Long Shot but worth a try

[DixieII333]

Hey everyone,

I am a noob. But have a dozen dives under the belt now. I want to target Scallops in the NBPT area. I dont need the exact numbers I get it no one give up their secret spot. But if someone could give me a general Idea it would be much appreciated. I boat out of the Merrimack. I know where they drag for them but its a little deeper then Id like to go.

PM is fine I wont share any sensitive info. I am an avid fishermen and I have a small network i share info with. I will do the same in the diving community.

 

[decapoddiver]

Not to be the voice of doom but scalloping isn't something you do with only a dozen dives under your belt unless you are going with a experienced scallop diver. It is nothing like lobstering. Different technique and bags. You need to be very good at underwater navigation and be self-correcting since once you start collecting them the viz drops to almost nothing. Here is a primer I made to prevent misunderstandings.

---------- Post added July 28th, 2015 at 08:50 AM ----------

This list was made in an effort to prevent any misunderstandings. A well-informed group is a happy group.


Scalloping 101 (at least on my boat)


Here are some basic realities regarding scalloping and scalloping with my group of buddies on our boats. Some of these also apply to scallop charter trips:


1. Be sure that you have all your gear and that your gear is in working order and organized. My boat isn't big enough for three guys to dump out their dive bags and start searching for things. My boat isn't a repair shop or an air fill station and I don't carry a full set of spare gear. If you are unable to dive due to a lack of proper working gear you will still be responsible for your share of costs. Unforeseen problems can and do occur and we will try to help you go diving somehow if this is the case. Never assume that the other guys will have a spare working ___. If you tell us in advance what you need, one of us will likely have it.
No one is more important than anyone else. Everyone will show respect to each other and help out if possible. Being the first guy in the water gets you one thing: A sore arm from hanging onto the side of the boat for a longer time.


2. You will need Pelican floats. One for each bag you carry. Some folks plan on sending up one bag from each of the buddy team tied together on one float but this can be a problem since it is impossible to not drag up the bottom scalloping. Your bag creates 0 vis in your wake. It's very easy to become separated and you do NOT want to try and surface with a full scallop bag in your hands. If you drop it on the way up, you become an uncontrolled missile. If you leave it on the bottom and hope to find it again, it's gone.


3. Unlike bugs, scallops are negatively buoyant. Therefore, a full bag of scallops is very, very heavy underwater. We usually bring down 3 bags so that when a bag gets too heavy, you can tie a Pelican float to it and continue collecting.


4. Your lobster bag isn't a good scallop bag. The weight and roughness of them will wear out and tear your nice bug bag. Get or borrow scallop bags. A scallop bag with a small rip in it isn’t a problem. A lobster bag with a small rip can become an empty bag fast.


5. Scalloping is hard work. Two scallop dives will wear out most folks more than three lobster dives that each last longer. There is no "gliding" when scalloping. There is only dragging and huffing/puffing.


6. Advanced Cert is required. You need to be self-reliant and be able to fix or correct problems yourself underwater. Separation is common and the depths prevent a quick surfacing. You need to be very good with compass navigation. It is your job to know where you are in relation to the boat. There is no Dive Master to hold your hand and lead the way. Separation from your buddy is the norm. There will also not be a person in the boat (normally) to come chase you down if you decide not to pay attention. If we have to stop the dives in order to start a search for you, you will not be allowed to do another dive. Scalloping isn't a dive to do if you expect to have a babysitter.


7. If you get cold easily scalloping isn't for you. The water is deep and cold. A 2 piece 7mm is the minimum you should wear. Once you surface you will spend your SI on-site shucking the scallops on the deck before going in to do your next dive. My boat does not have any protected areas away from the wind and I don't have hot showers on-board. We dive too far away from shore to go back in to warm up between dives. Plan on bringing warm clothes or something to wrap yourself in for the SI’s.


8. This isn’t lobstering. Since there is true sweat equity is scalloping, do not expect anyone else to share with you. If a diver dragged, huffed and puffed to get what he or she did, every single scallop belongs to the person who collected them. If you choose to only take one bag down and your buddy fills three, he will have a lot more scallops than you and they are all his. Also, there is a minimum size for scallops. All shorts will be thrown over. No exceptions. There is a one-gallon per person limit on scallops. No one will keep more than this.


