Bucket list trip - where to hunt for megs?

[Doctor Mud]

Hi guys,

 

Its been a stressful year and it's nice to have something to look forward too right?

I'd like to start dreaming about an overseas trip to hunt for fossils and I'd like to collect something that is very hard to come by in New Zealand and Australia: Megateeth! I'd be happy with any teeth in the meg lineage. I'm a fan of auriculatus, angustidens,  chubutensis and megalodon.

They can be found here, but there are no sites where they could be called common. I hunted for many years in New Zealand and I have found one complete angustidens and a few fragments.

 

So I wonder if I was flying from Australia or New Zealand, where would be the best sites to hunt? I guess if I am flying all that way I could visit a few sites and make a trip of it!

I don't have a dive certificate, I wouldn't rule it out, but if there are land sites or beach sites then I'd be happy with that too. I know there are guided hunts for diving, but what about land sites? Shark tooth Hill would be on my list and easy to fly to from Australia, but I think megs are rare there.

 

Really appreciate your time if you can respond to this thread 

When, I'm saying when this happens, I will of course post a follow up about my trip on here!

[caldigger]

I will say, if you are after "The Big Boys" you are better off heading to the East coast of the U.S. 

California sites are rather selfish with their megateeth and don't give up Megs very often.

I'll let one of our Eastern members fill you in on the best spots for those.

[Doctor Mud]

9 minutes ago, caldigger said:

I will say, if you are after "The Big Boys" you are better off heading to the East coast of the U.S. 

California sites are rather selfish with their megateeth and don't give up Megs very often.

I'll let one of our Eastern members fill you in on the best spots for those.

Thanks Caldigger! I got the impression that megs were a rare prize on the west coast, much like NZ and Australia.

Id still love to visit STH one day as it would be like the good old days when I used to mine a bone bed in a local quarry as a kid.

 

[Gizmo]

There are many sites from Maryland to Florida, the Charleston, South Carolina area is one of the best.Guided tours are available in many areas.

[RJB]

There's some in my garage.  No diving, no digging, no hiking, no creek mucking, no nothin. 

 

RB

[Doctor Mud]

35 minutes ago, Gizmo said:

There are many sites from Maryland to Florida, the Charleston, South Carolina area is one of the best.Guided tours are available in many areas.

I think I'll have to look into that. I might have a lot of research in my future in the TFF fossil localities pages.

Would also love to meet up with local TFF members if they don't mind sharing some of their hunting spots.

 

[Doctor Mud]

34 minutes ago, RJB said:

There's some in my garage.  No diving, no digging, no hiking, no creek mucking, no nothin. 

 

RB

I'm not surprised! Your garage is the eighth wonder of the world. 

[digit]

2 hours ago, Doctor Mud said:

I don't have a dive certificate, I wouldn't rule it out, but if there are land sites or beach sites then I'd be happy with that too.

The best way of guaranteeing that you come back with a nice variety and some large teeth would be to dive the megalodon ledges off the Carolinas but as you mention that you are not certified, this is not an option. It is very advanced diving (mixed gas Nitrox) and is certainly not for beginning divers. I wouldn't even think or recommending it to someone who hasn't been diving for quite some time.

 

In the dry season, smaller megs (at least fragments) are reasonably common in places like the Peace River here in Florida. There are other sites in the southeastern US where the lineage from 'ricks' to 'angies' to 'chubs' to 'megs' can be found but having the Peace River only a 3 hour drive away, I haven't looked closely at guided trips or sites to try in the southeast. Hopefully, some of our members in the area might be able to chime in with possible options (which may be seasonal).

 

Always fun to hunt for fossils while traveling.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Doctor Mud]

2 minutes ago, digit said:

The best way of guaranteeing that you come back with a nice variety and some large teeth would be to dive the megalodon ledges off the Carolinas but as you mention that you are not certified, this is not an option. It is very advanced diving (mixed gas Nitrox) and is certainly not for beginning divers. I wouldn't even think or recommending it to someone who hasn't been diving for quite some time.

 

In the dry season, smaller megs (at least fragments) are reasonably common in places like the Peace River here in Florida. There are other sites in the southeastern US where the lineage from 'ricks' to 'angies' to 'chubs' to 'megs' can be found but having the Peace River only a 3 hour drive away, I haven't looked closely at guided trips or sites to try in the southeast. Hopefully, some of our members in the area might be able to chime in with possible options (which may be seasonal).

