Zach DeWitt was no stranger to the waters. Previously into fishing, DeWitt opted for the other end of the pole as he dove into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean searching for megalodon shark teeth in 2013.
“I was hooked,” DeWitt said.
The hobby became his life’s calling. DeWitt spends his time off the shores of North Carolina scuba diving for teeth belonging to one of the largest predators to ever roam the earth.
Scientists suggest the megalodon shark, which they date back to more than 20 million years ago, reached lengths of 80 feet with a body mass exceeding 33 metric tons. Its robust appearance is similar to today’s great white shark.
The shark’s massiveness is mirrored in its teeth. Archeologists have discovered teeth exceeding 7 inches in slant height. The predators had more than 250 choppers between their jaws.
DeWitt was fascinated by the shark’s sheer size. He savored the opportunity to dig up pieces of history.
“You’re the first person to touch an authentic shark tooth. It’s just captivating to me,” he said.
DeWitt, a professional captain and scuba diver, came up empty-handed on his first scuba dive for megladon teeth in 2013, finding only broken teeth fragments and triangular rocks. But he went on a he roll after coming across his first tooth.
Today, his North Carolina-based Shark Teeth Mega Store has several hundred megalodon teeth that range from two to six inches tall. The largest is 6.5 inches. The artifacts are rewards for DeWitt’s hard work at sea.
Diving days can be long and wearisome. DeWitt ventures about 40 miles offshore to depths of 100 to 120 feet. He dives incrementally, noting the body can only take about three 25-minute diving periods a day.
Excitement and nervousness consumes him whenever he spots a tooth. He grabs it and immediately throws it in his underwater catch bag.
“I make sure minutes later that it’s still in the bag,” DeWitt said. “Just that reward knowing that what you did on one dive…it keeps me coming back.”
DeWitt, who obtained a master’s degree in environmental science, uses his retail store as a platform to educate on megalodon shark fossils. He’ll have fossils on display at Summerville’s annual Flowertown Festival – a town with high interest in hunting shark teeth on land, DeWitt says.
“I enjoy going to (festivals) and sharing the story,” he said. “[Guests] want a piece of the story.”
Find DeWitt at Booth M130. For more information, go to sharkteethmegastore.com
