Diving for your dinner

Abalone hunting is adventurous and dangerous

by Kerrie Russell - Staff Writer

I guess it's the thrill of the hunt. Or maybe it's the savory taste of the catch. I've also been told that it's the never-ending search for a "trophy" size shell.

After all, why else would thousands of people each year head to the Sonoma County coastline to dive in the depths of underwater darkness for huge snails?

I asked myself this very question as I suited up for the first time, in my brand new wetsuit and slid into the cold ocean water for my first attempt at abalone diving. I must have finally lost my mind.

As I reassured myself, I strapped my gloves on, ready for anything. I was then instructed to spit into my goggles and swish it around so the goggles wouldn't fog up. I'm not what most people would consider a "girly-girl," but spitting in my goggles? I guess I'll try anything once.

I dove under water for the first time and got a face full of kelp. For those of you who don't spend a lot of time at the ocean, kelp is that long brownish seaweed with the bulb on the end. There's lots of it and it's a bit on the slimy side. I continued under water, where I observed crabs, anemones, ling cod and perch in their most natural state. I was definitely getting the hang of it.

I spent about an hour in the water my first time, mostly getting used to breathing with a snorkel and feeling comfortable in all of my gear. I watched as the more experienced diver I was with, came up for air, and then disappeared again, finally bringing up with him a nice size abalone. Dinner would be fresh.

Gearing up

So, what are these creatures that people go so crazy over? Abalone are sea mollusks with an oval, spiral shell. You've probably seen their colorful "mother-of-pearl" shells, in people's yards and made into jewelry. They are considered a delicacy as they are very hard to find and commercial abalone diving is illegal.

First things first. You need to have all the right gear. It may seem a little expensive to get started, but you can always rent and borrow gear until you know that ab diving is your thing. You'll definitely need a wetsuit, there's really no way around that. You also need a hood for your wetsuit that covers your head and neck down to your eyes. Boots help with footing and keep your toes from freezing. A mask and snorkel are also necessary, spitting does help, sorry.

Ab divers also wear flippers to get into deeper water faster and a weight belt to counteract the buoyancy of the wetsuit. An abalone iron is used to pop the abalone from the rock as knives, screwdrivers and sharp objects are prohibited. All divers are required to carry a gauge, which is used to measure the abalone. You can get a great deal at Bodega Bay Pro Dive, $35 for 24-hour use of all the gear you'll need, except the abalone iron and gauge, which have to be purchased separately. If you are wondering about using SCUBA gear, it's prohibited by California's Department of Fish and Game.)

Now that you look like a diver, you need to know you'll find the abalone. Diving enthusiast Rocky Daniels helped us with some information for green divers. "If you're looking for tips on how to find your own dive spots, it's pretty simple: head west from any point north of Jenner to south of Gualala; you'll almost certainly find abalone. If there's kelp floating on the surface, there are abalone below. If there's no kelp but the bottom is rocky, you'll also find abalone most of the time. Pretty much where there's water, there's abalone off the northern Sonoma coast." Sounds simple enough, let's move on.

Staying safe and legal

Don't ever go diving for abalone by yourself. It doesn't matter whether you are experienced or not, it's a dangerous sport that causes fatalities every year ranging from being caught in an undertow to getting tangled in kelp, and even a shark attack just last summer. The experienced divers from Bodega Bay Pro Dive say the most important safety tip is to know your limits and to stay relaxed. The ocean is non-forgiving and if it looks rough, it is rough.

The Department of Fish & Game has specific regulations for abalone diving. A few changes were made in 2002. The limit of four abalone taken or in possession per day has changed to three, and the limit of 100 taken per season has been reduced to 24. Gauges are required and no abalone can be taken that is under seven inches. All divers, have to carry a fishing license and abalone report card, which has to be kept within 500 yards on the shore (not in your wetsuit). Divers are required to punch holes and record the location of abalone taken from the ocean. Abalone may only be taken during the months of April, May, June, August, September, October and November.

Harvesting the abalone

Once you've found your first abalone, which takes some getting used to because they blend in with the rocks to which they are attached by suction, you have quite a task ahead of you. Divers are required by law to make sure that the abalone you are taking is seven inches long. Gauges are required. Experts say to try and not touch the rock or the abalone before removing them from the rock because once touched, the abalone will clamp down on the rock making it nearly impossible to remove. Instead, as slyly as possible, slide the abalone iron as close to the rock as possible, making sure not to pierce the meat. Pry the abalone from the rock by pulling the iron towards you. If you push the iron away from you, the iron will cut into the abalone, which will kill it. When you have worked the abalone from the rock, your treasure hunt has been successful. For the sake of the abalone population and the environment, never take more than you need, and certainly never take more than the three abalone allowed per day.

There are many ways to prepare the abalone. Here are a few. First pop the meat from the shell using your ab iron Thoroughly clean and scrub the meat. Trim off the "lips" (which can also make good fertilizer for your garden). Cut the meat vertically into 1/4 inch slices. Remove the tough part of the "foot" from each end of the slices. Pound or tenderize the meat.

Fried, breaded abalone is very tasty and any special recipe that you have for fried chicken or fish strips will do the job.

A special recipe was given to me by Ryan Lindecker, the bartender at Bear Republic Brewing Company who throws an annual abalone feed for customers.

This year, the crowd pleaser at the abalone feed was abalone ceviche: Take the juice from 10 limes and 10 lemons and mix with eight large, chopped tomatoes. Cut one large abalone into 1/2 inch chunks (uncooked). Mix all of the ingredients and let the abalone sit covered in the juice for about two hours. Then, add your favorite salsa ingredients including onion, cilantro, green and red bell peppers, habanero peppers and spices. They added mangos and the ceviche was consumed in no time.

There is a lot more to know about abalone diving and there are many websites that are helpful, but the best way to get information is to ask the people who have been doing it for years. There aren't classes for abalone diving, it is a sport that is passed on from veteran divers to interested, inexperienced divers like myself.

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