Gorilla Diving? Is it Rec? Tec? Or in a class alone?

[jimholcomb]

This question troubles me (and I'm bored!). Last September I did a handful of dives in the Cooper River in search of HUGE prehistoric shark teeth (which, as luck would have it, I found).

Picture this:
On your way to the dive site you pass 10' gators on the bank. You wear 2 or 3 times your normal weight on the belt. You dive with 2 screwdivers to keep from rolling down the river bed in the current (you hold your position by stabbing them into the river bed). 6" vis at best. SPG is about useless (can't see it). Fins are about useless (screwdrivers). Buddy is useless (if you do run into him you can't see him and might stab him with a screwdriver just in case he's the 10' gator).

So the question:
What the hell kind of diving is this? Or is it even diving?

 

[Divesherpa]

I would love some of those teeth, Jim, but I'd rather be 8,000 feet back with 2 dead scooters than surrounded by Gators. I'll trade you a buddy for a dive any day.

 

[Divesherpa]

Last sentence was screwed up. I meant I would trade some diving for a tooth, but that's a win-win situation for me.

 

[TRUETEXAN]

It sounds like Redneck diving with a little southern ingenuity and I would be damn proud of it!! I would love to find some Megaladon Carcharius teeth, is this what ou found? Where are some places to go and do this?

 

[Scubaroo]

Man I'd love to dive the Cooper River. I bought one of those teeth off eBay - now I want one I can say I found myself! Guess I could leave the Nikonos at home though huh.

 

[jimholcomb]

Here's a link to a pic of three of the teeth a found - one was 6", one was 5" and one was 2 1/4".

<http://www.scubadiving.com/members/memberimages/33_536_2.jpg>

 

[JamesK]

I have been told that the dive you describe on Copper River is one that I have to do. I hope one day I get the opprotunity to do it.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

How do you hunt for the teeth?

Whats the success rate for finding teeth?

Tom

 

[100days-a-year]

Nice teeth Jim .I have few that size.We dive locally for fossils.I like your desciption of what we call "blackwater diving"It wouldn't really fall into the 'tech' arena tho.There are fellas here who do it professionally .They make reproductions of entire jaws with all the various Meg teeth in thier appropriate position.it takes over 200 teeth to make 1 set and a big one will sell for more than $10K.Do you fing whale teeth,alligator teeth? Any other fossils?

 

[pipedope]

Sounds like perfect diving conditions to me.

I would probably use a surface suplied band mask with a com link to the surface for safety. If there was much debris I might use the superlight 17b helmet.

It helps that my boss and diving supervisor is really good at 'reading' gators.

You probably know already but for anyone else reading this it is a good idea to work up current so that if you get into an entanglement situation the current is trying to blow you free rather than trap you.

I would go on a river dive with you anytime.

michael