Megaladon Tooth Dive for 14 yr old

[LI Diver]

I had to laugh when the other posters described the gators. I did not mention them previously as I did not want to be dramatic, but...it is unnerving to look back behind the boat and see 2 ten footers swimming across the river 50 feet behind the boat and the boat captain is hollering for divers to roll overboard. I was thinking that since the current was heading towards the gators I better make sure I had all the air out of my bc, my air was on, and I had not forgotten my weight belt as I did not want to get up on top of them. I sank like a rock and kept my stabbing gear handy. High adventure on the Cooper.

Thanks James I'm starting to get the impression that you guy's want to keep all them shark's teeth to yourselves! Kinda like those movies where all the cobras are protecting that treasure in the lost temples in the jungle!:no I wonder if I convert that old scallop dredge.............:huh:

 

[mheaster]

After about 12-14 personal dives in Cooper River I am quite disturbed that a Dive Operator or Scout Leader would contemplate taking teens on this type diving to begin with!

I would vote no and I'm not the Mother-Hen type normally. While some of these teens may be up to the challenge, I can tell you with more experience with numerous night/low vis dives that my first Cooper River Dive was nothing short of culture shock.

My first dive was only about 36 minutes, and it took me about 30 minutes of that before I realized "Oh I am supposed to be looking on the bottom for SOMETHING?" My next dive I did settle down, got the hang of stabbing my pick in the rock bed, hanging on, and scouring the bottom for teeth and I even found some and reluctantly surfaced at an hour and 4 minutes.

I'd wait a while and then take him there myself a bit later, not with a group where peer pressure might force decisions other than ones he might make normally!

My 2 cents worth.

 

[DiverDean59]

"Not all red flags have a white stripe"..........I see red flags.

I like that statement. Good rule to live by.

 

[james croft]

Thanks James I'm starting to get the impression that you guy's want to keep all them shark's teeth to yourselves! Kinda like those movies where all the cobras are protecting that treasure in the lost temples in the jungle!:no I wonder if I convert that old scallop dredge.............:huh:

Did I mention the leeches ?

 

[Tobagoman]

I was just diving there less than two weeks ago and try to dive it often. IMHO I would say let the tyke get some more experience under his belt and build up to those kind of conditions.
There is alot of multi-tasking going on on this dive and alot of critical components to think about. Usually the vis is around 1.5 feet and sometimes worse, sometimes better. The currents can be raging and make for difficult slow accents, especially in low vis. There are also gators to worry about, although they have never bothered me or anyone that I have heard of. There are logs and undercut banks that the current can jam you into.
The main thing is that this is SOLO diving due to the vis. At 14 years old and 30 dives I don't think he is ready for this yet. I know it will be a dissapointment for him, but this type of diving is something that requires more experience and training.

 

[JackSpearo]

I've always heard that the Cooper river is very challenging, I wouldn't let him go...That's just me...It's not worth it...

 

[LI Diver]

Thanks guy's all good advice. I've never been there and I didn't know. We'll pass on the Cooper River for now. I'll have to pick a handfull of teeth up at a souvenier shop and drop them in front of him when he's not looking! (on a nice shallow reef dive in the Key's) When he was little(5 or 6) he was forever digging holes in the yard and claimed he was looking for dinosouar bones. So a friend and I carefully lifted up the turf and dug a small hole and buried a skull from a goat we replaced the turf and only left a small piece of the horn sticking out of the ground. He literally tripped over it while playing and then dug it up. He couldn't wait till I got home to show me his find he said something like see dad I told you! Well we finally told him last year! Priceless!