Scallop Hunt with In-Water Guide Crystal River
Overview
Available languages
5 hours
Mobile ticket
Rich with scallops and teaming with wildlife, Citrus County is one of the last places in Florida you can collect scallops that are both fun to find and delicious to eat! Join us on our small boats for our most exclusive scallop tour!
Additional Info
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Children are strongly recommended to be over 5 and a strong swimmer
Please bring a towel and a plastic bag to hold your belongings
Strong Swimming skills required
What To Expect
River Ventures
Searching for scallops is so much fun it has made Citrus County a world famous destination for this unique and satisfying activity. Our Master Captain will lead your group to the Gulf of Mexico for 5 hours of salt water delight! Take a leisurely day out of your hectic vacation and relax with confidence on our comfortable boats. Feel the wind in your hair, smell the salt in the air and bask in the sunshine while we take care of the details! Nestled in the shallow grass beds off the Crystal River, scallops spawn in summer and then reach the end of their life cycle. These delicious morsels are just waiting to be someone's dinner! Like an Easter Egg hunt under water, you never know what wildlife you may see out there... dolphins, sea turtles, starfish and seahorses. Corals, remora, pufferfish and conch... what will you discover on this adventure? Our Captains and guides are highly qualified and experienced; you are in good hands and will have a phenomenal time!
Options
10am Departure
10am Departure; 5 hour Scalloping Tour; Boat Capacity - 6 people
What‘s Included
Bottled Water Provided
Private Boat with capacity for 6 people
Use of equipment (mask and snorkel gear)
In-Water Guide
USCG certified Captain
Food and beverages (unless otherwise specified)
Photo DVD (available to purchase)
Towel and swimsuit
Gratuities
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
5 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
A unique experience
708axelp,Sep 4, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had booked the combined tour (manatee / scalloping). We started in the morning, where we were accompanied by Garrett and Steven, who did a great job. At first, they very quickly found two of the few manatees that are currently in the bay, which were the mother and her baby. It was a great experience where our children also had a lot of fun. After that we went about 45 min by boat to the seashell grounds. The boat was luxurious with free drinks and snacks and could accommodate up to 6 guests. Apart from us, however, no other people had booked the trip, so the four of us had an exclusive trip with Garrett and Steven. Arriving at the shell bottoms, Garrett and Steven showed us how to find the shells. It took a few minutes, then each of us had successfully found our first shell. These lie somewhat hidden between the seagrass. The water is not deep, so even our youngest (10 years) had no problems diving to the shells. We had good visibility, so we ended up with a whole bucket of shells. On the way back Steven cleaned the shells for us so that we could take them with us in the end. Thank you for that. Overall we had a great time and we can highly recommend this tour to anyone!
Great experience
S4613FSignaciot,Aug 11, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Vicky and Rob were our crew and captain respectively. We couldn’t have asked for a better team. Vicky spent tons of time scalloping with my daughter and guiding her with the manatees while I was chilling on the side. I was so comfortable with this team that I was very relaxed the entire time; and I have been diving since I was 8 yrs old, which makes me biased on the co derivative.
Great family adventure!
Julie B,Aug 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We just finished a day on the water with River Ventures doing the combined manatee swim and scalloping. We were able to see three manatee (there are only ten in this region at this time due to warmer waters) and caught a good number of scallops. More than we expected! Captain Rob and guide Stephen were very helpful and patient with our kiddos (aged 9 & 6). The storms rolled in but it was expected and added another adventure to our trip- strong winds and rain! Captain Rob handled the boat expertly and Stephen cleaned our scallops without us asking. We will do this again and use River ventures again! Thank you!
Best Scallops and Manatees
dtamayo33,Aug 1, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had Capt Garrett and Capt Mike on our “Ultimate” scalloping and manatee tour and they were AMAZING!!!! It was so great to have two people who love and care about ensuring their group has the BEST tour available!! They took the time to show us how to find the scallops and our boat came back with plenty for the 6 of us! Then we went to look for our manatee and when I say “out manatee” I mean they found the one manatee that wanted to love on people. We didn’t chase we didn’t reach out, he came to us and wanted to meet us by rubbing and nibbling on us. It was amazing!!! Then while we had a little extra time, we hit up the springs for a refreshing swim. Now remember every trip will be different but this is the company that you want to join if you are looking for a true family and fun!!
Underwater Treasure Hunt!
Michael V,Jul 2, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Emerson and JJ worked really hard to provide us with a great experience and as many tasty scallops as we could muster. Lots of laughs, wonderful service; feels like you’re out on the boat with friends. My fiancé had never snorkeled before and she was like a pro by the end! You’re in good hands on this tour and I highly recommend it if you like sun, snorkeling, and sweet sweet tasty scallops. Scallop populations vary year by year and apparently this year their numbers are down. I have never been before, so nothing to compare to, but I had a fantastic time. I can only imagine in a good year it must be beyond amazing. We worked hard for what we got and each one really felt like finding some sunken treasure!
Related Experiences
Operated by River Ventures