A father and son take to the Hawaii lava shoreline with long sticks, a basket, and other tools to catch black rock crabs, locally known as a’ama. For a family day on the beach, hunting crabs is fun and educational at the same time, while providing a sort of “beach candy” as a reward. Rock crabs thickly cover the lava rock coast in Hawaii and are adept at jumping and hiding.
The crabs are usually only a couple inches in diameter, which means these two will need to catch several to make a meal. Most often the crabs are seen as more of a treat or pupu (appetizer) than a full meal. Although some people cook the crabs before eating them, they are typically eaten raw by opening the shell back and scooping out the inside.
