Scallop Diving Southern California: Scallop Sushi!

Join us as we freedive a secret southern California reef for delicious rock scallops. We encounter bat rays, swell sharks, and more! Scallop poke and scallop nigiri was a great way to end such a beautiful day!
The best Wetsuit on the planet! eliossub.com
Grim Survival Cards: grimworkshop.m...?sca_ref=627164.LmdX7QviSD
Enjoy our content? One of the easiest way to support the channel is following the Amazon Affiliate links below to check out the gear we use on our adventures!
Amazon Affiliate Links:
Camera and microphones
GoPro Hero 8: amzn.to/3au7B5l
GoPro Hero 4: amzn.to/2Zsp0VW
Comica Wireless Microphones: amzn.to/2NfeGhq
Corel VideoStudio 10: amzn.to/3s6Txoe
Wagan Tech portable chargers: amzn.to/3qv9pkn
Diving/spearfishing gear
Custom Wetsuit by Elios sub (not on Amazon)
Longblade Fins: amzn.to/3s4agbQ
Princeton Tec underwater Flashlight: amzn.to/3dnXHUP
Rob Allen Speargun: amzn.to/2LYXdJq
5mm Booty socks: amzn.to/3qrDFfM
3mm Gloves: amzn.to/3s4AMC8
NRS Dry bag: amzn.to/3qxuN8j
Dive Knife: amzn.to/3auE1wz
Scallop/abalone pry bar:amzn.to/3ata9kc
Dive board (consists of multiple parts below)
Body board: amzn.to/2ZnYz3y
Mesh bag: amzn.to/3u2JeUh
Bungees: amzn.to/3k33PD9
Clam/Lobster/Crab gear
Clam Gun: amzn.to/3u66ErL
Volcano Crab Trap: amzn.to/2OIvlKx
Standard Hoop Net Crab Trap: amzn.to/3qxBZRU
Bucket with Bubbler: amzn.to/2ZqRLlH
Clam/Crab Gauge: amzn.to/2OOGkSX
Lobster gauge: amzn.to/2LZeQZB
Lobster bag: amzn.to/3pzxCo1
Waders: amzn.to/3awOdVz
Saltwater Fishing Gear
Kayak (not sold on Amazon) Cobra Marauder
Kayak seat: amzn.to/2NB3BXM
Kayak Paddle: amzn.to/2N8q2ny
Rod: amzn.to/3atZfuA
Reel: amzn.to/2Zt5dWq
Braid: amzn.to/2NFtFko
Hooks: amzn.to/3qAtGow
Sinkers: amzn.to/3k0uJvj
filleting knife: amzn.to/3jZVFLP
Scale: amzn.to/3be1EIV
Freshwater Fishing gear
Trout and Bass rod and reel: amzn.to/3rZNW3h
Hooks: amzn.to/3s8Fz5z
Bass hooks: amzn.to/2NfwHMC
Bass artificial worms: amzn.to/2ZqyJfj
Bullet weights for Texas rig: amzn.to/2ZqG2Ub
Trout lures: amzn.to/2Zr63Ts
Bobbers: amzn.to/3djQXaB
Hunting/outdoors gear
Pellet rifle: amzn.to/2NAx18q
Crossman pellet pistol: amzn.to/3pywHUW
Scala Hat: amzn.to/3do5HW0
Cargo/tactical pants: amzn.to/37qz0Dl
Buck Knife: amzn.to/2Ztqf73
Books
Mushroom Guide (for pocket): amzn.to/2NCjmhi
Mushroom Guide (for library shelf): amzn.to/3dvq4jM
The Sea Foragers Guide: amzn.to/2NzCxZ9
Bushcraft: amzn.to/3k38Dsb
Flintknapping: amzn.to/3u221yS
Camping
Marmot tent: amzn.to/2Zq6e1f
North Face Sleeping Bag: amzn.to/37mNeoK
Sleeping Pad: amzn.to/37l7h6T
Survival Gear
Flintknapping Kit: amzn.to/2NwcAcN
Survival Cards: amzn.to/37pC9TR
Not on Amazon
Shotgun: Remington 870 12 Ga
Elios custom wetsuit: Best wetsuits on the market and custom made (www.eliossub.com/)

[@OutdoorChefLife]

Yesss I've been waiting for this vid! That was so good man, scallops looked delicious! Those limpets are HUGE!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks man! Yeah, I think most people overlook those limpets, when actually their flavor is fantastic and they have a texture like calamari! Let's go dive the north coast for scallops soon!

[@agoodwife8787]

Tickle a scallop? You guys are too funny.

[@DC_x06]

I've been binging your channel for a few days, I can't wait for some new videos

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks buddy! I am just finishing up my PhD and will be posting new content soon after! Keep the old ways alive!

[@Thee_Sinner]

I took a trip over to Fort Bragg this weekend, but the shell fish ban was in effect so I didn't even bother trying to collect anything. Hopefully I can go earlier next year.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

We were out there too! Doing a little freediving and spearfishing with Taku from Outdoor Chef Life!

[@cr0cket01]

looked nice

[@philosophyd]

Everything about this vid was awesome man!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks man! It was a good trip! Only had two hours in the water, but I was quite happy with the overall experience and the food was awesome! Let's get out diving soon!

[@misc4jing]

Thanks for the video! Would love to add free-diving for my fish and shellfish to my list of hobbies. Would totally be interested in some short "how to" videos to do that and teaching the set up and equipment needed.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks for watching! We have been waiting for the ocean conditions to get a little better up here to bring you a 5 part series on how-to-freedive for beginners in CA, essential gear, how to spearfish CA, etc. Glad to hear there is interest in the subject! We have been freediving the CA coast for about 24 years now, so it would be our pleasure to share some tips and tricks!

[@its4sutq890]

Enjoyed the underwater footage and the food looked amazing!

[@rorofs3056]

LETS GOOOO CATCH N COOK !!!

[@lifestylelimitless7086]

Those scallops look amazing...I can vary rarely find them!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

They were great!

[@elkhunter76]

Kevin you guys are killin me! Another winter storm moving in here tonight! Oh how I would love to be able to go out on a daily basis and forage seafood as you all do. Will have to settle for fishing and trapping crawdads here this spring.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Nothing wrong with mud bugs!

[@crayster3926]

Very cool video. And I wanted to totally eat that food!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks buddy! Nothing beats fresh sweet raw scallops!

[@robbergstrom943]

Great dive video and food looks delicious!

[@ok2853]

banh mi chi cali! i live at mine near my uni near newport beach. great stuff and the price is always right

[@seahunter1]

Those Key hole limpets are cool. I don't think I have ever seen those diving.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

They are beautiful for sure! They tend to be specific to southern CA.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

That being said, we have never seen HALF of what you have seen freediving all of those remote spots around the world! Thanks for letting us use your footage in the intro bro!

[@livinginoakland]

So dope!!!

[@funkyrugmuncher2890]

I came from fishermans life great vid dude

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Many thanks! Welcome!

[@adampack6642]

I fly to Sacramento on biz a few times a year, I will be all over that Bahn Mi next trip. Great Video!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

I should have specified, I went to the dive shop in Sac, then drove south to L.A. The Vietnamese sandwich spot is in Alhambra in southern CA.

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

“What, no mustard?” -The Stomach (Peter Hume, Meatballs)

[@thepnt034]

Bro... across the street from that banh mi place is Noodleworld. Best late night eats

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Yup indeed! Thanks for watching!

[@NickFish007]

That sandwich looked so bomb for 3 bucks! Great catches and edit man I'm so jealous 😇 The end with the scallop was pure gold

[@krisscage]

Where is this place?

[@Gabriel-pq3yb]

Hey can somebody tell me how to remove the scallop from the rock when diving it is hard

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Place the bar (called and abalone iron) between the shell and the rock and pry. Most scallops are so fused to the stone, you will have to work around the shell and try to find the best location with the most leverage. You are correct, it is hard to do... but well worth it!

[@trimbandit9636]

Cool video, but why not leave some of those small scallops to grow bigger. Some of those buttons were tiny.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Absolutely valid point! We usually do not take them this small. I had only 2 hrs in the water and 4 people to feed so I took a couple that were a lot smaller than I would normally. I will address this point in the next scallop video. Thanks!

