Ironman Toothapalooza (Fall '07)

This was the third and last Ironman dive trip for '07. It starts by my buddy Jeff and I towing the 7000 pound Parker across the state on a road thats just a smidge wider than the trailer. White knuckle driving at its best. But the bottom of the gulf littered with monster meg teeth is all I see when I grit my teeth and close my eyes each time we meet a on-coming semi on one of the to narrow bridges keeping us from the promised land...Venice Beach.
We arrived around midnight Friday and anchored in the inlet, caught a few fish, then got some shut eye. We made our first dive right at sun up. The plan was to look for some new areas as the usual bone yard area has been hit pretty hard by this late in the year. We each went through our three tanks with sporadic finds. A broken meg here, a hemi there, but not the results we were accustomed to. So after getting fills from the excellent people at Scuba West we went back out and tried some areas that had produced before. We went a little slower and looked a little harder and found a few 3 -4 inch megs as well as more hemis and several Makos. With five dives complete it was time to head to Marker Four for a Snapper Basket and a pitcher of golden soda for me :). Aside from a channel marker trying to ram us on our way back to the inlet (it was close), a little fishing and resting easy with a fool proof plan for tomorrow.
In the water at sun up and we lucked into a good area. Tons of manatee and whale bones as well as small teeth and all sorts of unidentiables. We did our last two dives each on this spot with us both finding a few nice megs and Makos. I found a good size chunk of mammoth tooth and Jeff found a near five inch meg. He always finds the big teeth. I keep telling him its because hes not looking hard enough but he doesnt listen. Ironically, Jeff found a five inch near perfect meg on the first dive of our first Ironman trip and a similar sized but not quite as nice meg on our last dive of the last 07 Ironman trip.
I am hoping for a windy winter to stir up and hopefully uncover a five incher for me come spring.