Scientists estimate that a normal shark produces 30,000 teeth during its lifetime. The continual shedding of teeth is why they are so plentiful in the clays of certain South Carolina rivers. Unfortunately, they occur in tidal areas, where the current is swift and the visibility poor. When you get tired or run low on air you can surface toward the boat and hope you don't miss. Babiarz says he usually feels the sharks' teeth in his hands before he sees them.
Visibility is less than a foot on a good day.
While diving in the Ashapoo River last summer, Babiarz couldn't read his diving gauge in front of his face. Alligators nested downstream from one diving area. They generally don't bother divers, but Babiarz did get one scare. As he probed in the darkness for teeth, he felt something rubbery and hard. First I though it was an alligator, but it turned out to be a clay bank, thank God.