Venice Beach Conditions

[tlawler]

I had one of my best days ever at Alhambra today. I found 105 small teeth(give or take), one nice small almost perfect meg, one mako and two pieces of megs on a 101 minute dive. I found the large meg piece and small perfect meg within 5 ft. and less than a minute of each other! Water was 87 degrees and vis was 10 to 12 ft. Seas were glassy at near low tide. Entered the water at 1205 and finished at 1346.

Alhambra seemed "picked over" and a waitress at Sharkies said that it would be better to search South of the pier. CBulla mentioned something along those lines as well. I know that it's an ancient riverbed that we are picking through, but what was it's route? Does it run the length of the shoreline in that area? Is there a reason (other than convienience) that everyone seems to dive Alhambra?

I was starting to think Alhambra was getting picked over too, but after today I don't think that's the case. That site has always consistently produced more teeth than any other spot I've dived in the Venice area and it's just a matter of having weather systems stirring up the bottom and uncovering more teeth. When we go longer intervals between storms, like now, the teeth aren't replinished on a regular basis. I have been finding a lot of my teeth by carefully parting the seaweed in a manner that doesn't stir up the bottom too much and reduce the local vis. One note to go along with that, though: I'm pretty sure I saw a scorpion fish on my dive today. It freaked me out a little because he swam underneath me and came out near my chin and reg before I saw him. If I had been hugging the ground any closer, I might have gotten a spine in the chest. Anyone else ever seen one at VB? Or am I mistaking something else for a scorp? Wish I had my camera with me. Oh well.

 

[Mmm Scuba]

Nice haul!

What depth did you find the larger ones?

I spent a few minutes at about 20ft and found several very small peices of very large teeth. I think we're going to start going farther out. We've done the 'lets see how many we can find' game to death. Time to start looking for the trophys.

As for the fish, I've seen several different types of what I've been told are Sea Robins. I did some surfing to find out if they are poisonous. They are in the same family as scorpion fish and lion fish. Some sites say they're poisonous some say no. On one trip to Venice the water was dead calm and glassy, so I snokeled along the water line in a few feet of water. I saw several of those fish that were 2 or 3 inches long sitting on the bottom. So don't forget to shuffle you're feet.

 

[tlawler]

Nice haul!

What depth did you find the larger ones?

It was low tide and according to my computer, I spent most of the dive between 13 and 15 ft.

As for the fish, I've seen several different types of what I've been told are Sea Robins. I did some surfing to find out if they are poisonous. They are in the same family as scorpion fish and lion fish. Some sites say they're poisonous some say no. On one trip to Venice the water was dead calm and glassy, so I snokeled along the water line in a few feet of water. I saw several of those fish that were 2 or 3 inches long sitting on the bottom. So don't forget to shuffle you're feet.

I think the fish you are referring to is the flying gunnard, which is pretty common in the area. The one I'm referring to is the first of it's type I have seen there and looked very similar to this:

 

[Divergirl4U]

At what size does the tooth become a meg. ??
KP

 

[CBulla]

At what size does the tooth become a meg. ??
KP

It's not size, its characteristics and traits of the tooth.

When you look at the picture of the teeth that Solo posted, how many different general species do you see, i.e., how many teeth look distinctly different than another one there, vs., similar? I see 3 megs (one beat up some, one with a chipped tip, one in half) and a Maco for the larger, then around it I see Dusky's and Lemons.. a little farther out I see a sand tiger.. a row of them on the bottom.

 

[Divergirl4U]

I like sand tiger ... the wavy ones are cool
The large pointy one is a Maco huh ... is it a complete tooth?
KP

 

[2TH DIVR]

9/8/07 report

dove with FL West

Vis 10'-15'

temp 87

seas flat

the haul;

 

[michaelb51]

At what size does the tooth become a meg. ??
KP

Meg. is abbreviated megaladon, a specie. So "meg"s could be almost any size depending on the specimen that wore them.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalodon
The megalodon, Carcharodon megalodon, (from ancient Greek μέγας = "big" + 'οδούς (genitive 'οδόντο&#962 = "tooth") was a giant prehistoric shark that probably lived between about 16 to 1.6 million years ago. It is the biggest known carnivorous fish to have ever lived

 

[CBulla]

I like sand tiger ... the wavy ones are cool
The large pointy one is a Maco huh ... is it a complete tooth?
KP

The long pointy one that has a flat side is 1/2 of a megalodon.. they sometimes break nice and clean down the middle like that. It's neat.

 

[Divergirl4U]

Wow .... I would love to find a tooth that size whole .... that is like 6 inches .... my largest is 3 1/2 inches.
Megaladon teeth are thicker and larger then the small teeth ... is that it?
Question girl ... I know
KP