Shark Tooth Hunting in South Carolina

Why South Carolina is shark tooth heaven

Our coast sits on top of ancient ocean sediments packed with fossils. Rivers and waves keep washing them out and dropping them on the beach. The dark color comes from phosphate minerals in the ocean-floor sediment that build up on the teeth over thousands of years. That’s how you know it’s a fossil and not a tooth from a modern shark.

Where to hunt

Edisto Beach. A legend among tooth hunters. Search the shoreline at the South Edisto Inlet and along the groins that line the beach.

Folly Beach and Morris Island. Folly is Charleston’s go-to shark tooth beach. Morris Island, just off Folly and reachable only by water, is so good locals call it shark tooth island. Tour operators run boat drops there. See our Folly Beach Surf and Morris Island guide.

Myrtle Beach. Yes, even the Grand Strand. Focus on the stretch between 10th Avenue South and 50th Avenue North. Then stop by the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove, a Myrtle Beach institution that sells shark teeth.

Hunting Island. A wild barrier island beach worth a slow walk. See our Hunting Island Lighthouse page.

When and how to hunt

• Go at low tide. The two hours around low tide expose the most beach and the shell and gravel beds where teeth collect.
• Go after a storm. Rough surf stirs up the bottom and drops fresh teeth.
• Look for the shine. Scan the shell line and gravel patches for small, black, triangular shapes that catch the light. Most teeth are smaller than your fingernail.
• Look slow, walk slow. The best hunters barely move. Crouch down, and let your eyes adjust.
• Bring a sifter. A kitchen strainer works great in the wash zone.

The rules

South Carolina lets you collect a reasonable amount of fossil teeth above the low water mark. Beachcombing for personal use is fine.

Diving or collecting in public waterways below the low water mark is different. Under the South Carolina Underwater Antiquities Act, you need a Hobby License from the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology to collect fossils or artifacts from underwater sites in public waters. It allows small-scale, recreational, non-mechanical surface collecting only, and licensees report their finds. No digging or mechanical tools. SCDNR enforces it. The license costs $5 for six months or $18 for two years for South Carolina residents ($10 or $36 for non-residents), and you apply by mail.

Some parks, refuges, and preserves have their own rules about removing anything at all. Read the signs at the access before you pocket a thing.

• Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve on Edisto Island: no collecting of shells, fossils, driftwood, or artifacts.
• Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, including Bulls Island: no taking of any items, except one small bag of empty shells.

Shark teeth for every body

This is one of the most inclusive adventures on the coast. No gear, no fitness level, no age limit. Anyone who can get to the water’s edge can play. See our Accessibility Guide.

Hunt like a good steward

Stay off the dunes. Leave shells with living critters inside. Watch for nesting sea turtle markers in summer. And pack out trash, even if it isn’t yours.

Found a big one? Tag us. We want to see it. Now go outside and play. Eyes down.