# River Dive



## BOHUNTER1 (Feb 18, 2008)

Man i went on another weekend of diving Florida rivers looking for some fossils. Dove a few places on the Suwannee this time and actually had kinda poor luck but extrememly good luck!</DIV></DIV>What happened and did I learn anything!</DIV></DIV>1. Do NOT wear a dive knife on your leg, calf area. WHY? If you are ever in a situation where a ROPE, LINE, whatever gets inbetween the handle and your leg causing an entanglement and you dont feel it until you have already kicked a few times and wrapped it around your leg again..... Your gonna have to bend down, use up air, and get vented in removal! Luckily i was on surface and held onto the boat..... If the knife wasnt there it wouldnt have entangled me! SO.....</DIV></DIV>2. In a river and ripping current always use a tow line. WHY... cause in <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1256017101_0>dark water you get lost! You might be 50 ft in front of the boat or 50 yards behind the boat upon surfacing! Kicking to the boat might ensue a crap or two! Then your downstream ... way downstream in gator waters! So dont kick on surface! Look like a wounded animal... NOT GOOD!</DIV></DIV>3. Be observant underwater in a close rocky environment. I looked ahead in one instance and say the first of many GIANT boulders, all jagged sharp rocks, I flashed them to my Dive buddy 2xs as he was looking and fanning..... well he apparently didnt understand that light on a big ass rock means watch out! So about 2-5 inches from a head bang I grabbed his BCD and pulled him back, he gave me the OK sign then! LOL </DIV></DIV>Well the dives ranged from 30 feet to 18 feet. All in dark water maybe 2 ft clear viz and 10-12 ft you could see your partners light beam. It was dark but clear.... neatest thing on first dive was an old growth log cut with axes! This was 30 foot dive. Big long deadfall really neat looking. I was hoping to see a sturgeon but underwater no luck. saw a bunch jumping on surface that was neat. Found my partners LOST goodie back with goodies. Weather up top was deteriating and getting more cloudy and rainy. So we got in another Dive and headed home... had a flat... headed to wally world.... headed to boat and headed home! LOL Next da brought 54 degrees! Talk about nipply! Whoooo Luckily the water didnt change any! Still warmer than above. Hit the next spot found some goodies, bones and teeth. This is where I had my Oh Shi*&%^& What the Heck , gas release and all.... I found a nice limerock shelf, 3 of us split up. The shelf was kinda perpindicular to the river and was a great place for syuff to fall off and settle down and collect! Sure enuff to my right was this growing shelf of limestone, and at the bottom a nice wide crack. Jackpot spot... well as I went down that crack fanning pottery and sand away I had the urge to look to my left, wall to right and open left.... welll as my limited vision went left withthe light there was and I dont know how I didnt see it a HUGE log beside me less than a foot away, yes startled I was and said bubble bubble bubble bubble underwater... LOL another deadfall cut with an axe... foudn a few fossils there noithing to brag about..... SO we moved and went to another area and bailed off again....</DIV></DIV>Partner found a Mammoth tooth in 2 pieces and a lot of large Bone, so we decided to redive this location... after that redive we went to a very neat spot, lots of limerock boulders and ripping current. We tossed out the anchor and hooked up, so I geared up and was first in and went down to check on anchor situation to make sure it was good and at the anchor was a huge boulder, and a triangle area of sand and just like someone placed it there for me, was a <SPAN class=yshortcuts id=lw_1256017101_1>shark tooth.... so it looked big and I grabbed it up, turned hand to me and opened it and saw a cusp on each side of the tooth, and it was big.... so no need to put this in a goodie bag I went back up the rope. My partners said what.... I held this baby up! A 3 1/8" Charcaroles Auriculatus tooth! PERFECT condition and huge! A 45 second dive! LOL This is a rare tooth and finding one big and in super condition is even harder. So for me I was satisfied and went back down with partner wanting more..... we found absolutely NADA, not one more fossil! Did see a 20lb catfish under a rock.... LOL Lots of overhead stuff, current and big rocks to get blown into... light was a must! Viz again 2-3 ft clear, just dark stained water. No gators! Got to top and had to kick back to boat, cramped up BAD and it was colder than my mother in laws heart! Wheewww... Shivered back to the truck, and we had a flat coming out of the boat ramp.... WOW #2 blown... LOL Oh well here is the tooth!</DIV></DIV></DIV>Cleaning with secret solution!! Vinegar!</DIV>







