Cooper River Fossil Drift Dive

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.