Megalodon Hunter

Last October, members who attended my local scuba club meeting had the opportunity to learn about one very unique facet of our sport. Our speaker that night was Woody Tinsley, and his topic was the fascination for Megalodon shark teeth collecting by scuba divers from around the world. Listening to his presentation, I began to hope that if the opportunity arose, I would find myself in one of those shark tooth diver destinations he mentioned, and try my hand at hunting for my own fossil trophy. This past May I found myself in sunny Venice Beach Florida, doing just that.

First some facts about Carcharocles Megalodon (meaning "giant tooth"). It was an ancient shark that lived about 25-1.6 million years ago, during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs. It may have reached lengths of 50-100 feet. Only a few fossilized vertebrae and teeth have been found, so these are only estimates. It's diet probably consisted mostly of whales. Luckily these true sea monsters are long extinct. More information about these amazing ancient animals can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalodon .

Locals call Venice Florida the "Shark tooth capital of the world". Millions of years ago, prehistoric sharks freely roamed off the coast of present-day southwest Florida. Its waters were prehistoric hunting grounds for the ancient giant shark. The area has gained a well deserved reputation as a place where divers can find numerous fossils on every dive. These include the giant shark teeth, but also manatee bones, whale bones, prehistoric horse bones and other unique fossils. Most people come looking for Megalodon teeth though. This has resulted in specialized fossil hunting charters becoming very popular in the region. Megalodon is so popular here, that the locals hold an actual annual "shark tooth festival" http://www.sharkstoothfest.com/ . Long after their extinction, and lucky for recreational scuba divers, these ancient monsters have left behind an abundance of teeth scattered across the sea floor for divers to forage for, from either beach or boat.

Luckily I had a shark tooth expert to ask about the area prior to my travels (thanks Woody!). The dive operator recommended for my excursion was Florida West Scuba. http://www.floridawestscuba.com/. They proved to be a very well run operation, and had no problem handling a Megalodon tooth hunter novice such as myself. Their shop has a very impressive collection of shark teeth on display for the visiting diver. These shark tooth charters are extremely popular, with most weekends already booked up far in advance. As the dive boat goes out every day, weather permitting, a weekday may be your best bet to get a spot. The shop conveniently has the dive boat docked right in back. Free parking is also available.

My day began one bright and sunny Friday morning. The very helpful staff made it relatively easy to get gear and weights sorted out. For newbees such as myself, the dive shop also has a short video divers can watch that gives pointers about the best ways to find teeth. The dive boat is a 31 foot long (12.5 feet wide) Island Hopper boat ("Hammerhead"), diesel powered, and with full electronics for finding the best sites. It is US Coast Guard certified for 12 divers maximum. The crew generously provides snacks and soft drinks on every dive. After the customary boat safety spiel, it was a quick ride to our fist dive site, an area just off Venice beach.

The fossil dives are in the 20-30 foot depth range. This allows for plenty of bottom time. As the dive boat reached the dive site, many of the seasoned divers began to generate an aura and excitement that I imagine treasure hunters must have. This is for the most part solo diving, with a few buddy pairs. Every diver was given his own dive flag. This allowed the captain to monitor her divers at all times. The vessel also has an underwater communication system, allowing the captain to call up any diver who separates from his buddy.

The best way to describe this fossil diving would be the term "muck diving". Once entering the water, I found myself in a green murky environment. Visibility averaged about 10-15 feet. The sea floor has an appearance of "black sand", composed of millions of ground fragments of fossils; such as ancient turtle shells, stingray barbs and manatee bones. The overall appearance is dark and silty. This is not a lifeless place though. Numerous crabs, anemones, barnacles, and starfish cover the sea floor. Schools of Pinfish would occasionally swim by. Every now and then a sea robin would approach, examining this strange visitor to this murky world.

I began to scan the sea floor for 'triangles'. Every dark shape began to catch my eye. As I scoured the ocean floor, I soon found myself joined by numerous Pigfish. Perhaps my actions of overturning rocks and sifting through sand would give them the opportunity for a quick meal. The focused activity put me in a calm relaxed, almost meditative state, as I intently searched the sea floor. Then, suddenly, it happened. From the sand I pulled out a triangular shape with serrated edges outlining its smooth, jet black surface. It was a Megalodon tooth! My very own!

After each dive, returning divers would have their goody bags examined by the very knowledgeable crew. I myself came back with a few Megalodon tooth fragments, several manatee bones, and fossilized quahog clams. Occasionally a diver would discover that fossil he brought back was just a rock, quickly to be jettisoned overboard. Those seasoned Megalodon teeth hunters with sharp eyes tended to return with bags full of numerous fossils and Megalodon teeth, in all shapes and sizes. Every diver was able to find something. This led to a happy dive boat after a day of diving.

The Venice area and its diving represents one of those unique and rare diving opportunities where recreational divers are actually rewarded with tangible souvenirs. Every dive allows one to take home a piece of our planet's very history. Photographs last a lifetime, but the prehistoric shark teeth in these waters have lasted millions of years. Every scuba diver should try their hand at Megalodon teeth hunting! For more information see http://www.floridawestscuba.com/.