Modern times have been hard on California’s abalone population. The warming oceans have hurt its food supply and led the shellfish to being listed as endangered. In 2017 California halted its abalone fishing season, and it has not resumed.
The precarious state of the population lends a heavier type of nostalgia to this 1944 LIFE magazine story about the joys of abalone diving.
LIFE photographer John Florea tagged along for an abalone expedition at Point Dume, a state beach in Malibu. The hunting party was a glamorous and photogenic one, as it included actor Peter Coe and actresses Martha O’Driscoll and Ramsay Ames.
LIFE wrote glowingly of the prize they sought: “Of all the seafoods that come from the Pacific Ocean, abalone…is probably most prized by Californians….This is partly because of its flavor, like that of a good scallop, and partly because it is hard to get. The abalone is a big stubborn snail that clings to underwater rocks, has to be pried loose with crowbars.”
As the above paragraph made clear, retrieving abalone requires some expertise. For the LIFE story the group of Hollywood actors were led on their quest by veteran abalone fishermen. And it was a good thing. “The girls spent hours diving, tugging and getting their hair wet,” LIFE wrote. “They finally gave up and let the experts supply the food.”
The actors were able to help more with the picnic. The diving was followed by shucking and trimming and breading and frying. Florea’s photos capture every step in this bygone tradition.
California is working to restore the abalone population and there is hope that its red abalone season could return in 2026.
Actors Peter Coe and Martha O’Driscoll watched the hunt for abalone off the California coast, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Bill O’Connor handing Martha O’Driscoll two abalones that were freshly plucked from the ocean rocks in Southern California, 1944.
John Florea/LIfe Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Actors Martha O’Driscoll and Peter Coe during an abalone dive off Southern California, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
A crew of abalone divers enjoyed the waves off the Southern California coast, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Freshly caught abalone are removed from their shells in preparation for a California beach picnic, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Freshly caught abalone are removed from their shells in preparation for a California beach picnic, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Freshly caught abalone were trimmed and sliced in preparation for a California beach picnic, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
The actresses breaded the freshly-caught abalone in preparation for cooking on a California beach, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Actors Ramsay Ames, Martha O’Driscoll and Peter Coe fried abalone steaks during a California beach picnic, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Abalone shells at a picnic at Point Dume beach in Southern California, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Martha O’Driscoll, Ramsay Ames, and Peter Coe enjoyed their sandwiches of freshly caught abalone in Southern California, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Actors Martha O’Driscoll, Peter Coe, and Ramsay Ames during an abalone picnic, Southern California, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
Actors Martha O’Driscoll, Peter Coe, and Ramsay Ames during an abalone picnic, Southern California, 1944.
John Florea/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock
