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When Bill and Sara Hanifin return from scuba diving off the Carolina coast they bring home treasures of mega proportions. 

The Hanifins, of Washington, collect megalodon teeth, whale bone and shark teeth when they dive an estimated 100 ft. into the Atlantic ocean. 

“We find all kinds of teeth, but the megalodon seem to be the ones most people are interested in,” Sara said. 

Megalodons were the largest sharks to have ever existed. They lived in most regions of the oceans (except near the poles) the most northern fossils are found off the coast of Denmark and the most southern in New Zealand, according to the Smithsonian. 

Scientists believe megalodons were between 50 ft.-65 ft from nose to tail, and lived 20 million years ago until becoming extinct 3.6 million years ago, according to the Natural History Museum in London, England. Their size is comparable to today’s largest whale sharks. Their teeth can range in size from one to seven inches, but the most common size is three to five inches. 

Megalodon teeth can be found easily off the southern east Atlantic Coast including North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida. Sara said they find teeth from extinct great white sharks and smaller megalodon teeth near Beaufort, North Carolina. 

The deeper you dive, the less time you have to look because air tanks have limited time allotments. The Hanafins have about 20-30 minutes to look for teeth and other treasures. 

Bill says to look for clumps of rock, because the likelihood of finding a megalodon tooth is greater since most items on the seafloor are stacked on top of each other. 

Bill and Sara’s home is decorated with hundreds of their treasures. Their megalodon and shark teeth are displayed underneath a glass top coffee table in their living room as well as a glass top side table. 

Before displaying the teeth, Sara soaks them in fresh water for a couple of days then soaks them in diluted red wine vinegar, then returns them to fresh water. This way, she can scrape off any remaining marine growth while the red wine vinegar removes most of the calcium. 

Bill and Sara’s passion for scuba diving began in 2015 after moving to Washington. They met Scotty Rose Jr. and Tracy Rose of Pinetown who propelled the Hanifans’ interest in diving. Together, the couples dive with Pamlico Divers in Greenville. 

The Hanafins have been on scuba diving trips to Cozumel, Mexico and Micronesia with members of Pamlico Divers.  

Sara said she’s not afraid of current marine life that could be swimming near her, like sharks. In her experience, sharks are more curious than anything else and typically leave divers alone, because they are not the prey sharks are looking for. 

“Have we seen sharks? Yes, but have they ever bothered us? No, they’re not really interested…There’s sharks, but we’re not their food, they don’t care. When they come around they’re more or less curious than they are to harm us.” 

Bill said diving off the North Carolina coast can be dangerous because of the currents, or the temperature of the water. It still can be a “great dive” he said, because off the coast of North Carolina, there is a mixture of tropical and northern fish as well as thousands of shipwrecks to explore. 

“The people who really know what underwater really looks like and the marine life are the people who dive and go there,” Bill said. “It’s like you know what’s in Alaska, but the people who really know are the people who go there.” 

Each diver is unique in their reactions to being underwater. For some, it can be a sensory overload, but for others like Sara, it feels like home. 

“I’ve seen people where it’s full-on sensory overload, but to me it’s like going home. I’m very chill in the water. I find it really relaxing,” she said. 

Bill is similar in that being in the water helps him to physically feel better. “You get to a point where – and it hit me in Pulau just this past year – when you’re in the water and your body is totally relaxed. So when you come out of the water and you get on the boat you go, ‘man I can’t wait to get back in because my body just felt so good.’” 

Bill and the Roses teach scuba diving lessons through Beaufort County Community College and Pamlico Divers.