Tia Clark at Brittlebank Park, where she often leads crabbing excursions
It was in the summer of 2017—not long after Tia Clark vowed to better her health—that a relative took her out to catch blue crabs. Just like that, she found her calling. And then she turned it into a business, Casual Crabbing with Tia. AirBnB recently ranked her enthusiastic ”Go Crabbing with a Charleston Native” lessons among its top four ”Experiences” in the world. She fills us in.
CM: How did your health transformation come about?
TC: For 20 years, I smoked. Then I put down the cigarettes and picked up the crab basket. Crabbing became my cigarettes. It also became my gym. The doctor told me to be more active. I didn’t want to go to the gym—I wanted to be outside. Now, I throw a seven-pound cast net for an hour or two a day. I still wear the same belt as when I started the journey, only it wraps one and a half times around my body.
CM: What’s your favorite part of your work?
TC: Seeing customers’ eyes get big when they pull that first crab up. Imagine going up to a slot machine, pulling the lever, and a thousand dollars comes out— that’s how their faces look. And I get to make that happen for people every single day.
CM: What is it that makes you such an amazing host?
TC: I’ve worked in food and beverage since I was 17, and I think that experience has a huge play in it. I can read people. I can tell if they’re getting bored right away. The biggest thing, though, is consistency: whether it’s one person, six people, or nine, I’ll be out on the dock setting up as if it’s just me crabbing. Then every day, a person from a different part of the world shows up to crab with me.
CM: How has the whole experience changed you?
TC: Before this happened, if I didn’t know you, I didn’t want you in my life. I didn’t make eye contact—that was my wall. Now, having gone through all of this life-changing stuff, it feels weird, like something out of a movie. Being happy is so foreign. It’s altered everything I thought I knew about how I should live. Now I want to look at everybody, talk to everybody, get them on the dock. I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on inside.
At a Glance:
Lives: In West Ashley with her wife, Katie
Works: As owner of Casual Crabbing with Tia (casualcrabbingwithtia.com (opens in a new tab)) and as a manager and bartender at The Mill in Park Circle
Favorite way to eat crabs: Boiled in a pot with a little beer, hot sauce, and seasonings; check out her YouTube channel for instructions.
Signature tattoo: A regulation-size blue crab tattooed on her calf can be used in the absence of a ruler to make sure a catch is legal.