Prehistoric sharks will be at the forefront this summer, as Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” is celebrated July 11-18th and “Meg 2: The Trench” is in theaters August 4, 2023. Every week is “Shark Week” for Bill Eberlein, the founder of MegaTeeth Fossils, who dives day-in and day-out in the waters of Coastal Georgia in search of Megalodon shark teeth, the dinosaurs of the seas. With over 25 years of diving experience and a vast collection of fossils, Eberlein has his fair share of “Shark Week” worthy stories and experiences.

“Our ocean floors are home to these amazing ancient fossils, only moved by the tides,” Eberlein said. “It’s thrilling to have the honor of uncovering these unique pieces of history and share them with the world.” 

The excitement generated each year by the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” – now in its 35^th year - prompts masses of people to learn more about the aquatic creatures and explore all things shark-related. This year it will be followed by the long-awaited release of “Meg 2: The Trench”, the sequel to the 2018 film “The Meg”. The film follows a deep-sea diving research team who become face to face with a malicious mining operation, all while fighting to escape the colossal prehistoric sharks in an action-packed adventure. Eberlein likes Shark Week because it makes him happy to know that others are interested in the elasmobranch fish he bases his livelihood. It’s a passion he is eager to share with those who are curious.

Megalodons were enormous sea creatures, members of the now-extinct family of sharks, the Megashark. The name Megalodon translates in Greek to “big tooth,” which is no exaggeration. Evidence proves these ancient sharks could measure 60 feet in length, which is the standard length of an entire bowling lane. A single tooth from this shark is generally three to four inches but the most rare examples can measure as much as seven inches long and may weigh as much as a pound. The force of the teeth adds up, given that Megalodons had 276 teeth! The bite force of a Megalodon equates to about an impressive 40,000 pounds per square inch, which is greater than the bite force of a T-rex dinosaur. Today, only the fossils remain to carry on the daunting legacy of the Megalodon, who roved the deepest parts of the oceans any time between 2 and 20 million years ago.

Eberlein spent many years taking leisure dives at shipwreck sites but wasn’t introduced to fossil diving until he moved to Savannah, GA in the late 1990s. He took a diving trip with friends from work just for fun with no expectations off the coast of Hilton Head Island and was instantly hooked on fossil diving with his first Megalodon tooth find surprising himself and his friends. As his personal fossil collection grew, he decided it was time to part ways with some of his precious pieces and in 2000 he started MegaTeeth fossils.  Eight years later he decided to “take the plunge” to dive and sell his fossils full-time, leaving his day jobs at Gulfstream and teaching at Savannah Technical College.  What was once a dream had come to fruition before his very eyes – a business built around his treasure hunting SCUBA diving passion.

“I never imagined a casual hobby turning into my passion, and certainly never imagined creating a business for myself doing what I love every day,” Eberlein said.

Families from all over the map can enjoy a piece of “Shark Week” in their own home with a Megalodon tooth fossil. Eberlein’s Megalodon teeth and other fossils, exhibited on his on his website at https://megateeth.com/, are available for purchase. Each item is from Eberlein’s personal collection. Over 200 fossils on Megateeth.com are individually curated for authenticity and fossil identification by Bill and Dodie Gay, his wife and business partner of over 20 years, and includes additional information and articles about Eberlein’s hunting obsession beyond movies and Shark Week to add one more Megalodon to his shark tooth collection.