05/08/2023
It was a beautiful day off the coast of North Carolina, and a group of friends were setting out for a diving adventure. Their goal: to find the legendary Megalodon teeth that had been rumored to litter the seafloor at the fabled Meg Ledge.
As they suited up and prepared to roll over the gunnel into the water, they were filled with excitement and anticipation. They knew that the hunt for Megalodon teeth could be tough, but they were determined to come back with a great haul.
The water was cool and visibility was over 80 feet. The clarity of the water would help in their search for fossils .
Even though the water was still a bit cold in early May they stayed focused on their goal, scouring the ocean floor for any sign of the elusive Megalodon teeth. And before long, their persistence paid off.
One by one, they spotted the tell tell signs of teeth in the sand. Rarely do you see a whole tooth just laying there. You have to develop an eye for the subtle differences that make just another rock a possible Meg tooth. In this group everyone was experienced and they eagerly scooped up and stashed them in their dive bags. It was a thrilling experience, knowing that they were holding the remains of a massive prehistoric predator that roamed the ocean as long as 20 million years ago.
During one of Jeff’s dives he saw a large dusky shark swimming nearby. No matter how well you know intellectually that you're not on the menu it still speaks to that primordial part of the brain that fears predators.
But the adventure wasn't over yet. As Shane was finishing his second dive he saw an octopus walking across the bottom and put it in his tooth bag. When he got back to the boat he put it in a clean bucket with salt water so everyone could see it when they came back to the boat.
Kara was the most excited and gently coaxed the octopus from the bucket. She was able to hold it for just a few seconds before it fell back in the bucket and inked the water black. She held it again when she released it and got a little bite from its beak for her trouble. It knew better than to go back to the bottom alone and held onto the dive latter until someone went back down.
Shane noticed that the octopus seemed disoriented and scared and held onto the latter. So on his next dive, he offered the octopus his arm like a gentleman, and together they descended back down to the bottom where it jumped off at the first rock.
It was an unforgettable day of adventure, and friendship and we must have had at least three 5 gallon buckets of Meg teeth. That’s not bad for 5 people and one day of diving. Thanks Captain Steve for a great boat and a great trip.
