Hunting For Megalodon Shark Teeth Cooper River Diving
Cooper River is a well-traveled, fairly fast-flowing river in Charleston, South Carolina. This constantly churns the river bed, exposing all kinds of fossils, but most famously, the Megalodon teeth fossils. Some of the teeth you can find are the size of your hand! There have been other fossils found such as turtle shell pieces, mammoth teeth, tusks, Indian “sinkers”, and more!
Cooper River is a rather dark river with very limited visibility. This is why you need to have dive lights. The Drift Diver Specialty is encouraged due to the current.
Please Note: The fossilized teeth are rocks! This means if you collect a lot of them, it may be more difficult to control your buoyancy by the end of the dive.
Additional gear you’ll want to have with you:
Dive lights
Bag for collecting fossils
Knife
Drift Diver Certification
Boat Diver Certification
Flag & Float
Signaling devices
The Megalodon, meaning “big tooth” lived roughly 1.5 million years ago during the Cenozoic Era. Fossil remains indicate that this shark reached a length of more than 16 meters (52 feet). A few of the creatures the Megalodon preyed on included dolphins, giant sea turtles, and several kinds of whales (some of which are extinct now). A few species of whale this shark hunted that are still alive include Sperm Whales, Bowheads, and Rorquals.
“THE MEGALODON”
The Carcharodon Megalodon (Giant Great White) was the largest prehistoric carnivorous vertebrate that ever roamed our oceans. This species lived approximately 2 to 28 million years ago. This beast lived to exceed 60ft, three times the length of a large great white. The shark in the movie Jaws was not even this large!
Divers and fossil hunters have found their fossilized teeth as big as 7 5/8 inches. These shark teeth have been found in rivers in places such as California, Florida, North Carolina , Virginia and especially South Carolina. Other shark teeth can be found in these rivers as well such as Great White, Angustiden, Auriculatus, Tiger Shark, Mako, Thresher, and Benedeni. Sharks are known to feast on whales, dugongs, turtles, sea lions and other fish. Occasionally you might be able to see the serrated tooth slashes through other fossilized animal remains.
I invite you to come and find your own fossil treasure from the most fierce predator to ever roam our prehistoric oceans.-Alan Devier
Trip Includes:
3 Boat dives daily
Snacks & Drinks for the boat
Air fills-Tank rentals available for additional fee
Not Included:
Travel to & from the dive destination
Food & drinks
Hotel Reservations
South Carolina Hobby License
For more information Contact Kim at 810-225-9868
Gear Configuration
Diving the blackwater rivers of SC really isn’t diving as much as it is crawling on the bottom. You can expect strong currents and very limited visibility.
All of your gear should be serviced per manufacturer’s recommendations and in good working condition. Your gear should be streamlined as much as possible and secured closely to your body to avoid having them drag in the mud and gravel. You should be able to immediately touch any of your gear without having to look for it. Your pressure gauge (SPG) should be attached to a D ring so you can easily read it.
Weight: the best way to minimize the effort it takes to work into the current is to use extra weight. I usually wear 15+ pounds more than I would diving in open water. You will need a BC or Wing that is capable of lifting this extra weight safely. It should have a minimum of 45lbs of lift. More is always better in this case.
Tanks – available for rent if needed; Aluminum 80s
Primary Light – head mounted lights work best & you will want a very bright light set up since there is no natural light penetration below about 15’. Extremely bright LED Head mounted lights are available for rent. We also sell complete, ready to dive Helmet light set ups in several options and price ranges. Ask for details. We guarantee that we’ll beat any other price out there on the same product.
Backup Light
Spike type tool or Screwdriver with lanyard – to drive into the bottom. This will assist you in working into the current. (Screwdrivers available on boat at no additional cost)
Knee pads – you will be crawling on the bottom more than anything else (volleyball type knee pads work well or leg pieces from an old wetsuit, Lowes/Home Depot type also work as long as they will stay tight and not slide down to your ankles in the current). These protect your knees and the knees of your wetsuit.
Goody Bag – to put your finds in (these are also kept on boat and sold at Aquatic Adventures of MI).
SMB (safety sausage/surface marker) – This is a mandatory safety item during the spring and summer months due to boat traffic.