9. On my boat everyone shucks everyone's scallops. There is no relaxing while the "crew" does the work. Zip lock bags will be marked with each diver's name to avoid confusion back at the dock. Scallops do shrink a bit over time. A "full" bag placed in the cooler may appear 7/8ths full at the dock. Everyone’s bags will appear this way.


10. My boat and truck run on gas, not hot air Fuel costs money and so do launch fees. I can’t legally charge money but I also don't expect to pay for the whole trip for everyone. All expenses will be divided up equally and voluntary payment should be made before leaving the landing at the end of the day. Don’t feel obligated to contribute any money but remember that if you choose not to contribute your share, I will choose not to ask you to come again 
If you choose to contribute, please bring cash. Alcohol and food are not considered payment 
Please don’t complain about how much this day may end up costing you. I spend close to $90 just to drive to the landing and back home trailering the boat that cost me over $15,000 to purchase and outfit so we could go diving. Please keep this in mind before you start speaking.


11. While it may not be possible for you to help clean the boat after the dives, an effort should be made to help get it organized for the trip home. Unloading your gear from the boat and driving away is not acceptable.


12. Please, if your “secret spot” is so much better than mine and the scallops and lobster are bigger, feel free to continue going there, forget I ever took you where I did and stop asking to go again with me. Thanks in advance 




13. There are no drugs, smoking or drinking of alcohol allowed on the boat. Any and all violators will be reported to the authorities immediately. If the authorities will take too long getting to us, I will throw all your stuff (including you) overboard. Quickly. Then I will drive away. Quickly. Don’t even think of trying it.


14. Do not even think of touching a lobster while scalloping unless you have shown all other divers aboard your current lobster license before we leave the landing. You must have it with you onboard. We do not “share” bags or lobster licenses.


15. Please, if you don’t plan on eating all the seafood you collect, don’t collect it in the first place. We do this for fun and no diver will starve if they don’t get all the seafood they need for the year in one trip.


16. One hour before we agreed to meet isn’t the time to back out. Please have the courtesy to notify the other divers as soon as possible if you can’t go. Some of us have close to a two-hour drive each way and have paid for daycare in order to dive today.


17. 7 A.M. means 7 A.M. Not 7:15, not 7:30 and not 7ish. The boat leaves at the appointed time. Because this isn’t a charter trip and you are not forced to pay, part of your “cost” is getting the boat ready. It isn’t fair or acceptable to expect others to do your share.


18. The boat isn’t a shrine or an antique but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to be careful when on it. I have spent a good deal of money outfitting the boat with electronic and safety gear. Please be respectful. Any damages done to the boat will be your responsibility.


19. Please bring a proper sized cooler with you and plenty of ice packs. I do not lend or give away ice, coolers or ice packs.


20. I have worked very hard to find these scallop spots (over 18 years) and enjoy having them. After all the effort I have put in (no one showed these to me) I consider them my spots and expect you to never dive them without me or tell anyone about them.There will be no bringing of GPS’s on board. I am very serious about this. The fastest way to get removed from our buddy list is to talk about or post where we go. I go online too and have no problem posting and telling every diver I know about your conduct if you do not respect the rules. Other people have taken me to some wonderful spots and as much as I’d like to go back, I won’t.


21. As the owner/operator of the boat, I have final say as to where we go and if we go. If anyone feels you are an unsafe diver (this would take an awful lot but it has happened) the diving is over.


22. Scallops move. The fact that they were here last time in no way means that they will be here today. Before you start to complain about the wasted time and energy we may spend trying to find the beds, stop. I spent over 50 trips doing 2 dives a trip trying to find them. If we find any it’s because of the work I put in before now.


23. Please remember that since we will hopefully have about an hour of shucking after each scallop dive, try to focus on getting ready once we arrive on site. We will have lots of time to chat during shucking. Regaling us with your adventures during set-up will only slow us down. Also, count on being back at the landing about eight hours after we leave the dock. Scalloping is time intensive as well as energy intensive. Please don’t tell me after we get out that you need to be back in a couple of hours. If you have a time constraint, let me know ahead of time. This may mean you won’t be able to go but I will not return to port because you failed to account for time.


24. My boat is what it is. If you want hot showers, dry-storage below deck, bathrooms and heaters please go on a charter for both our sakes. Please do not suggest how I could improve my boat for your comfort. I happen to like my boat. If you don’t, please feel free to spend thousands of dollars buying and maintaining your own boat and I will be more than happy to tell you how to make it better for me 


25. This is probably the most important one of all: Anyone can call the dive at any time with no repercussions. Period. If you do feel comfortable, don’t do it. Don’t feel compelled to dive just because of time or money invested. It’s not worth it.




