New thread for Venice Sharks teeth diving

[Knavey]

Want to assemble the information that someone needs to do this type of dive. Its taken from a few different posts in the past:

VENICE -- the areas to look here are broken up into a number of different areas. One of the best is a beach dive off Venice beach in the 15-20 foot depth range. Many extremely large Megalodon teeth are found by beach divers at the point indicated in the photograph. Some simply use a spaghetti colander to scoop the bottom sands and filter out teeth, some use an inner-tube with a screen in the middle and shuttle back and forth between the bottom and the tube with bucket-fulls of bottom sand, and some simply swim the length of the beach, looking for anything black. All these techniques work! The second area to work is the Casperson Beach area, where there are a series of ledges at the 22 foot depth. These ledges are frequently cleaned of sand by wave action, exposing teeth on the bedrock to simply be picked up by the knowledgeable diver! The third area to work are the spoil islands in the Venice Inlet area, where the dredge picked up many large teeth and deposited them within easy reach of the diver, wader, or snorkeling swimmer. The offshore water is white due to a violent winter storm that frothed the surf the day before the picture was taken, normal visibility is 25+ feet. There are boat ramps (public & good ramps) on both sides of the inlet. - Text and picture taken from Treasuresites.com



Directions

Head to Venice on I 75. Take exit 193 and head SW on Jacaranda. Turn right on Venice Ave. Stay on Venice Ave until after you’ve crossed the bridge to the downtown area. Turn left at the second light after the bridge (Harbor). Turn right at the 5th street (Alhambra). Park on the street as close to the dead end as possible. Be careful not to block the driveway to the condo.

Visibility

Normally pretty poor (0.00001 inches to 15 feet at best). Some people have suggested lights, others say they aren't worth the trouble.

Equipment

I need some help with this one. Aside from the dive flag/float, I have heard that you should bring a small shovel to dig with, perhaps a colander to use. A fine mesh bag to hold the teeth.

What else am I missing?

I am especially interested in people posting LANDMARKS to head out from on the beach AND which beach you should dive off of. I have only been down there once and it was a bust...no sharks teeth found.

Planning on being there Saturday Morning 7/5 about 0930 if anyone else is interested.

 

[Walter]

Bottom composition varies. Places have sand, other places have clay. A colander is not as effective as a screen box. Make a screen box by stretching ¼ inch hardware cloth across a wood square made from treated 1 X 2's approximate 1 ft square. In areas where clay is common, don't use a colander or screen box as it will destroy what visibility you have. The directions in your post are to an area with extensive clay deposits.

I would not recommend shuttling from the bottom to the surface. I've personally had better luck picking individual teeth off the bottom and dropping them into a fine mesh bag and than with any other method.

Don't forget your buddy line. It is very easy to lose track of your buddy in these conditions if you aren't using a buddy line.

Other dive locations include the public beach, Service Club Park and the area near Sharky's.

It's been many years since I dived the public beach, so I can't help with directions to the best locations for teeth. Those wishing to try their luck at the public beach can find it by staying on Venice Ave to the end, the public beach is right there.

Service Club park is farther south on Harbor. It is a long walk across the board walk to the beach. I know this is a very rich area, but to find lots of fossils will require a much longer swim than at most other sites. Between the shore and the fossil beds, you'll encounter an artificial reef composed mostly of culverts.

Sharky's is about ½ mile south of Service Club Park. At Sharky's, stay away from the fishing pier! This is out of courtesy and also for your safety. The pier is frequented by lots of fishermen and you can easily get hooked if you venture too close. Folks dive both north and south of the pier. I've had better luck about 100 yds south of the pier. I usually do fairly well from about 3/4 the length of the pier to out beyond its end.

I've not yet had much luck at Casperson, but I suspect it is because I have yet to find the best areas.

At the end of Alhambra, I usually have excellent luck if I keep my dive between the storm drainage culverts on the south and the 3 tall pines to the north.

Visibility averages 2 - 6 feet. I have seen black water (play in the surf zone with your screen box on these days) and I've seen 30 feet of viz (OK, so I've only seen 30 ft once).

Summer temperatures can reach 87+°F, so it is comfortable with no suit. Winter Temps usually drop into the upper 50's - low 60's, but during particularly cold winters can play with the upper 40's. Venice diving in winter requires warm exposure suits (3 mil doesn't cut it) with a properly fitting hood.