Atenas Beach
The scallops were so fresh that they were still opening and closing on their own.
Atenas Beach in Paracas, Peru has some of the freshest seafood I’ve ever eaten!
Three fishermen took me out on their fishing boat to experience shellfish gathering the way their families have practiced it for generations. One of the fishermen had a wetsuit and snorkel and dove down to fill net bags with shellfish. The first one he brought up was full of scallops and snails, the second one was all crabs.
The fishermen taught me the different parts of a scallop, and which ones are the best to eat. Some people like to eat the orange part too, though the round white center is what they sell, and the part I liked most.
I learned to clean a scallop.
One of the fishermen showed me how to clean out a scallop with a spoon, and then we ate them right there on the boat. This is definitely the closest I’ve come to eating a live creature. There was less than a minute between when the scallop was alive, and when I popped it in my mouth. It was delicious and a bit sweet, even without lemon juice.
Before he brought up bags of shellfish, the diver brought up a handful of scallops for me to eat.
The water wasn’t deep and if the waves hadn’t been so rough that day, I would have borrowed a snorkel and jumped in to see how hard it is to gather scallops. That is definitely an option, so if you want to see what it’s like to be a scallop diver, Atenas Beach is the perfect place!
Atenas Beach is community tourism at its finest!
Visiting Atenas Beach with local fishing families is an excellent example of community tourism. The families have banded together to create Tour Vivencial Atenas Beach, run by locals for locals. Booking info is at the bottom of this blog and more about community tourism in my travel tip newsletter.
Eventually the sea calmed enough to make it easier to kayak around the bay.
I got to kayak around the bay
The waves were a bit rough that day, but I still had fun paddling a kayak around. They towed a sit on top kayak behind the boat we motored out on, so I wasn’t going to let that opportunity pass me by!
I ate a few scallops and the fishermen took everything else home with them, including all the crabs.
Where is Atenas Beach?
The bay around Atenas Beach is in the Paracas National Reserve, which is a protected area. This is about four hours south of Lima and I don’t recommend trying this as a day trip. Stay in the town of Paracas, in Ica, or nearby Pisco. (Yes, there is a town named Pisco in Peru and it pre-dates the liquor).
Who can fish at Atenas Beach?
While commercial fishing is prohibited in the Paracas National Reserve, due to environmental protections, communities who have fished these waters for hundreds of years retain their rights for small scale fishing. If you want to try fishing there, you have to go with Tour Vivencial Atenas Beach, or marry into one of their families.
They told me that they buy baby scallops the size of your thumbnail from a hatchery in the north of Peru and release them in their fishing area. In a year or less, the scallops are the size of my hand and big enough to harvest. Each family has a section of the bay designated for them, according to where their families have always fished. Like the fishermen in Huanchaco, they know who each area belongs to, even if it isn’t obvious to outsiders.
I had so much fun with the fishermen of Tour Vivencial Atenas Beach in Paracas!
How to visit Atenas Beach?
You can contact Tours Vivencial Atenas Beach on Instagram or book with local company Destinos Ica. If you book with Destinos Ica, you can also do Huacachina, visit wineries, and add on other fun activities around Ica.
I can’t stress enough how much fun this was and how delicious the scallops were!
How to get to Atenas Beach?
If you booked with Destinos Ica, they’ll take care of the transportation. If you’re doing this on your own, you’ll need a car to enter the Paracas National Reserve.
