Shark Tooth Seekers

Tybee Island’s low, wide beaches are a hands-on classroom for anyone interested in deep-time mysteries. Shark Tooth Seekers brings a short, guided fossil hunt to the City of Tybee’s North Beach, pairing a bite-size talk on Megalodon and Georgia’s fossil coast with an hour of combing the intertidal sand for real shark teeth. The program is offered in partnership with Georgia Southern Museum and features special guest and fossil diver Doug Duch, who shares field stories and helps identify finds.

It’s designed as a compact, family-friendly experience—arrive early to allow time for parking in the City of Tybee’s public North Beach parking lot. Paid parking is required via a parking kiosk or the ParkTYB app; parking is $4/hour. Check-in happens at the black gate on the left side of the building next to the playground, and reservations are required because space is limited.

What makes this outing special is the direct access to fossil material in an active coastal strandline where wave action concentrates teeth and small shells. Participants receive hands-on tips from an expert and can compare finds with identified specimens; all registered attendees will receive a free admission pass to the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. Bring a small bag for your discoveries, sun protection, and a sturdy pair of shoes that can handle sand and wet shell beds.

Children under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and Doug Duch will be available to answer questions and help identify teeth ranging from modern species to fragments that echo much older fossil forms. The event typically lasts about 1 hour, so it’s a perfect half-day activity for families or solo visitors staying on Tybee Island or nearby. Beyond the science, the hunt connects you with the coast’s working shoreline: look for layered shell deposits, tiny gastropods, and the occasional flake of fossilized bone.

This short program is a rare way to learn from a field diver and to take home a small, physical piece of Georgia’s marine past. Whether you're a first-timer with a keen eye or a collector polishing identification skills, the hour focuses on technique — reading the foreshore, spotting the dark triangular shapes of teeth, and learning quick identification markers. Expect to hear local context about how storms and tides reveal material, and about the regional interest in Megalodon research highlighted during GSU's Shark Week June 21-27.

Because sessions fill, plan ahead: bring cash or card for parking, dress for sun and wind, and keep finds legal and ethical—collect loose teeth and shells rather than digging into dunes. The Marine Science Center location means you can extend your visit to exhibits after the hunt, turning a brief outing into a fuller day of coastal.