Scalloping Equipment

[paulthenurse]

If you want to go on the really cheap, use a plastic bucket overturned instead of a lift bag. I went scallop diving this year for the first time and this was the method used by a seasoned scallop diver for years. And if you come up without scallops you can use the bucket to cover your head in shame. Use the bucket to just make the bag of scallops neutrally bouyant and surface with them. Do not attach the bucket or any part of the setup to you.

Biggest potential problem with that scenario is surfacing with the bucket and a wave knocking the bucket sideways, spilling air and sending your catch back to the bottom. Only thing worse would be if you HAD attached the bag to your rig and spilled out the air in the bucket, it could drag you down with it! Not a great option, IMHO BUt I do like the idea of putting the bucket over your head if you get skunked!

PTN

 

[Canadian.Diver]

Biggest potential problem with that scenario is surfacing with the bucket and a wave knocking the bucket sideways, spilling air and sending your catch back to the bottom. Only thing worse would be if you HAD attached the bag to your rig and spilled out the air in the bucket, it could drag you down with it! Not a great option, IMHO BUt I do like the idea of putting the bucket over your head if you get skunked!

PTN

I agree about the potential of a wave knocking over the bucket and sending your catch back to the deep, but out of the 10 of us this day no one had this problem, I guess depending on the type of lift bag this could also happen , more so if sent straight up from the bottom an open bottom lift bag would spill the air when it breached the surface. I think the best option would be as others mentioned and send up a marker and lift it up from the boat. Still that bucket came handy when I only got 6 scallops.

 

[paulthenurse]

Still that bucket came handy when I only got 6 scallops.

That is a mental image just crying out for a picture!

 

[decapoddiver]

They can be taken from shore

Talk about a loooong slooow swim back to the truck though.

 

[MSilvia]

If you notice, I didn't say "with a lift bag" I said "in your hands"

I did notice that, but even with a lift bag attached, ascending with the catch bag in my hand (where I have to manage it's buoyancy to keep it neutral) is a different procedure from what I usually do (shoot it to the surface without me).

In any case, I think we can agree that trying to drag a full bag to the surface with you is a dumb idea if the bag doesn't have something other than you to offset it's negative buoyancy.

 

[decapoddiver]

Absolutely! I didn't mean to sound snippy. You are correct. I should have been clearer.


Do not attempt to clip your full bag to your BCD, then try to ascend by filling your BCD all the way and swimming hard for the surface. When the clip fails and the bag drops, you will go too fast to control:11:

If you choose to do it, hope you have a nice buddy who will search and find your bag after he checks you for DCS

Yes, that was one heck of a dive day. ...sigh....

Put a couple scallop pics in my gallery. Not sure why I can't link to them here though.

 

[ams511]

I went scalloping last year....most of the stuff was done in two feet of water.

Where was the general area you went too? Also did you catch anything? I did this once off a pontoon boat in Citrus County but the water was deeper maybe 12-15 feet not like these guys are doing up north.

 

[LobstaMan]

Reef:

Yeah, I was just mentioning the seasonal charters. Maybe he does them and maybe he doesn't, I don't know. But, I do know he does run a first rate charter boat and I'd dive off his boat anytime.

As far as the scallop beds recovering, wouldn't be divers' faults for emptying them out. So, I don't know how effective not diving for them would be. But, he's the captain and it's his boat and he can do what he wants. Most likely the problem is the large commercial scallop dredges vacuuming the sea bed dry. One boat like that probably picks up more scallops in one day than the entire Mass. dive community harvests in an entire year.

Deca:

I have never seen sea scallops in less than 50fsw. I have seen a few(very few) tiny bay scallops in the shallows. Is there a dead-set depth on sea scallops or are they most commonly found at the deeper depths due to 'over'-harvesting?? Please feel free to mistakenly give away any secret scallop beds you have found .

LobstaMan

 

[MSilvia]

Where was the general area you went too? Also did you catch anything? I did this once off a pontoon boat in Citrus County but the water was deeper maybe 12-15 feet not like these guys are doing up north.

Were you looking for bay scallops, or sea scallops? Put differently, did the scallop look more like ruffled potato chip or a small discus?

 

[Packhorse]

Kuakua are a very different animal from the sea scallops (Placopecten Magellanicus) we dive for around here.

Really? by the picture in your artical they look very similar.