Fort Ross on the Northern California coast is a protected region for Abalone. With a license, individuals may carry three mature Abalone with them for personal eating.

May 13th 2005 Paul Buelow Ooto.com

Few adventures get your blood flowing like snorkeling and free diving for Abalone off Fort Ross on the North Coast of California. The dive was supported by use of a small inflatable boat that allowed five divers to venture out, up the coast to neighboring bays.

Diving for abalone in the frigid waters requires that you snorkel among kelp beds and sea lions, looking down at the sea floor to identify large abalone, usually in groups, clinging to seaweed and rocks among bright anenemies, starfish and urchin. The conservation efforts there allow for, 3 abalone, larger than 7 inches, per person per day and no more than 3 abalone per person maximum in transport for example in the car or boat.

Dark drizzle rain clouds filled the ocean's horizon, reducing visibility to 10-20 meters. Hugging the coast in the small inflatable allowed us the security of knowing where we were and more luck at finding the best open area. Now the moment of truth had come to dive into the now rough swell and search for the elusive abalone. After some time adjusting to the rich and active sea life it became clear that many existed and with a light touch one could easily pick them up. A rough approach caused the abalone to tighten their muscles and cling to the rock or kelp.

With the harvest of what we could eat between the divers at the next meal, we returned to our camp and the setting sun. Cleaning up the abalone requires cutting away the dark edge of the muscle and tenderizing the meat for 5-10 minutes. A breaded empanazada style is prefered by our group, caldo de abalone soup, and some hors d'ouvres cooked in oil or butter.


Photos