Frequently Asked Questions

The best part! We find a ton of fossils, not just shark teeth. Florida changed landscape so many times over the last 20 million years that we have the potential to find older Miocene marine life, such as whale, dolphin or shark fossils, to newer Pleistocene land life such as horses, mastodons or even larger predators such as lions and bears. On occasion, we may even find Indian artifacts, but by Florida law those must not be kept and must be reported to your guide. 

Check out our NEW (and always updating) Fossil ID page for more✨️ 

We hunt using sifting screens and shovels/scoops. FRE has exclusive heavy duty stainless steel scoops which absolutely maximize each shovel full to, in essence, find the most fossils in a single scoop .  See the video at the bottom of this page which shows the advantage over your standard shovel.

In short-of course...but we hardly ever see any!! Just like most animals, they are fearful of human encounters and do not frequent the areas we dig. Clear waters most of the dry season allow us to see very well into the water. Most gators are uninterested in anything bigger than a housecat anyways. The only truly dangerous gators are those that are fed by humans, and surely none of that happens near us at all; likewise during gator mating season ( when they becone territorial) we are in the off-season. 

As for snakes, spiders and other scary animals, the same applies. They are almost always gone before you would have even noticed they were there in the first place. 

The good thing is that FRE provides all the necessary fossil hunting equipment, but you are always welcome to bring your favorite shovel or screen .  We suggest you bring with you a backpack with some food, waters ( it gets hot!), bug spray and/or sunscreen. 

As for footwear, we suggest dive boots, however water shoes or old sneakers work fine as well. Waders work too, but they can be cumbersome when traversing between spots or in certain areas. 

Wear comfortable clothing that you don't mind getting dirty and wet in, and don't forget that towel at the car (or even a change of clothing). It can get cold in the winter water, so we also suggest divewear or skins ( these can be rented from many places prior to you're coming out). 

If you're in the dry dig...think gardening in hot sun. Good sun protection, gloves, comfortable breathable clothing and LOTS OF WATER!

It's always good to bring a ziploc bag or two to bring your finds home in. And a folding chair can't hurt either, as long as it's packable and easy to transport with the rest of your belongings. Protective gear or a dry box for your personal belongings/phone/camera/keys are also suggested-after all- we will be in the water 😉!

The good thing is that our adventures cebtralize in and around Arcadia, FL .  From Tampa it's a little more than an hour, Sarasota it's 45 minutes, Fort Myers it's less than an hour and Orlando it's only 1.5 hours. Basically a short trip from any Gulf Coast beach and you're here!

Shockingly, it can get a little cold in the mornings at times. It's always good to check the weather prior, and dress accordingly.  If the mornings are less than 60 degrees, it may be worth wearing a diveskin, hoodie or long johns...and we offer rentals if you don't have one! But, for the most part,  it's sunny, warm Florida, and short sleeves and shorts work just fine 🌞!

...then you'd be the first! If you dig, you will find!

Well, it depends on the experience. Right now, the weekend swamp buggy experience seats up to five hunters per trip, but, early to mid week private excursions can be tailored to fit just your party. Same for the airboat trips...when the airboat trips are running, they can seat up to 9 per trip, but we often book multiple boats so up to 18 may be possible. Check with us prior for more details. 

The hunting areas are expansive, so you will certainly not feel encroached upon and have a good dig spot all to yourself once underway.  

Generally speaking, the swamp buggy will run for four hours from 9 to 12, the airboat will run for five hours from 10 to 3, and creek walking will run for 6 hours from 9 to 3pm. These may waiver some but generally these are our hours/times for the digs. 

Believe it or not, every day isn't always sunny here. There are times where a storm may delay the beginning of our trip, so kind of like baseball games, we just simply wait for the lightning to pass. If its just rain,  well, we are digging through it. Now, if a storm comes during the excursion, we will make sure that you are compensated and/or credited if the boat/buggy or walk is cut short and we lose more than the last hour of the trip. 

If you're just after shark teeth, the answer is NO! Florida only requires a permit to be held if customers choose to keep any VERTEBRATE fossils OTHER than shark teeth. If you wish to keep VERTEBRATE FOSSILS OTHER THAN SHARK TEETH, we have you covered with our multi user permit prior to your tours in 2023. Starting in 2024, we do request you obtain one prior to your tour, as this will be a new state requirement.  Don't worry! They're cheap and easy to carry. See more through the link at the base of our Tours tab.

Most of our experiences are water-based digs, so in short, if you buy a water based dig it is expected that you will join us in the water. That being said, our public airboat has a beach that you can hang out on if you so choose ... and if you want to buy a seat to simply hang out and breathe in the surroundings without getting ...you most certainly can do that as well!

Our guides work hard to give you the best experience possible, so even though tips are not required, we welcome recognition for our hard work. We have an opportunity at the end for cash tips, and we also can take tips via venmo as well as via credit card. In addition, we partner with the airboat company to provide rides to our honey holes. Since they are a separate company from us, we also encourage you to tip them if you enjoyed your ride. Our tip jars are visible at the trailer post tour for both of our companies.

We have lots of great items for sale both before and after the tour, including both Fossil Recovery and Fossil Life shirts, hats, stickers, fossil kits, shark teeth and jewelry. Also, available on some tours, we have on-the-spot wire wrapping for that special tooth for 10 to 15$. 

We have a limited stock of about 20 divesuits available for rent on those cold mornings. We cannot guarantee that we will have your size, but arriving 15 to 20 minutes prior to your 30 minute check-in ensures a good shot at getting your size. They are 25$ a piece, and are first come first serve the day of the tour. Most are 3mil. 

A common occurance in the summer months, we often encounter very quick rises in water levels which make for difficult digging and planning. Nevertheless, we have adapted to this and will keep your buggy/airboat ride booked,  and simply reroute to whatever the best option for finding the most/best fossils may be at the time. This could be a small feeder creek, alternate areas in the river, or even a dry dig option. Please note that this may result in changing your method of transport from buggy to airboat or vice-versa,  depending on that final location. You will be notified prior by at least 12 hours of these changes if so.  Barring a handful of days after tropical storms and hurricane events, one thing is for sure-there will always be somewhere to fossil with FRE no matter what! We pride ourselves on year round availability ✔️ 

In short- all are welcome.  We will do our best to work with whatever limitations you may have. Our guides are trained in first aid, are in great physical  shape and will always step it up to dig for you if need be. Just let us know prior and we will work with you and discuss our plans for you in the tour so you know EXACTLY what to expect!

There are none! For little ones, we simply ask that you are attentive to the younger fossilers and are willing to be there for them throughout the tour, as they may not be able to dig/venture into certain areas that other children/adults may be. That being said-we will do our best to include them any way we can!

For older folks, we also ask that you review your physical limitations and let us know prior if there are any requirements/expectations of us that may be needed. 

Well, now we have a page for that. All kits as of December 2024 will have an additional sticker placed on the bag with a scan code. Simply scan that code and it will bring you directly to our Fossil ID page...slide on down and discover what you've unearthed!

Sometimes FRE will have to slightly change start times, locations and vehicles due to various reasons, usually weather,  party size, or mechanical issues. These changes will always be communicated at minimum the day prior ( if able) and will usually be in the form of a text message. Please be sure to provide proper information when you sign up so that we can easily communicate these changes to you. This is a more frequent practice in the wet months, roughly July to November.