Weekend dive report: Magnolia Rocks

[localdivah]

(This trip report has been liberally plagiarized in parts from my buddy Bill's writeup)
Conditions:
Clear skies with air temps in low 40's, water temps in the high 40's

Having missed the entire summer dive season due to a current work assignment in China, I invited a couple of regular dive buddies to go bug hunting on Saturday while I was home for a week.

Excellent day of diving. Cape Ann weather was as nice as it can get in November. Magnolia Rocks tide was high when we arrived and the water was as calm as glass. The temp was warmer than I expected -- around 46-48 the entire dive. Viz was the usual murky stuff and although there was still vegetation (unlike in the dead of winter), there wasn't much to get in the way of spotting lobsters.

We decided to use one flag and after a surface swim out about 75 yards we descended to the bottom - about 35-40 FSW (feet salt water). Visiblity was OK at between 5 to 15 feet. For those not familiar with Magnolia, the bottom is scattered with boulders which usually produce a good batch of lobsters. The bugs have definitely moved to deeper water - although they left a lot of their children behind - there were tons of small lobsters with quite a few crabs also seen. My buddy claims that at Magnolia he can lift boulders whereever lobsters are hiding, but I think this is one of those unverified urban legends. I did pull up 5 keepers, but would have been plenty happy to have just gotten back in the water and seen them. We all ended up with some dinner and Bill also gathered a catch bag full of crabs (still don't know how he eats those)

Most of the other sea life tended to be small -- rock grunnel and a very unusual green eel that had a body that looked like a flat strand of kelp. Had not seen that before. There were also only a few lobster pots out there, making it easy to swim around without getting caught up.

One of my buddies brought a cooler full of hot water which helped to take the chill away after we removed our suits (we were diving wet). Always nice to fill up the suit before getting in the water and after coming out.

If this is our last local dive of 2006, it was a nice finale. Thanks guys!

 

[MSilvia]

Nice report, thanks.

Bill also gathered a catch bag full of crabs (still don't know how he eats those)

I grabbed a bagfull of rock crabs earlier in the summer, and they're so darned easy to catch there's really no reason to go without a crustacean dinner even if the lobsters are a no-show.

What I do is boil them with some commercially available seafood seasoning. The bodies are filled with gross runny yuck, but the claws and legs are good eatin'. You'll definately want a claw cracker though... those suckers have some thick chitin.

In my experience, 3 to 5 crabs is enough food to fill one human belly. I try to only take them if they have pretty substantial claws and thick legs.

Since there's no good meat (that I've found) in the bodies, I feel a little bad about having to kill the crabs to get the meat out of appendages they can regenerate, but like lobsters, we can only take the claws if we take the bodies.

For what it's worth, I've tried to branch out in my seafood gathering this year, and I found that the local oysters and blue mussels are also well worth bagging if you see some.

 

[localdivah]

If I had been around this season, switching to a dry suit and scallop diving would have been in the cards.

Haven't seen oysters though....would love to, though might worry a bit about safety issues?

Actually, glad I read this post - have to go take care of those lobsters (still in the fridge).

 

[MSilvia]

Haven't seen oysters though....would love to, though might worry a bit about safety issues?

There are a few seeded beds of them off Plymouth, MA. The boundaries of the beds are clearly marked by buoys, but the oysters seem not to care. Anywhere on that beach that there are rocks, there are oysters too. I wasn't even on scuba when I got them... just mask and snorkle.

 

[paulthenurse]

Where are you talking about, Matt? In front of Berts?

 

[LobstaMan]

Matt:

As an attorney, and if you were my client, I'd advise you that...

1. You have the right to remain silent about secret lobster, clam, mussel, crab and/or oyster hunting spots, aka Honey Holes.
2. You have the right to talk to a seasoned NELD member before any questioning or have one present if you wish one.
3. Anything you say, can and will, be used to deplete your Honey Hole.
4. If you decide to answer questions now about your Honey Hole, you will still have the right to stop at any time.

Do you understand these rights that I have advised you of?

Keeping these rights in mind to you wish to devulge the location of your Honey Hole at this time?

LobstaMan

 

[JohnL]

What? Oysters near a beach? In this state?

I might have to head out for a little recon action one of these days. I've been getting jealous reading about all of the shellfish action in RI.

 

[paulthenurse]

Matt:

As an attorney, and if you were my client, I'd advise you that...

1. You have the right to remain silent about secret lobster, clam, mussel, crab and/or oyster hunting spots, aka Honey Holes.
2. You have the right to talk to a seasoned NELD member before any questioning or have one present if you wish one.
3. Anything you say, can and will, be used to deplete your Honey Hole.
4. If you decide to answer questions now about your Honey Hole, you will still have the right to stop at any time.

Do you understand these rights that I have advised you of?

Keeping these rights in mind to you wish to devulge the location of your Honey Hole at this time?

LobstaMan

Ignore the man behind the curtain, Dorothy! Tell Uncle Paul all about it. You know you want to! Tell me, darling, please! Tell me. Tell me. Tell me!!!!!!

Why aren't you telling me? Haven't I done everything for you? Don't you love your Uncle? I just want to know here they are so I can get them for you on the days when you aren't able to get them for yourself! Someday you will really want to go to your secret honey hole and you won't be able to and if you don't tell me NOW, I won't be able to go for you! You don't want that, do you? Of course not. You love your Uncle Paul. Climb up here on my lap and whisper in my ear. That's right. That' right. Good Dorothy. Tell me where the oysters live and I'll take care of them for you...........


What? Huh? What?

Great Googaley Moogaley!! How much did I drink last night, anyways? Geez, was that Chardonney or Peyote? That's it. I'm on the wagon. At least till Friday. Maybe then a nice bottle of Gewitztraminer to wash down my oysters!

Ya, that's right, oysters! My oysters! My oysters! I love oysters. And Dorothy knows where they are hiding! I'll get that honey hole out of her, or I'll fix her good. And her little dog, too.

PTN

 

[MSilvia]

I don't recall for certain which of the "neighborhood" beaches it was, but I think maybe Manomet. In any case, it was somewhere between Whitehorse and Surfside.

There's also a spot off Weymouth that has a good number of them.

How is it that I know of two places to shore dive for oysters locally and none of you even knew there were any? Get out and do some exploring for cripes' sake.

 

[LobstaMan]

Matt: why explore when I can just tail you around the SS to find out the good spots?

LobstaMan

PS Just received the final peice to my new hog set-up. I'll send you a pm.