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Scalloping in the Gulf

Scalloping in NW Florida, particularly in the Steinhatchee area is a blast for anyone of any age. Dive in and enjoy the beautiful Florida Gulf Coast waters. With crystal clear waters and beautiful sea life, scalloping is a must for any Florida vacationer. I have some of my own personal scalloping videos as well as other good videos from youtube that portray the fun and beauty of scalloping.

This is a great video by MyFidgetBall

Another good one by squatty0720

Let's make a checklist of the basic necessities for your scalloping adventure. 1. A boat. Your going to need something to get out to the scallops, although I have seen jet skis and kayaks out there before too. That may be a better option for you, just make sure to have an anchor. 2. Mask, snorkel, and fins. These are musts if you want to have a good time scalloping. A good set can be purchased from your local dive shop, SportsAuthority.com, or my personal favorite leisurepro.com. Leisure Pro has some really good deals on quality products. I recently purchased a very nice mask that I love that was 75% off for $19.95. Link to mask.

 There are also a lot of other scuba sites online including Scuba.com, houseofscuba.com, or even amazon.com has good prices on their scuba stuff. Just be sure if purchasing online that you read reviews to see how the mask will fit your face.West Marine also has probably the best supply of things you may need for your boat as well as dive flags masks, snorkels,fins, bags and almost anything else you may need.  3. A mesh bag in which to keep your scallops. If you don't have a small mesh bag around the house you can easily find one at your local Walmart or any dive shop. 4. Plenty of sunscreen, food, and drinks. Keeping hydrated and safe from the sun should be your #1 priority in the hot Florida sun. Lots of water is EXTREMELY important.

5. A red and white dive flag. FWC's rules are Divers-down flags displayed on vessels must be at least 20 inches by 24 inches, and a stiffener is required to keep the flag unfurled. Dive flags carried on floats must be at least 12 inches by 12 inches. Also, divers-down flags on vessels must be displayed above the vessel’s highest point so that the flag’s visibility is not obstructed in any direction.

6. A five-gallon bucket. It's always helpful to have this to measure out the amount of scallops that you find in order to follow statewide regulations. 7. A cooler with ice or a fish box with ice to put the scallops and keep them good. 8. If you are 16 years or older you must have a recreational saltwater fishing license. You can easily get one of these online or even at your local Walmart. https://www2.fl.wildlifelicense.com/start.php That is a link to a very easy way to sign up for your license. 9. If you are really looking to capture and keep your memories an underwater camera is a must. GoPro makes the best underwater cameras out there if you are really interested in a quality camera. So now that we have a list of the basic gear and things you will need to go scalloping, lets review the rules and regualtions we must follow while scalloping. 1. Bag limits. From FWC: 2 gallons whole bay scallops in shell, or 1 pint of bay scallop meat per person. Maximum of 10 gallons of whole bay scallops in shell, or 1/2 gallon bay scallop meat per vessel. 2. Scallop season. Scallop season lasts from July 1 through Sept. 24. 3. Area where you may scallop. Pasco-Hernando County line to the west bank of the Mexico Beach Canal in Bay County. It is illegal to possess bay scallops on waters outside open harvest areas. 4. Harvest permitted by hand; landing or dip net only. All info can be found at http://myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/bay-scallops/ So now that we know all about the basic gear we need and rules we need to follow lets talk about where we need to go to actually participate in this underwater adventure. Homosassa, Crystal River, Horseshoe Beach, Steinhatchee, Keaton Beach, Port St. Joe and Cape San Blas are some of the most popular and best places to go scalloping in Florida. Steinhatchee is my personal favorite, although scallops are thick in all of the above areas. Once in one of these places go to the local marina or boat ramp and ask the locals where to go. They can definitely lead you in the right direction. Also when in doubt just follow the boats,  as most of these places have massive amounts of boaters going out and having some scalloping fun.

Boats on a Saturday in Steinhatchee

Now lets talk about what to do when we think we are at our destination. I usually like to scallop in depths between 4-8 feet (although you can go shallower or deeper). The areas in which scalloping takes place are grassy areas, usually one of two types of grass. Either Turtle grass or Manatee grass. Turtle grass is a much thicker longer grass, while Manatee grass is a much thinner grass where scallops can sometimes be easier to spot.

Thicker turtle grass is on the left.

Thinner Manatee grass is on the right.

Either type of grass can produce many scallops. Most of the time it's just personal preference. Now once you have reached an area near some other boats, or with clear water and a grassy bottom that looks convincing, with a depth between 3-10 feet, it's time to jump in!  When you go in the water you need to make sure your dive flag is up and you're anchored. It's not fun when you come up and can't find your boat... Okay so now we're all ready to go. We have our dive flag up, snorkeling gear on, our boat is anchored, our sunscreen is on, and we're in the water starting our scalloping fun. Identifying scallops at first might be difficult but this blog has numerous examples from picture to videos about what to expect. Basically you just swim around with your face looking straight down on the surface. When you locate a scallop you will either just grab the scallop or dive down (if you're in deeper water) and grab the scallop. Make sure to have your mesh bag with you at all times for a place to store your scallops. Once you start getting the hang of it you'll realize how easy and how much of a blast it truly is.