Sam,
Sorry about the long reply. I don't know if you want it, but I can give you some advice from one newb to another (I just finished my first surf/tooth dive at Venice in the care of two of the regulars, ReefGuy and Walter). It was fun, different, and rewarding.
For what it's worth, here is some quick advice from personal experience.
What to take (not necessarily in order of import):
1) Compass - _VERY_ handy for the swim out and in (boats make it dangerous to surface swim).
2) Dive Flag - _VERY_ important (see boats remark - sometimes they see you, sometimes they care). Also, I'm told there is a hefty fine w/o one. I picked mine up at Bass Pro for $20 (get the kind made out of swim tube as opposed to the styro kind - it lasts longer)
3) Crab trap line (1.88 at wal-mart or Bass Pro). Comes on a little H-shaped skein. IMHO more manageable than the poly line and skein they sell at the dive shops
4) 2 brass clips per flag (one of each end of the crab line - you figure out which end to clip to your BC)
5) Little metal office clips (clamps) for your flag (Thanks for giving me a couple, Walter)
6) Small collection bag - not the wide-mesh style you use for lobster or shells. They sell these at Florida West for about $7. They may sell them here at Orlando at your LDS. I thought it was a ripoff for la tourista and opted for my BC pocket the first day. Okay I was wrong. I went back to get one that afternoon for the second day of diving. It is made of that close-knit mesh they use for soft weights - rigid enough to keep shape and velcro closure for slipping teeth into easily (shark teeth, not yours). Measures about 8 1/2" W x 9" H and is perfect for collecting teeth (unless you find a bunch of megs).
7) Bring your knife for scraping crud off finds and for possible entanglements (also to cut yourself loose if a boat snags your flag at speed). Seriously.
8) Disposable U/W camera, maybe - some of the sea life were comical little guys
9) All the standard stuff (save-a-dive, tools, etc)
10) Sunscreen and water.
What _NOT_ to take:
1) No wetsuit - don't need it, too warm
2) No gloves - don't need them
3) Easier/cheaper to rent tanks at Florida West ($7/day ea + tax) but your choice if you have the wheels to haul them.
4) No shovel/trowel, no sifter needed
5) No huge lobster bag for collecting (don't laugh much - I brought one with no idea what to expect)
6) No expectations for finding a huge meg. If you do you will be pleasantly surprised. It seems that spotting the teeth is a skill you develop. The longer I was there, the more I seemed to see. BTW, on the way home, yield signs and other triangular objects seemed to attract my attention a lot more than on the way there. Seriously.
Background (A lot of this is repeated from Walter and ReefGuy):
Make your way to the end of Alahambra and park at the dead end. Gear up at the dead end and walk to the surf. Facing the ocean, note three large palms in a group on your right and the tall condo on your left. These are your landmarks.
Enter surf and head due West about 100 yds and drop to the bottom (d~12ft). This way you avoid boats (have I mentioned the boats and jetskis). I know it sounds paranoid, but some are not cautious around the diver-down flags and I am paranoid about boat props. The sand will probably be pretty smooth and plain, lots of sand dollars and crabs. As you continue West the depth will drop and you will start seeing dark patches of debris, shells, etc. Concentrate on the darker patches. You will probably find teeth laying out on the sand, and definitely if you fan the debris lightly. Teeth are black at the root and grey enameled. Depth maxed for me at 17ft (250yds out?) and visibility was best earlier (light is decent at 0700, better at 0800). I started later because I had to cook my wife B-day breakfast before leaving her with the kids for the morning - yes I paid later.
Tanks lasted about 1.5 - 2 hours per. Surface occasionally to watch your drift, and mind the replenishment (they are making their way South and are currently about mid-way between Venice and the Pier at Sharkey's. Watch out for the Mantis Shrimp (nicknamed thumbsplitters) as I was cautioned by Walter . I only saw one, but there were lots of their burrows (a perfectly round hole lined with cemented sand - it looks like someone drove a small PVC pipe into the sand flush with the bottom. Word has it they can crack aquarium glass with one blow (my son is a little wildlife expert and he had a lot to tell me about them. Mind your drift (the landmarks I mentioned) and the darn surface craft (you can hear them when they are near).
Directions from Orlando are posted elsewhere and mapquest will give pretty good ones, but basically:
Take I-4W to I-75S, take exit 200 onto SR 681 toward Venice. Turn left onto US41S to Bus US41 (Tamiami Trl). Rt onto Bus US41/Tamiami Trl. Note the drawbridge: on your right will be a marina and restaurant and Florida West dive shop; enter plaza by bearing to the right before you cross the bridge.
Cross the bridge (still on Tamiami Trl) to Venice Ave. Rt on Venice Ave to Harbor. Left on Harbor and a few blocks down to Alahambra. Rt on Alahabra to a dead end and park on the street. Don't block any driveways.
Have fun and relax. Watch your consumption and save air for the swim back to the beach (return was harder than outbound). I had to snorkel back part way to observe my 500 psi reserve. I also cramped a little from dehydration so drink lots before you start and hydrate between dives. It's a cool dive and I wish I lived closer to it. I'd be there early every other weekend.
Take care. Enjoy your son's company - my wife and daughter are in OW cert class right now.
.