 

Always fun to hunt for fossils while traveling.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

Thanks digit. Yeah I read a thread recently about diving on the meg ledges and it sounds like a hunt for the brave and experienced. I had thought about getting into diving just to hunt megs, but life is pretty busy and it would take a few dives to get up to speed.

 

Getting into the peace with a shovel and sieve seems like a great way to go with such a diversity of other fossils to be found there too. I've really enjoyed seeing what people find there. I remember an amazing Mammoth tooth found by a TFF member a while back in the Peace. 

 

I have some some megs in my collection that I have traded for or bought, but I'm seeking that thrill of uncovering my own, whilst also exploring somewhere new and making new memories.

[digit]

1 hour ago, Doctor Mud said:

also exploring somewhere new and making new memories

This (more than the fossils themselves) is my main driver for my fossil hunting.

 

Deep diving for megs--up to 130-140 feet (~40 meters) on oxygen enriched air (Nitrox) is definitely an advanced dive. You have to be very comfortable while diving and have adequate experience at those depths. They are short dives (~25 minutes) and require you to monitor your depth, time, and gas consumption closely to do it safely. Fossil hunting dives involve task loading where your attention is diverted from thinking about your dive (searching for and scooping up fossils). I have heard of dive accidents where even experienced divers lost track of time while collecting shark teeth which did not end well. Learn to dive for other reasons--like giant cuttlefish or sea dragons which make diving in the chilly waters near Brisbane worth the trouble. Be very comfortable in the water and with your diving skills before attempting deep diving for megs, or blackwater diving in some of the rivers where you detect the shark teeth by touch as you can't see your hands in front of your face.

 

The Peace River is an interesting place to hunt for a variety of fossils and we are lucky to have this available to us here in Florida. We are currently in rainy season (with the prospect of a tropical storm adding to our sogginess this weekend). The river is currently in 'fossil HIDING' mode and it won't be till the dry season starts (if it starts on time) sometime around November-December and lasting (usually) through about May. That's when the river switches to 'fossil HUNTING' mode.

 

Try searches both here on the forum and the web in general for the term 'megalodon' along with keywords such as 'Edisto' (both a river and a beach) and possibly the town of 'Summerville' that should open up some possible options outside of Florida and possibly indicate which local TFF members have knowledge and experience in hunting megs.

 

Of course, if you come to Florida, a trip to the Everglades is a fun side trip to see a unique ecosystem. If you are up in central Florida you should definitely stop in to see the Kennedy Space Center and see the space shuttle Atlantis--it is an awesome sight in the true meaning of that word. There also is something to do in the Orlando area but I avoid that like the plague.

 

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[Barnaby'sdad]

On 8/27/2019 at 10:31 AM, Doctor Mud said:

Thanks digit. Yeah I read a thread recently about diving on the meg ledges and it sounds like a hunt for the brave and experienced. I had thought about getting into diving just to hunt megs, but life is pretty busy and it would take a few dives to get up to speed.

 

Getting into the peace with a shovel and sieve seems like a great way to go with such a diversity of other fossils to be found there too. I've really enjoyed seeing what people find there. I remember an amazing Mammoth tooth found by a TFF member a while back in the Peace. 

 

I have some some megs in my collection that I have traded for or bought, but I'm seeking that thrill of uncovering my own, whilst also exploring somewhere new and making new memories.

 

That is what got me into diving.  I started reading about meg ledge dives last spring and got the basic open water diving certificate that summer.  I had about 20 dives down and did the advanced course this January.

 

I opted to hit the Cooper River this June and the ledges off NC in July. Both locations are advanced dives for a number of reasons. They're something to work up to and once you hit either of those locations...if you don't hate the diving (it's not for everyone) you'll have a hard time not daydreaming about the dives on a regular (if not daily) basis.  ex. The first time you find a 5"+ tooth sticking out of the muck.  

 

Back to the original post though...for non-diving meg teeth hunting, I would do some perusing for guided fossil hunts in South Carolina.  Some of the river bed finds looks pretty impressive.