[@tkusserow]

Wheres the sandwich from???

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Alhambra. Banh mi and Che Cali

[@miguelgalencia1522]

Ke plays? Estas?

[@myricegirl]

how deep were the scallops?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

These were relatively shallow (around 15-20 ft) but they are most abundant from 20-30+ ft. Thanks for watching!

[@myricegirl]

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 let me guess, secret spot is a ledge off San Pedro?

[@ricardonuno1694]

Your vids are great, I really enjoy them. How do I start learning to freedive and spear fish? I now have the time and am motivated, any recommendations greatly appreciated.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Ricardo, I have a lot more recommendations than will fit in a simple reply to this comment. That's why my brother and I have been planning a 3-5 part video series addressing exactly this topic: Introduction to freediving and spearfishing. If you are itching to get out there sooner and need answers, email us and I will do my best to get you on the right track for now. Thanks for watching!

[@ricardonuno1694]

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 Awesome, can't wait to see you/bro's videos.

[@tongxinzhao4953]

whats the dive location, can you share

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Sorry, "loose lips sink ships." We never disclose the locations of secret spots as they took us years to find. That said, look for offshore pinnacles in at least 30 ft of water. Thanks for watching!

[@katieclevenger6588]

Just found your channel and I love it! I'm an archaeologist as well. Are you getting your PhD in archaeology?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks! That's cool! Yes indeed... a stones throw from the end I think.

[@myricegirl]

I got my first limpet today, should I clean it first (before freezing)? Can you eat it raw?

[@kingofslotsmillion3263]

I need to get out more,.,.,.,., what beach in southern California was this

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Sorry, it is our policy not to blow up secret spots. That said, if you do some scouting, I am sure you will find some great areas yourself... just keep em quiet... "loose lips sink ships" ;)

[@graysonj9274]

What’s the name of the scallop shell you caught would like to do some research into it.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

It is called a Pacific rock scallop or giant rock scallop (Crassadoma gigantea. Thanks for watching!

[@nicksantosTV]

Looks epic! Was this recently?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Yeah bro... a spur of the moment visit... and as I was kicking out I thought "Oh no! I totally forgot to call Nick!" You down to do a dive down there again sometime soon? Maybe cook on the beach like back in the day?

[@sickofeverything6413]

What are the regulations for those limpets? They almost look like abalones. Very similar.

[@sickofeverything6413]

Right on I get what you’re saying. When I asked about those limits I didn’t take into considering the different regions and MPAs. I was just thinking in general. But I’ve already downloaded the PDFs for the species that I usually hunt for onto my phone so when I get into those areas without a cell signal I can still check up on the info. I watch your channel on a regular basis and the videos you put out there are really good. It’s good to see people getting out and educating others on natural resources and harvesting them in a sustained way. Thanks for the reply too.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Seems like a good dialogue below. It is a bag limit of 35, but I never take more than two. We must of course be stewards of our resources so that future generations can enjoy them as well. Try one and see if you like it. It is not the texture or flavor of abalone, but a texture like calamari and a flavor all it's own. If you dive a reef and see 10 as with any species, maybe take one and leave the rest. At least this is how we do it and we have been sustainable harvesting scallops and limpets from the reef in this vid for about a decade and as you saw, it is still a very healthy reef. Keep the old ways alive!

[@taiyoctopus2958]

10:00 What is the reasoning behind feeding chickens with scallops??? I was ALWAYS under the impression that if the animal did not eat it in the wild, it's not a good idea to try to feed it to them in captivity. Maybe death is a natural reaction to feeding a chicken any kind of scallop, simply because their stomachs aren't equipped to digest them or deal with any amount of toxins. Either way, Tasty looking dinner, champ !! :D

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

That is an interesting point. That being said, these friends had fed their chickens scraps from every meal for years, including scraps of fish (and shellfish gut and trimmings from abalone). It is actually quite a common practice among people who raise chickens actually. Chickens are adapted to eat insects and worms (protein) as well as seeds, greens, etc. So even if it were the only time they had ever eaten shellfish, it seems unlikely that they would have died from that. But I see what you mean as shellfish is not in a typical chickens forage. This time though, their deaths were definitely neurotoxin related. Thanks for watching!

