Never did I ever think I would be throwing my children into a large body of water and asking them to go find dinner, but here we are.
A few years back, we were invited to go scalloping with my brother-in-law’s family. Having not really thought about where scallops came from, I asked what that entailed. He explained it as an underwater Easter egg hunt, where you snorkel to find them and then free dive to snatch them up. As a self-proclaimed mermaid with two water babies, this sounded right up our alley, so we embarked on a road trip to Steinhatchee — one of the scalloping capitals of Florida.
Old Florida to the core, there wasn’t much there at the time. Over the years, it’s grown quite a bit, but Steinhatchee was devastated by Hurricane Helene in 2024. You may remember seeing a town and marina 15 feet under water on the news — that was them. They’ve since rebuilt, and it’s better than ever.
Devotin’ Full Time to Floatin’
The first couple of times we went, the kiddos were ages 3 and 5. They mostly snorkeled around and played on the boat while we took turns scalloping. This summer, they were 7 and 9, so it was the perfect age to get their fins wet. We practiced for weeks in the pool. Throwing any scallop shells or sinkies we had in the deep end and letting them dive in full gear to the bottom to get them.
Down Here All the Fish Is Happy
There will be times when you can find scallops in water as shallow as 2 or 3 feet, and others when you’ll need to go as deep as 12 feet. With the kiddos participating this time, we tried to stay in the 5-to-8-foot range.
There’s no real art to the sport. You just kind of boat around until you find a spot you think may be promising and send your scouts — usually my sister-in law and I — out to scope for treasure. If we find a bunch in a few minutes, you toss the anchor. If you only find one or two, we keep it moving.
Such Wonderful Things Surround You
What you are looking for is your typical scallop shell, like we see on our beaches, but a little larger. You cannot mistake their beautiful blue eyes, which stare at you like sparkling sapphires of the sea.
We In Luck Here, Down in the Muck Here
There are two ways to grab them, by hand or by net. We taught the munchkins both ways and let their level of comfort determine which method they used. They each started with the net so they wouldn’t have to touch them. You wear gloves for safety, not from the scallops, but from other creatures like sea urchins and mystery pokeys that are down there. After the first 10 or so scallops, my mermaid baby felt most comfortable snatching them up by hand. By the end of the day, she and her aunt were hand-grabbing sacks full of 50 at a time!
We Got the Spirit, You Got to Hear It
My son stayed with me the majority of the time. While I thoroughly enjoy diving for them myself, my heart swelled watching him thrive. I would scout them out and send him down to snatch them with his net. Despite having a mask on, I could see his smile beam ear to ear as he’d return to the surface and proclaim, “43!,” “44!” each time he bagged one. It was the best.
The Seaweed Is Always Greener
Crystal River is another Old Florida town known for its scalloping. It is more developed, with tons of restaurants and other things to do. However, I’ve found you have to go much farther out into significantly deeper waters to catch fewer scallops. So, while a fantastic place to vacation, we’ve had better luck scalloping in Steinhatchee.
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Guess Who’s Gon’ Be on the Plate
Someone’s, but not mine. While I love the thrill of the chase, scallops are not my favorite, so I always let the family enjoy my share.
Life Is the Bubbles
If you are looking for a new water adventure to take on with your family, “Darling, it’s better down where it’s wetter,” try scalloping. But be careful — it’s sure to become a yearly family tradition! The 2025 season runs through September 10 in Steinhatchee and September 24 in Crystal River. Make sure to update your fishing license, and enjoy life “under the sea”!
