The Cooper River…

…offers divers the unique experience of searching the bottom of the river for megalodon fossilized shark teeth, whale fossils, mastodon fossils and many others.  There is also a great opportunity here for treasure hunters searching for Indian and colonial artifacts, antique bottles, and Revolutionary & Civil War relics.  

Many of the fossils have been documented to be millions of years old. 

The Cooper River is close to many attractions including The Hunley Museum, The Mepkin Abbey, Cypress Gardens, South Carolina Aquarium, and historic Charleston, SC.  The wildlife is great for the photographer enthusiast, and bird watchers. 

Why are there fossils here?

Why is the Cooper River a hotspot? The geology of the area is very confusing, but in a nutshell, this river (and the other rivers) in coastal South Carolina cut through numerous layers of fossil bearing formations.

These formations include the Pleistocene Wando Formation, Pliocene Waccamaw Formation and Goose Creek Limestone, the Oligocene Ashley and Chandler Bridge formations, and many others. To complicate matters many of these formations contain older reworked fossils. A reworked fossil is a fossil that has eroded from its original layer, washed into a "bone bed" with other eroded fossils, and then because of sea level changes, became reburied into a younger formation.

Today, the Cooper and adjacent rivers carve into these formations and erode out fossils. Due to currents, these fossils often accumulate in the gravel beds on the river bottom. Adventurous divers can dive the Blackwater rivers and search these gravel beds for fossils.

What is it like to dive here?

For those who have not dove the Lowcountry Blackwater rivers, it's a unique and challenging experience. The river tannins make the water a dark brown color with very little visibility. At around 15-20 feet of depth, the sunlight is completely blocked and it's pitch black. By 35 feet, strong dive lights will only cut through the tannins by a few inches to a couple of feet. Every diver should bring redundant dive lights with them. On top of this, the river bottom can contain dead trees that can catch and tangle dive gear. Since these are tidal rivers, the current can be strong. If this isn't enough, mud balls made of the Lowcountry pluff mud will also roll down the river bottom. This makes dive helmets a necessity. Further, to compensate for the strong current, one should dive overweighted and use a large screwdriver or digging tool to dig into the river bottom and crawl directly upstream into the current. 

Why would anyone want to do this?

FOSSILS! 

Come join the Get-N-Wet Scuba crew for a fun filled trip to the Cooper River in Moncks Corner, SC! 

Trip Includes:

-5 Night Accommodations In An AirBNB

-4 Days Of Diving  May 18-21, 2024

-3 Tank Dives Per Day

******Requirements******
-Advanced Open Water Diver or higher
-Attend MANDATORY in shop training/information session
-3 Scuba Tanks (Rental is available)
-Scuba Kit (BCD,wetsuit,boots,fins,mask,snorkel,etc.)
-SMB (Safety Sausage)
-Compass
-Gloves
-Knife
-Surface Signal Device

-Dive Light (2)

-Spike,Pick,Or Other Anchoring Device

-Mesh Bag For Goodies

******REQUIRED******
SC Hobby License. This gives you the privilege to find AND keep the things you find. go to http://www.artsandsciences.sc.edu/sciaa/mrd/hobbydiverlicense.com 

******Meals, Air/Nitrox Fills, Tanks, Weights, Rentals, Transportation, Tips, and SC Hobby License Are NOT INCLUDED******