[@kykim2020]

That’s not a swell shark, it’s a California horn shark

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

yeah, you are right!

[@waltsnoop]

You're a "modern day Californian Indiana Jones.". Please hit me up and we'll go fishing or hunting together with my Airguns.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Lol, just wish we had more time to fight Nazi's with bullwhips! Fishing with airguns? JK. Sounds fun... Martijn and I were just talking about breaking ours out again!

[@ashtoncunningham6981]

So are scallops less likely for to get sick be you just usally eat the abductor mussle compared to smaller spices that you boil hole? Didnt watch the whole video good guy lmao

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Scallops are less likely to get you sick even in the warm months when mussels and whole clams should not be eaten as the adductor muscle is the main part that is eaten. If one eats the scallop gut (like one would with mussels and small clams) then the risk of getting sick goes WAY up! I have friends who fed the guts to their chickens while they themselves are the adductor. The next day, all of the chickens were dead. It is no joke! On some years however, the toxic plankton blooms are so severe, that Cal Dept of Public Health will even advise not eating the adductor. These are typically the same years when crab is off limits due to very dangerous levels of biotoxins. Please call the Biotoxin Info Hotline for frequently updated pre-recorded messages concerning shellfish safety so that you know when they are safe to consume. 800-553-4133. Thanks for watching!

[@haroldtakahashi8875]

is it worthwhile to forage seaweeds there?...

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

It can be for certain species, but be sure you are foraging well away from any creek mouth or storm drain as the areas near large cities get a lot of city runoff especially in the winter and spring. That said, we would advise to take only what is needed as California has lost a significant amount of kelp to sea urchins over the last few years.

[@nightlight69]

So guilty of ODing on your videos sir....I am In Canada now but moving to Cal soon....near Yellow knife and looking so foreword to new land to explore. Still looking for some one to help me find mushrooms about there LOL. So your videos i find highly helpful

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks for watching! We are starting to do some foraging classes, so let me know if you would like to come along when you get to CA.

[@nightlight69]

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 oh for sure...golden...i Spread the word to..Thats killer news thank you

[@nickdemsey7188]

Whose her friend

[@mingrui1862]

Giving the names for each fish you encountered helps so much! Thank you!

[@FishingChef]

danngg 5:51 you hit a scallop honey hole! so many of them in a cluster!! you hand looks super scratched up lol is it from this dive or from the clamming last time?!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Lol yeah man my hands were still totally messed up from clamming with you ant Philosophy D.

[@bottom]

Awesome dive. Food looks great always

[@everthparedes5210]

A new video! One of my favorite things of the week.

[@lifeofeels8271]

What a coincidence, I just did some reading on rock scallops and the different limpets this past weekend! Awesome video!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks! Glad to hear it! Yeah, rock scallops and giant keyhole limpets are hard to beat!

[@SkyfallLotus]

Mmmmmm sushi! Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing your time free diving - very fun to watch.

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Glad you enjoyed! So much beauty out there!

[@ivangotyokes]

Came here from Outdoor Chef Life. Awesome stuff guys!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks!

[@ChriSFishDish]

Awesome freedive video.. Those scallops look so good.. I'd drive down to socal to get some live..!!

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

Thanks! Honestly, I find more scallops freediving NorCal, but I figured since I was down there I should show folks some of the cool wild scenery and undersea foods to be had down south.

[@ChriSFishDish]

@@catchncookcalifornia1574 Nice work man.. I used to be a sushi chef a few years back.. Scallops are candy when raw.. Never had keyholes though.. Always something new to try..

[@anotherbutt4chair454]

Just wondering i didn’t see any oxygen tanks ?

[@catchncookcalifornia1574]

As we say "thanks, but no tanks!" All freediving. One breath the old way.

[@anotherbutt4chair454]

Catch N Cook California, thank you for sharing, i didn’t know this even existed in the US, thought this was only happening on those exotic vacations. May i ask where is this happening?