08 August 2009 STEINHATCHEE, FLORIDA

After what seemed like three weeks of anticipation
the day arrived for the 5.5 hour trek from Boynton Beach to
Steinhatchee, Florida. Howard and Gail invited us to join them there
for an adventure in the Gulf. They drove up from Georgia with their big
boat planning to do some scuba diving and snorkeling. Diving for fish, snorkeling
for scallops. How could we decline such a "sweet" invitation or the opportunity
to spend some quality time with very dear friends?

We arrived later Friday evening than anticipated to the wonderful coastal atmosphere
of the Gulf coast and the wonderful aromas of gumbo cooking in the kitchen! What a treat! Fortunately time to eat was not far off and the taste of the perfectly seasoned gumbo was the perfect accent to the trip and our evening. Not long after the meal and a little visit..well, bedtime for a busy day in the water the following day.

We were not disappointed with the boat ride out into the gulf or the location we
chose to harvest scallops. It was a totally amazing and fantastic experience. Personally, I've snorkeled many times, but I've never harvested scallops at the same time. The water was no more than 5 feet deep and the scallops were often resting on top of the sea grass that was very thick in the area. Clear sandy spots were dotted with them as well, but offered the little guys a chance to escape the hands headed
for them. They move rapidly by clapping their shells together..and anything that happend to be between the shells when they snap together.. too bad! They don't let go either! I think all of us felt the shock of a clamped shell on our fingers, but only once! After that all were careful to avoid the opening.

Enjoy the pictures that follow. We had a blast and plan to do it again in the near future!

Clicking on the photos enlarges them to full size so the detail is much better!