Page 179 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2017

has a flat bottom, less than thirty feet deep. You’ll be looking for triangles which may be black or partially white if encrusted with sea growth. This dive is about covering lots of ground. You’ll not be digging or fanning, just swimming and looking. I’ve been diving the boneyard for 20 years and there are still teeth there.”
When we think of diving in Florida, we picture pristine springs or coral reefs with crystal clear water. But off Venice, the visibility was limited to a couple of feet. That is, until we touched anything and raised a cloud of
silt which reduced it to a couple of inches. We found the seabed littered with shells, chunks
of rock, starfish, trash, and of course, fossilized remains.
With the waters so shallow, we had lots of bottom time and logged well over two hours of searching during our two dives. Once back aboard the boat, we rifled through our “treasures” to find: lots of rocks — not what we had in mind. But we did find pieces of fossilized manatee and whale ribs and other fossilized remains of who knows what.
Our hope was to find a pristine megalodon tooth, one nearly seven inches in length and worth over $1000. Though as novices we
failed to achieve our goal, it was all about the thrill of the hunt. The most valuable thing we brought back were the memories of an exciting adventure. Not such a bad outcome.
For more information, please call or visit one of our Charter Bank locations.
Go online at mycharterbank.com
GULFPORT
228.831.3535
BILOXI
228.392.2330
OCEAN SPRINGS
228.875.3933
PASCAGOULA
228.762.3330
*Charter Bank’s Platinum Money Market Account offers a 1.10% Annual Percentage Yield. $2,500 new account minimum deposit to open. Limited time offer. Subject to change without notice. FDIC insurance up to the maximum permitted by law. Other restrictions apply.
BRITTANY WILEM inside of the jaws of a Prehistoric Megalodon to show size.
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net September 2017 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 179