Breeze E n v i r o n m e n t
Diving the May By Amber Kuehn
The May River is like a Southern Lady. She keeps her secrets buried deep and does not reveal her age. She flows gracefully and keeps her reflection handy. Beneath the surface where the sunlight does not go, there is a place that gives Lady May’s secrets away. There is a vast fossil bed that lies between the Alljoy Boat Landing and THE Sandbar. The treasures found here are millions of years old. Before the last Ice Age began, Bluffton was part of the Ocean floor and the beaches were in Columbia, SC. Just imagine 50 foot long sharks and ancient whales swimming in the clouds overhead. Upon their death, their bones settled in hundreds of feet of water. Today, under only 30 feet of water, you can find shark teeth of Carcharodon Megalodon, bones of ancient whales, and even some civil war artifacts. They’re buried in just inches of sand that is constantly shifting with the tide. It is like a hidden hope chest of ancient memorabilia. Oddly enough, this is the December edition and we are talking about diving in the May River! The water is 45 degrees in the middle of winter which is the best time to find fossils. Because the water is so cold, the multitude of microorganisms that thrive in the water during the summer have died, causing the water to clear up a little bit for adventurous, certified SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) divers. What does this ageless beauty look like below? The ebb and flow of the tide results in a topography that you might not expect. There are ridges, 2-4 foot hills and valleys that run north and south, perpendicular to the east/west tidal flow of the river in that area. It is interesting to feel the current on the floor of the May which is slightly less swift than on the surface. The bottom is firm…no pluff mud down there...and covered with course sand. There aren’t many stationary hard objects for sponges and sea whips to attach to, so many of the fossils become substrate for these soft corals. To uncover her secrets, you need full SCUBA gear, and the help of a weight belt heavy enough to keep you on the bottom and resistant to the current. You
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also need a tool to probe the sand, like a screwdriver or dive knife. When a hard surface is detected simply brush away the sand to reveal the object. Most of the discovery is done by feel since the best visibility may only be 2 feet using an underwater flashlight. Tip for the wise: The May is a tidal embankment (not actually a river) -- a body of water formed by the Ocean pushing into land, flowing back and forth
with the tides along the path of least resistance. It is a good idea to enter the water just before slack tide (when one tide cycle stops and the water is still before the next cycle begins) to avoid turbidity and to scout out a spot without the push of the current. Coincidentally, slack tide lasts about 30 minutes and depending on the efficiency of the wetsuit, you may only be able to stand it for the cold for about 20 minutes! Why would anyone crawl around under water in the dark and risk hypothermia? Those of us that are impressed by nature would compare it to Capt. Jack Sparrow’s quest for the Fountain of Youth. There is a surge of excitement when you find something hat has been waiting to be discovered for millions of years. This is clearly not for everyone, but for those in search of adventure, this “black water diving” is more than just treasure hunting. It is about unique experiences that add