Some of these are derived from bad experiences we had or happened on my boat. I don’t like arguing and hurt feelings are not what I want a buddy to remember.


Now that we have that out of the way, let’s have fun and get some scallops! Yummy!!!

To end on a positive note, here is my short/poorly edited video of a scallop trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjopxccfPEs

 

[paulthenurse]

Hey Decapod,
I've never used anything other than a regular catch bag. What do you use as a catch bag specific to scallops and where did you get it? I can see where something thicker and more wear resistant would be a good idea but haven't ever seen anything that I thought would be better than a regular catch bag. I just replace them when they get too ratty. I like your idea of using pelican floats but I'm wondering about the logistics of it. Do you attach them to the opening of the bag then pull the pin when it's time? I've been using lift bags for years. I keep the lift bag attached to the handle and add a bit of air into the bag as it gets full. That way I'm not having to muscle the bag around, a touch of air added from time to time keeps the bag near neutrally buoyant. The other nice thing about that is if you are in an area where there are a ton of scallops and no current you can swim off, grab an armful and turn around and see that bright yellow bag floating off the surface. When the bag is full just a couple of extra seconds of air sends it to the top for an easy retrieval.

PTN

---------- Post added July 29th, 2015 at 11:42 PM ----------

Hey everyone,

I am a noob. But have a dozen dives under the belt now. I want to target Scallops in the NBPT area. I dont need the exact numbers I get it no one give up their secret spot. But if someone could give me a general Idea it would be much appreciated. I boat out of the Merrimack. I know where they drag for them but its a little deeper then Id like to go.

PM is fine I wont share any sensitive info. I am an avid fishermen and I have a small network i share info with. I will do the same in the diving community.

Dixie
What Deca is saying is that we found our secret spots the hard way, we went out and dove a ton of times looking for them. I know of spots that I went to on Jimmy Sullivan's boat for years, but those are 'his' spots. He worked hard to find them and he makes his living taking charters out to them. I'm just a guy with a boat, not a charter service, but for me to jump those spots is equivalent to stealing from him, at least in my mind. But what I did take from my experiences paying for charters on Jimmy's boat is the knowledge of where scallops like to live. That knowledge is mine. I bought and paid for it. So now I can sit down with a chart and say to myself, "If I were a scallop I'd live... HERE."

My advise is to do what others have done. Pay to go out with somebody on a few scallop charters and soak it up. Not only will you probably catch a bunch but you will learn how to go find your own.

All that said, Decapod has EXCELLENT advice in his post. But like my own advice, it's worth what you paid for it.

 

[decapoddiver]

Some of my buddies and I use spring handled bags for lobster and very large mouthed,thick mesh bags for scallops. We keep the float wrapped up and attached to handle of the bag and release it once the bag is full. We use the lift bags the same way as you do while filling them and once the bag is filled up, we send up the float, attach the lift bag to both handles and put just enough air into it that the bag is about to come off the bottom and leave it like that. Once we surface after filling our 3 bags and get back into the boat a steady, gentle, slow pull on the float line will cause the bags to surface easily and not torpedo (and then sink back down very fast). Then we just pull the now floating scallop bags into the boat and the real work begins.

 

[mello-yellow]

When I fill my lobster catch bag with scallops or mussels (yes, I am one of few people who purposefully collects mussels), I am always afraid it will tear. Last time I dove, it took me about 5 minutes not to fill the bag, but to get it heavy enough I was worried about tearing. I surfaced, asked the guys on the boat to dump the mussels and one lonely lobster into my cooler, then went back down. Again, picked up just enough to start worrying. And that was not nearly as much weight as I had seen some people fill up on scallops.

How do you know the tearing strength of your bags, and where do you get them? Particularly the large-mouthed ones specifically for scallops -- for they won't scoot out the way lobsters do?

 

[decapoddiver]

I got mine on eBay. Full mesh, wide mouthed. As for knowing the tearing strength, I haven't found a accurate way to tell but none of the all mesh bags have ever torn for me but the thin fabric-topped spring handle bags have all torn after a few trips of jamming them with scallops.

 

[decapoddiver]

Like this. 24" x 33"

 

[mello-yellow]

Thanks!