Any fossilers wanna show off some photos?

[P11]

We just got back from the Cooper River lastnight. OAT was 50-57 degrees F. Between 15-25 feet the temp was reading 56 degrees. Overcast and wind made the SI very cold. BUT, it was a great dive (my first) and had lots to bring home. Looking forward to the next trip. BTW, that's a sweet Meg tooth! Great find.

 

[TONY CHANEY]

P11, I really enjoyed diving with you and seeing that look in your eye with your first find. I had that same smile and look my first time and still do with every find. I think that you have a very rare find. Please post a good micro picture of it here to include something to campare it to as far as size is concerned. (tape measure, dime, etc). There are divers on here that might be able to tell you more than Calvin and I can at this time. OBTW, for any wanting to dive the Cooper, Calvin and Teresa Shaw from Aquatic Pleasures puts on a top rated trip. What a blast...can't wait to go back.

 

[P11]

I've checked out similar photos, and it looks like it came from a Sand Tiger shark. Anyone care to confirm or deny this?

 

[Lee Taylor]

I vote Sand Tiger also P11. I am looking at an identical photo on page 4 of a reference titled Fossilized Shark's Teeth and Fossils by Byron Fink. Your photo looks almost EXACTLY like the photo labeled Lingual View, Back Anterior, Sand Shark. I am pretty sure Sand Shark translates into Sand Tiger. Thank for posting

 

[Lee Taylor]

GREAT to see your posting Mike! Was wondering about your travels the other day. I have NOT been out lately. I started the season kicking ass and prepared to give my money to boat captains, gasoline vendors, hotel room providers, etc, etc. All of a sudden, I got financially slapped down, starting with the sudden death of my auto transmission AND my home HVAC..... SO, I canceled my Venice reservations, strapped the canoe and motor to my jet ski trailer and off I went. I visited the Edisto spot you and I found, and screened out a couple of one inch charmers and some baby hemi's. I then visited a back woods creek in Summerville and screened out a couple of handfuls of tiny teeth and baby hemis. Next it was back to the Edisto where I ended up screening the HUGE rock beds next to the boat ramp. Picked up a couple dozen tiny teeth. (1/4" - 3/8" baby shark teeth). I am amazed at how well the screener works. When i river fossil dive again, i will use it. Planning to purchase a 2hp Zuke for the canoe so we can go faster. Working on my waverunner engine. Re-built the trailer. If you get one we will run the rivers, here and there

ps: built me a dive helmet from your inspiration, 95% complete. has design problem of too much cantilever. need to shorten the swivel camera arms used for light support. will send photo. i think you will like it. i think the market would snap it up if it came to that

So Mike, how was your fossiling season?

 

[Lee Taylor]

AeroMike, We need to plan a trip here. Peace river. Afterwards, we can find some deeper water not too far away and burn a couple of aluminum 80's

 

[TONY CHANEY]

Tom, this is one of the first Tiger shark's teeth that Calvin and have seen with the dog teeth so pronounced. Still avery good looking tooth.

Lee, Ryan and I tried helmets on this last dive and to tell you the truth...I am not sold on them. I simply think that I prefer the light on the back of my hand.

 

[Lee Taylor]

I can appreciate that comment Tony. I haven't tried it yet, so I don't know what it is like. I have never had a problem with the HID handheld light and the back-of-the-hand canister light I use. Although I think I may give up on my old canister light because I suddenly do not like the cable between the light and the canister. I got tangled in LOTS of fishing line and rope this dive season and the canister cable just made things worse. Understand that it is more to me than "lighting underwater". I have been a career product designer and in my time away from work I love to tinker, design, and build things.

If and when i start using my screener while scuba fossiling the river, it will be nice to have two hands available. What I have found to work best is to use a metal-sand-sifter-scoop to move the materials from the bottom to the screener. Then use the screener to filter out ALL the teeth. It works GREAT!

 

[TONY CHANEY]

I understand better now considering that you are using a screen. I have never seen one in action nor have even seen one. Can you send me some pictures? I also love to do projects. As of lately, I have made the Intova wing and now can take my lights and remove them from the wing, to the hand held handles to the helmet in an easy manner.

 

[Lee Taylor]

Tony I put off fabricating a screen for a long time, due to a mile long list of things to do around here. When I finally finished fabricating the yellow float screen I took it down to Folly Beach, which is behind my house, and almost instantly I found a sharks tooth. This was in the surf. I knew I had the ticket for exploring and sifting the sand and soil. Now days my primary concern is finding public land on which to use it. I have found that there are sharks teeth next to the public boat landings. Have not tried to scuba with it but i feel sure it can be done.

The screen with the yellow floats is the one I like best.
The screen with the blue floats is the one I take for backup and for someone that does not have one.
The third photo is a sand scoop with long handle
The potato rake is the type of item i like using to hold to the bottom of a river with current running
The short handle sand scoop works quite well for transferring materials into the screen shown in the first photo