</DIV>There she is! Entact and 99% of the enamel!</DIV>







</DIV></DIV>


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## Worn Out (May 10, 2008)

*Now that is a cool post!!*

*Now I am pretty sure why I don't dive rivers!!!Nice finds though. I' bet those logs would make some fine floors and casings...*


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## Chris V (Oct 18, 2007)

Thats awesome. What the hell is that animal with the 80 letter genus species name you mentioned?


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## Fish Happens (Oct 21, 2007)

A Carcharocles auriculatus is an Extinct Giant Great White Shark


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## BOHUNTER1 (Feb 18, 2008)

http://www.lowcountrygeologic.com/FossilSharkTeeth/Carcharoclesauriculatus/tabid/53/Filter/187n267/Default.aspx

Carcharocles auriculatus was the dominant shark species during the Eocene epoch, about 45 to 55 million years ago. Known as one of the extinct Giant Great White sharks, Carcharocles auriculatus was a massive animal that fed on whales. C. auriculatus is in the evolutionary line of extinct sharks that gave rise to Carcharocles megalodon (recently Carcharodon megalodon). In this lineage, Carcharocles auriculatus, is the great-grandfather of megalodon. Auriculatus evolved into Carcharocles angustidens, which evolved into Carcharocles chubutensis, and then finally Carcharocles megalodon.

Carcharocles auriculatus fossil shark teeth are easily recognizable by their bulbous roots, side cusplets, and serrated blades. The fossilized teeth of Auriculatus can reach lengths over five inches.

I have a friend who has found several of these in the Conecuh River. You just have to know where to look to have a good chance of finding them. There is a zone of the River which has exposed Eocene Formation where these fossils are buried. If I can find the pic of a fellas collection from there Ill post it, its freakin amazing and lots of tanks burned! Whale teeth and Vertebra are found also. Just something I like to do.























































This is a life size Charcaradon Megalodon Jaw... Id take my chances with a gator anyday! LOL Those teeth are around 6-7 inches and Im 5'10".... The Auriculatas wasnt as big but had a lot of razor blades. They predate the Megalodon by 30 million years! Rics are 35-55 million years old! 



















Waters are kinda hairy sometimes but you have to get all that bad vib crap outta there. Ya never know what might be down there. Might be a full Mastadon or Mammoth skull...... or a 14foot gator looking for a snack!


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## FenderBender (Oct 2, 2007)

That's a really cool post, thanks!


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## Orion45 (Jun 26, 2008)

This is way more than a flat. Did a gator chomp down on your wheel? oke 

A friend of mine went diving in the Louisiana swamps a few years back. Tha water was dark as tea. All of a sudden he came face to face big a gator. 

They both did a 180, the gator went one way and he went the other.My friendsaid he wasamazed how far up thebank he was able to "swim".

Very interesting post. Thanks.


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## Worn Out (May 10, 2008)

This just gets more and more cool ! 

I don't like snakes, but the thought of a meeting a gator on a river bottom scares me way worse than meeting a whole bunch of them in Atlanta on Dec 5th...!


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## Clay-Doh (Oct 2, 2007)

Awsome report and pics Steve..Thanx man!!!


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## User6882 (Feb 4, 2009)

:bangheadman now i wana go out to blackwater

great post thought, really enjoyed reading it


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## BOHUNTER1 (Feb 18, 2008)

Thats one of those why did you back off on the side of the ramp?

Old concrete just peeled it up and ..... off to the store we went!

Luckily it was the last dive of the day! LOL 

I tell ya its nice to dive in the gulf but the rivers have an ora about them and as long as its not all dead trees and thick limbs its kinda cool stuff. If its all boogery Im leary! LOL Otherwise its like walking in the dark through the woods holding your breath! 

STEVE


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## mkpitts6 (Feb 23, 2008)

Thankyou, great post!


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