During a recent SCUBA dive...

[c333davis]

... I found the following 4.25" tooth, formerly owned by a Carcharocles Megalodon, an ancient giant shark that lived during prehistoric times, from 25 to 1.5 million years ago.

I can highly recommend going on a "fossil dive" out of Venice, FL... We went on a two-tank dive with Megalodon Charters and found many whale bones, two Meg teeth, and a Columbian Mammoth tooth. Going to clean the fossilized bones really well and then use them in our cichlid tanks.

[xrayjeeper83]

I wish I had kept up with my diving

[Pufferpunk]

That's spectacular!

[KorrepZ]

w00t!

Awesome findings..... You better pray it was an ancient one and not a sneaky prehistoric monster that still lives under venice like the scottisch lokness monster

[Hilly]

Now that is very cool.

[c333davis]

Thanks, everyone. The tooth has been quite a conversation piece... and yes, I'm such a geek that I carry it around in my purse. You never know when society will fall and I'll have to defend myself. (ha)

I wish I had kept up with my diving

xrayjeeper83, it's never to late to get refreshed! I got certified through ScubaTiger in Orange Park; they have some great classes and instructors. I haven't been diving offshore Jax yet; the only dive charter I've found goes to 80' and deeper sites, and my sweetie is only OW certified, not yet AOW. Besides, I'm perfectly content in 10-40' on a warm, bright reef with lots of life to study. Central & south FL have great shore diving, starting around Ft. Pierce, I've read. Only a 3.5-4hr drive south! Going to check it out once the weather warms.

[stangd1909]

I dive in Venice all the time, I have found some nice small to medium size teeth. Nothing like that though...very nice.

[xrayjeeper83]

Im thinking of spending my tax return on dive lessons, going to just start fresh since I havent been on a dive in 10+ years

[Pufferpunk]

Good idea.

[c333davis]

Im thinking of spending my tax return on dive lessons, going to just start fresh since I havent been on a dive in 10+ years

Awesome! I got my Open Water cert years ago through ScubaTiger in OP. Some great instructors over there.

This Spring, we're going to explore shore diving down the Atlantic coast, starting in Ft Pierce... that's where there starts to be natural reef shelves close enough offshore to swim out to. Just a few hours south of us, xrayjeeper83!