Crystal River ‘s visitors can embark on a unique underwater scavenger hunt with the reward of meaty morsels of shellfish as scalloping season is well underway. Charters are ready to ferry seafaring gatherers to hotspots in the Gulf of Mexico, where bay scallops are plentiful — if one knows how to spot them properly. With a dark shell on top and a lighter side on the bottom, the mollusks blend in with the seagrass and make for a challenging treasure hunt for those who seek them out.
I joined Capt. Paul Cross and Lucas Ebert of Waterfront Adventures for a chartered trip out into the Gulf, where we stopped at a prime spot for collecting scallops. “We call it an underwater Easter egg hunt.
Any day on the boat is a great day. It’s fun, but it helps to have an activity to do. It just makes it that much better,” said Cross, who grew up in Crystal River.
“Kids can do this. People of all ages can do it. There’s crystal-clear water and you get beautiful days on the Gulf.
” Though the experience proved more tedious than anticipated, we ultimately headed back to shore with plenty to eat. Venturing out Just after 10 a.m.
, our small group climbed aboard Cross’s boat powered by a zippy 175-horsepower Yamaha motor, allowing us to breeze through mangrove tunnels with ease while classic rock blasted on the stereo. As we left the town behind and ventured into the Gulf, dozens of boats dotted the horizon with other families in search of those meaty morsels under the water. The b.