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Map of Cooper River Fossil Drift Dive
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ExpertBoat entry

Cooper River Fossil Drift Dive

South Carolina, United States
AOW suggested6–15 m depthBoat entry

Boat dive — see Entry & access.

Cooper River Fossil Drift Dive at a glance

Cooper River Fossil Drift Dive is a expert boat dive site in South Carolina, United States with depths of 6.1–15.2 m (20–50 ft). Typically most favorable Jul · from 3 years of archive data. Divers commonly see American alligator, Blue catfish, and Longnose gar. Check the latest conditions and entry details before you go.

Wind model · graded 4h ago
—

Tap a factor for its source and model point

Site hazards: Near-zero visibility, strong tidal current especially on the ebb, submerged trees and entanglement, boat traffic, alligators near the banks, easy diver-boat separation

Read the full hazards ↓

Dive windows this week

Best: Thu
Sun7:00–21:00
Mon7:00–21:00
Tue7:00–20:00
Wed7:00–21:00
Thu7:00–21:00
Fri7:00–21:00
Sat7:00–21:00

Favorable windowModerate window— no window

First light 6:01 · Sunrise 6:29 · Sunset 20:23

Source: Open-Meteo wind · graded 4h ago

Forecast only — always assess conditions on site.

Forecast · NOAA tide model

Tide & slack timing

Loading tide predictions

Recent diver reports

Dated firsthand observations from divers — not current conditions.

No diver reports for this site yet. — one dated observation helps every diver after you.

What Divers Say

Best time: Roughly April through October when charters run, timed to slack tide

Based on community reviews and site data. Conditions vary — always verify before diving.

Best months, historically

What conditions have historically been typical at this site, month by month — not a forecast.

  1. Jan85% 9 kn
  2. Feb84% 10 kn
  3. Mar81% 11 kn
  4. Apr89% 10 kn
  5. May91% 9 kn
  6. Jun97% 9 kn
  7. Jul97% 8 kn
  8. Aug90% 8 kn
  9. Sep94% 9 kn
  10. Oct91% 9 kn
  11. Nov96% 8 kn
  12. Dec89% 9 kn

July hastypically had the largest share of favorable days here. Conditions vary year to year — this is historical context, not a forecast.

Based on 3 years of archive data. Bar height shows the share of days each month whose conditions have historically scored favorably.

Marine life seen at this site

Species noted at this site — not a promise of what you’ll encounter.

Species seen here

  • American alligatorOccasionally seen
  • Blue catfishCommonly seen
  • Longnose garOccasionally seen
  • BowfinOccasionally seen
  • Freshwater turtlesOccasionally seen

Fills & rentals nearby

No dive shops mapped within 25 km. Know one? Add it to the map.

Site details

A famous blackwater drift-dive fishery for fossils northeast of Charleston, where divers comb shifting gravel beds 20-50 ft down in the tannin-stained, tidal Cooper River for megalodon teeth, whale and mastodon fossils and colonial artifacts. Light disappears within 10-15 ft of the surface and bottom visibility is typically 1-2 ft by dive light, with strong twice-daily tidal currents. Charters such as Dive the Cooper and Tooth Fairy Charters run trips from landings near Cypress Gardens in Berkeley County.

boatdriftmuck

Near-zero visibility, strong tidal current especially on the ebb, submerged trees and entanglement, boat traffic, alligators near the banks, easy diver-boat separation

Reviews

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