"I Spy With My Little Eye"
If you like the idea of egg hunts or diving for sunken treasure, you will love scalloping. With just a mask, snorkel and fins you, too, can jump in and experience the adventure of diving for scallops. Scallop beds are located mostly in shallow water and may only be harvested by hand or net.
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND IMAGINE:
You're floating along the surface quietly, patiently, over a sand bar in the Gulf of Mexico, off Florida’s beautiful Nature Coast. Feel the warm salt water on your skin and the sun on your back. As you drift along, take in the wonderful world of various fishes, plants and coral. Feel the excitement of finding your first scallop build. Then suddenly you see one.
A scallop!
You take a deep breath, dive down and grab it before someone else does! It's YOURS!!
Now, open your eyes and make it real.
RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY
If you like the idea of egg hunts or diving for sunken treasure, you will love scalloping. With just a mask, snorkel and fins you, too, can jump in and experience the adventure of diving for scallops. Scallop beds are located mostly in shallow water and may only be harvested by hand or net.
CLOSE YOUR EYES AND IMAGINE:
You're floating along the surface quietly, patiently, over a sand bar in the Gulf of Mexico, off Florida’s beautiful Nature Coast. Feel the warm salt water on your skin and the sun on your back. As you drift along, take in the wonderful world of various fishes, plants and coral. Feel the excitement of finding your first scallop build. Then suddenly you see one.
A scallop!
You take a deep breath, dive down and grab it before someone else does! It's YOURS!!
Now, open your eyes and make it real.
RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY
Season starts July 1st
•No License Required
•We Clean Your Scallops
•Scenic Tour Included
•Groups up to six people
•Comfortable Boat
Includes fishing License, Mask, Snorkel, Fins, scalloping bags, cold water to drink and Ice for you to take your Fresh Scallops home to enjoy.
•No License Required
•We Clean Your Scallops
•Scenic Tour Included
•Groups up to six people
•Comfortable Boat
Includes fishing License, Mask, Snorkel, Fins, scalloping bags, cold water to drink and Ice for you to take your Fresh Scallops home to enjoy.
Scallop Facts:
Scallops are hard to spot because their natural coloring allows them to camouflage themselves on the bottom among the tall grasses. Most of the time their shells are open to feed and breath, but as soon as they sense an intruder they slam their shells shut and hide. When threatened, the scallop can swim backwards or up by clapping its shell halves together and rapidly expelling water.
The bay scallop is a member of the shellfish family. Spawning occurs at 1 year of age and in the fall, when the weather is cool. Unfortunately, only 1 egg out of 12 million will survive to live a full life, and in Florida they usually only live 1 year.
In the past, Florida’s coasts were brimming with scallops, but recently they have vanished in many areas. Scientists believe this shortfall could be due to poor water quality since scallops are highly sensitive to changes in water. One could say scallops play an important part within the ecosystem, and observing scallops is a good way to evaluate the quality of the marine environment. In 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) teamed up with the University of South Florida in an effort to enhance the population of the scallops in certain areas, as well as eventually launching restrictions to allow only recreational harvesting. This seems to have worked. From 2000 through 2001, the scallop population has increased significantly, after harvesting was banned for several years. In 2002, scallop harvesting was reopened in the Crystal River area, which has become one of the most popular scallop harvesting destinations in Florida.
The bay scallop is a member of the shellfish family. Spawning occurs at 1 year of age and in the fall, when the weather is cool. Unfortunately, only 1 egg out of 12 million will survive to live a full life, and in Florida they usually only live 1 year.
In the past, Florida’s coasts were brimming with scallops, but recently they have vanished in many areas. Scientists believe this shortfall could be due to poor water quality since scallops are highly sensitive to changes in water. One could say scallops play an important part within the ecosystem, and observing scallops is a good way to evaluate the quality of the marine environment. In 1998, the Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) teamed up with the University of South Florida in an effort to enhance the population of the scallops in certain areas, as well as eventually launching restrictions to allow only recreational harvesting. This seems to have worked. From 2000 through 2001, the scallop population has increased significantly, after harvesting was banned for several years. In 2002, scallop harvesting was reopened in the Crystal River area, which has become one of the most popular scallop harvesting destinations in Florida.
