NC diver discovers nearly 6-inch Megalodon tooth off North Carolina coast

NEWPORT, N.C. (WNCN) — Christian Corbitt, the founder of Apex Fossils and owner of Encounter Scuba discovered a nearly 6-inch fossilized Megalodon tooth 35 miles off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina.

The Megalodon tooth is one of the ocean’s most coveted prehistoric treasures.

Corbitt told CBS 17 he spent two days and one night anchored offshore to find it. He said he performed four advanced decompression dives per day to search the ocean floor for 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,” said Corbitt.

Using a closed-circuit rebreather system he said he was able to stay underwater far longer than traditional scuba gear allows.

“Every dive involved deep decompression stops. Any mistake, whether in gas management or missed stops could have led to serious injury or even death, said Corbitt.”

In total, Corbitt recovered 33 complete fossil shark teeth, including specimens from Megalodon, Chubutensis, and Carcharocles benedeni, along with fossilized whale ribs, ear bones, and a number of still-unidentified relics. Some of it is millions of years old.

To check out more of Corbitt’s finds or to purchase one you can find visit @apex_fossils on Instagram.