A North Carolina diver has made an extraordinary discovery beneath the waves — a nearly 6-inch fossilized Megalodon tooth, one of the ocean’s most coveted prehistoric treasures.
Christian Corbitt, founder of Apex Fossils and owner of Encounter Scuba, found the giant tooth 35 miles off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina.
Corbitt told CBS 17 that he spent two days and one night anchored offshore to make the find, diving deep into the ocean floor in search of fossilized remains of the ancient apex predator. “There’s some training required. We were 35 miles offshore. We spent two days offshore so we had to anchor there and sleep on the boat overnight,” Corbitt said.
To extend his dive time, Corbitt used a closed-circuit rebreather system, allowing him to stay underwater far longer than traditional scuba gear permits. He performed four advanced decompression dives per day, carefully managing gas and stop times to avoid risk.
“Every dive involved deep decompression stops. Any mistake, whether in gas management or missed stops could have led to serious injury or even death,” Corbitt emphasized.
His efforts paid off. In total, Corbitt recovered 33 complete fossil shark teeth, including specimens from Megalodon, Chubutensis, and Carcharocles benedeni. He also uncovered fossilized whale ribs, ear bones, and a number of still-unidentified relics — some estimated to be millions of years old.
This find not only adds to our understanding of prehistoric marine life but also showcases the dedication and risk involved in unearthing such ancient marvels from the deep.
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