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Bay scalloping is a Big Bend and Nature Coast thing, from Franklin County down to Hernando.
You snorkel in three to six feet of grass flat and pick them up by hand. The places people go from are Keaton Beach and Steinhatchee in Taylor County, Cedar Key in Levy, Crystal River and Homosassa in Citrus County, Carrabelle in Franklin and Shell Point in Wakulla. The season and the open zones are set fresh every year by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, usually running somewhere between mid-June and late September, with different dates for each zone and a bag limit per person and per boat. A zone can be closed mid-season over algae. Check the current dates with the commission before you book anything, and you need a saltwater fishing license unless you are exempt.
Taylor County. A Gulf coast community in the south of Taylor County with an uncrowded beach, good for sunbathing, beachcombing and watching the sun go down. It is known just as much for the fishing, with grouper, redfish and flounder all taken off this stretch.
Open the guide →Levy County. A small beach in Cedar Key City Park at 192 Second Street, in a town that is more fishing village than beach resort. A roped-off swimming area with calm, shallow water, though the bottom is muddy and sandspurs grow nearby, so wear beach shoes.
Open the guide →Citrus County. Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1983, and it is the only refuge in the United States set up specifically for the threatened Florida manatee. It covers Kings Bay, where a cluster of springs pushes out water that holds a steady temperature all year.
Open the guide →Franklin County. Carrabelle Beach Park at 1860 Highway 98 West, with restrooms, ten picnic pavilions, an outdoor shower and park grills. Carrabelle itself is a coastal town built on the seafood industry, with shops, cafes and galleries.
Open the guide →Wakulla County. 117 Beaty Taff Drive in Shell Point, open 6 a.m. to midnight. Restrooms, a children's playground, a volleyball court and a kayak launch, with a boat ramp nearby. Pavilions large and small can be reserved through the county.
Open the guide →Nearly every coastal county runs free or low-cost public ramps, and the ones attached to a park are the easiest because they have parking for a truck and trailer.
Crab Island in Okaloosa County is the one with the reputation - a submerged shallow just inside Destin Pass where a few hundred boats tie up on a summer weekend and vendors run out to them by water.
Florida sailing is mostly protected bay rather than open ocean, which is what makes it good for learning and for cruising in company.
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