saw scurry in.When he peered into a hole, he saw the 17 3/4 pound monster and knew he had to snag it. He kicked back to the surface and prepared for the grab.Ali said at first he thought it was a piece of the pier that he had grabbed, but it turned out to be the gigantic lobster.After resurfacing, he took several deep breaths before heading to the bottom to catch the crustacean.He suffered several cuts from the inch-long, razor-sharp spines lining the lobster’s tail as it thrashed about trying to escape his grasp. 'I had to drop my light, and I had to grab him with my body and swim him to the top.'He said it felt like he was being punched in the stomach as he pulled the California spiny lobster to the surface.It is believed the type of lobster Ali caught can live to be 50 years or more, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.There are records of male California spiny lobsters weighing over 26 pounds and attaining length of up to three feet.Lobsters weighing more than 5 pounds are considered trophy-sized.'I consider this a trophy lobster,' Ali said of his catch.whose parents own Zack's Pier Plaza.Ali said he was 'amped,' and when he showed the catch to family and friends, his mom said that she doesn't even have a pot big enough to cook it.'I plan to boil it and cook it, have some with my girlfriend and have a great dinner,' he added.Lobsters can be caught legally off the coast of Southern California using hoop nets or by hand. All catches must be documented with the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az