Crayfish Grabbin' Course

Learn to Catch Your Own Crayfish - Nelson Bay 

A Salty Pilgrims Freediving X Elementa Freediving Course

Learn to catch your own crayfish (rock lobster) in a safe, supportive, FUN, and hands-on environment. Grabbing your own crayfish is, in our opinion, one of the most fun and rewarding ways to gather your own fresh seafood. It's challenging, it's hilarious, and there's nothing quite like the feeling of finding and grabbing a crayfish fresh from the ocean and cooking it that same day. It's a skill that connects you to the ocean, puts the freshest food on your table and makes your friends/ family and neighbours very happy too! 

Spend the day with us learning all about where to look to find your own crayfish, what terrains they like, tips and tricks from our experienced instructors with a combined 30 years experience grabbin' crayfish. By the end of the day, you'll be confident enough to grab your own crayfish safely, legally, and ethically - and learn some different ways of processing and cooking them too.

With a bit of luck, you will be taking home your own crayfish that you have grabbed yourself!

Location: Nelson Bay (exact meeting point will be confirmed by email closer to the date so we can choose the best dive location for the day)
Duration: 1 Full Day
🕗 Start Time: 8:00am
🕑 Finish Time: ~2:00pm

Group Size

• Maximum 6 participants (3 per instructor) for a more personalised experience

Prerequisites

• Must be a confident, strong swimmer and able to swim 200m unaided
• Being comfortable in the ocean is essential, in potentially some swell and choppy surface conditions. 
  
• Able to equalise ears down to at least 8m 
• A freediving course is not required, but we highly recommend completing a Wave 1 Course beforehand to get the most out of your day. This means you can focus on finding and grabbing your catch, rather than trying to learn the freediving parts (such as equalisation and relaxation) at the same time.

Who Is This Course For?

• Complete beginners who have never grabbed a crayfish before (but can equalise down to at least 8m) 
• Divers who've only tried it a handful of times
• Anyone with "all the gear and no idea" wanting structured, professional coaching with no ego!
• Those wanting to learn the full process, from finding and catching to preparing and cooking their own crays

What's Included

This interactive, full-day course combines a pre-dive workshop, a group shore dive in the ocean, and hands-on catch care, and cooking lesson. 

You'll learn:

• Where to find crayfish and abalone, and what to look for
• Legal size limits and NSW regulations
• The gear you'll need and how to use it
• How to safely and successfully grab crayfish
• Many tricks of the trade
• How to store crayfish correctly
• How to humanely kill a crayfish
• How to prepare and cook your catch

Course Structure

• Pre-dive workshop – Learn where to find crayfish, what to look for, legal size limits, the gear you'll need, and how to safely and successfully grab them
• 2-hour group shore dive – Put your skills into practice while we demonstrate how to find and grab crayfish, and then try and grab your own 
• Catch care & cooking session – Learn how to store crayfish correctly, how to humanely kill a crayfish, and how to prepare and cook them a couple of different ways

What to Bring

• 5mm freediving wetsuit with a hood
• Mask & snorkel
• Weight belt & weights (slightly heavier than normal for shallow diving)
• Fins
• Dive knife 
• Gloves to grab Crayfish 
• Dive torch - only if you have one, not a necessity 

We provide: your own lobster measurer, and a catch bag 

No gear? Don't worry — you can hire everything you need for $40 by selecting the hire option at booking.

Your Instructors

You'll be coached by freediving and spearfishing instructors with over 30 years of combined experience. They dive for the love of hunting and gathering their own food in the most ethical way possible.

Our team is passionate about helping others discover this lifestyle, and we're confident you'll feel safe, supported, and leave the day having learned skills that could otherwise take years to figure out on your own.

Important Info

• If you plan to collect your own crayfish, you must hold a current NSW fishing licence before the course (this will be checked on the day). A 3-day pass is available for just $7 from dpi.nsw.gov.au.
• Download the FishSmart App (nsw.gov.au) to check local fishing regulations and marine park zones before heading out.
• If weather conditions look unfavourable leading up to the day, you'll have the option to rebook or receive a refund.
• Please read our Product Terms & Conditions under "Terms of Service" at the bottom of our website before booking. This includes our refunds policy.