We Want YOU, To Come Dive With Us! Cooper
River, photos
by: Jerry Fortenberry, Tena Hendrix, Here is another fun dive trip report for your viewing pleasure. This is from our second trip of this season to the Cooper River in S.C.. We started off Wednesday to head towards Charleston. We arrived, checked in at our hotel and planned for the next days dives. I did not mention it from the last report, but while diving our last trip, I had found an old grappling hook on the bottom of the river. I assumed it was just a rusty piece of junk and left it. Later when I described it to Jerry, he informed me that it may have been a relic from the 1700's ships! and that it was a shame I had left it on the bottom. Once we arrived at out first destination on this trip, I thought I would try to locate the piece again. It was a million to one shot considering the size of the river, the black water, and the fact I did not know where I had encountered it the first time. As we approached the location, we observed an 8 foot gator floating in the middle of the river. I decided that he was marking the location of the hook I was after, so I jumped in where he was lounging, he of course, went under when the boat approached, and I went straight to the bottom. After about 20 minutes on the bottom at around 40 feet, I was searching some gravel beds for bones when I observed a clump of sea grass wrapped around something, can you guess what it was?
You guessed correct!, it was the same hook I had dug up on our previous trip the month before, covered in rust. It has definitely been there a long time, whether it is worth anything is up for debate, but its worth something to me just for the story that goes with it.
Boat Captains Tena and Jerry.
Two "stud divers" ready for action. We spent the rest of the day diving and finding some great fossils in the gravel.
Fossil jawbone with teeth, I think it is a Racoon jaw. Jerry find.
Tuna tailbone, Jerry find.
Above two pics, two very nice Auriculatis teeth found by Jerry.
This is fun! |
