WARNING! Don't look if you're squeamish of shell fish and the like.
We went out diving this morning with Dan. Lloyd was safety boatman and Dan and I dived.
First dive was a scallop dive. These are pretty boring dives as scallops like a sandy bottom, so there's never much to see and you spend all your time rummaging around in the sand. However, after 50 minutes we got our quota ( well I reckon Dan got about 2/3rds of it) I was also freezing. A 2mm swimming wetsuit is still a little too thin for spring diving!
You are allowed 20 scallops per diver and 20 for the boat person. They also have to be of a specific size, so we have a measurer thingy.
Dan and Lloyd ate 2 each raw, sashimi style.
It was a stunning day. The water was flat as a pancake and it was lovely and sunny.
The second dive was MUCH more interesting. It was a forest of kelp with drop offs, loads of nooks and crannies - perfect for crayfish. On a crayfish dive I am the bag handler and Dan is the catcher. This is mainly purely because I am rubbish at catching them, but I make a right good bag holder upper!
Dan got a huge cray within seconds of us dropping down. By fluke we had found the most amazing spot, which will forever be the three of us's ( yeah that's a word!) secret.
We saw lots of sting rays as well.
We got three more very quickly but they all had eggs so you put them back. After that we found a few crevices that were absolutely packed with cray fish, but a lot of them were too small so we didn't even try to get them.
Eventually after a lot of scooting around in the kelp - it was such a great dive - Dan found one more. So that meant there was one each. Yippee!
It's a real feeling of satisfaction actually collecting your own food like this. It makes it even more special.
And by lunch time we were home.
Dinner
Kit you need to catch dinner!
Wow that look as though you will have a yummy dinner tonight. 3 crayfish how lucky were you.
ReplyDeleteI think that catch was worth getting cold for.
I love seafood, but I would need somebody to remove the crayfish meat for me because I can't handle the eyes and feelers and things.
ReplyDeleteYum, alot of hard work for dinner, but I bet it worthwhile
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a very enjoyable time catching dinner, but I'm afraid I just feel so sorry for crabby type things being caught and plunged into boiling water....I know I'm a big softy, that's why I'm a veggie.
ReplyDeleteI hope you did them justice though and made a good feast with them.
Sue xx
Sue I totally agree, I apologise to them! Also we put them in the freezer and they slowly go to sleep ( so I've read, we've put a lot of effort into finding out the most humane way) we don't plunge them into boiling water when still alive.
ReplyDeleteSuch delicacies. Once again it's great to see the photos that make your blogs come to life. Need to brush up on that one day when I become a professional.
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog post (again). There is great satisfaction isn't there! It makes going to Safeway or where ever seem more mundane and dissatisfying. P.s a blog post about something around your home would be lovely. I always enjoy them so!
ReplyDeleteMy mouth is watering...lucky you.
ReplyDelete