Day 5 - Sea Scallops

The alarm went off at 6am this morning. Today was to be a morning of sea scallop hunting. Anna reserved a boat for us a couple of days ago with Captain Paul. We launched from Pete’s Pier which is only two miles away from our rental. Talk about convenient! Coffee, googles, snorkels, towels and snacks and off we went. Paul was meeting us to take off around 7:30am. Perfect time because it is still nice and cool, plus the boat traffic is not as much that time of day.

After some introductions and stowing of our belongings, we were on our way. We cut straight through King’s Bay down the Crystal River over to the Salt River and then to the Gulf. It didn’t take but about twenty minutes and we were out in the grasses. The water was flat and there were no boats in sight. On with our masks and snorkels – sea scalloping we went!

Where we were snorkeling was only about six feet deep. Even though that seems shallow, with the grasses it made it difficult to see the scallops at first. It is amazing how they blend into their surroundings. Once you get your eyes focused and start realizing what to look for it does get easier.

We made several stops and collected scallops along the way. Olivia found a gorgeous conch. We saw all kinds of fish, stone crabs, a starfish and countless of other aquatic sea-life. After our first stop when we finally decided to pop our heads up and move to the next stop, out of nowhere there must have been 50+ boats around us. I was stunned, because I truly didn’t hear them approach. Paul said that the weekend before when the season opened, in the same area Florida Wildlife counted over 9,200 boats – unbelievable!!!

We couldn’t wait to get home to clean the scallops and start the Mauwfest! Everyone pitched in and it didn’t take too long. After cleaning a couple you get the hang of it. Olivia and Thomas used spoons which worked pretty well. I used a scallop knife – pretty much a butter knife.

Add some penne pasta, throw in some scallops and lunch was served. Anna also threw a Jack we caught on the skillet and had it for appetizers. Maybe it was because we caught, cleaned and prep it, but this was an awesome lunch! Ready to do this again!

 

Thomas and I ended up going out on the kayaks for a bit and the girls went to the antique shop/flea market. When the girls got back Thomas came in and laid down. He didn't wake up again for the rest of the evening. I went out one last time out on the kayak around 5pm to see if I could grab a hold of a red, snook or a large snapper. Catfish was all I got though. One pulled me on my kayak for some time before I brought him into the kayak to release the hook.

Everyone laid back for the remainder of the evening. The sun took it out of everyone today.