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family. It didn’t take long for him to develop headed out to go diving. “Naturally Jesse kind of feels like asphalt, anything that falls
a dependence on the medication to carry does not want to divulge any of his diving on the hardpan can stay there for over a
on normal life. Eventually, the dependence spots so he asks me if there is a particular million years.”
would manifest into a full blown opioid spot that I knew of that was around 30 feet Searching, he stumbled upon something
addiction. Being the overcomer that Mike deep to get to the fossil layer.” Mike had a smooth and triangular. Mike says he
Harris is, he decided to quit. However, due spot in mind, “I knew of a deep hole fishing grabbed the object and surfaced, yelling to
to prolonged exposure and dependency spot that was around 30 feet deep.” The his buddy who was still in the boat. “I think I
on the pain medication, his brain was no only problem was, the creek was only about found one...well Jesse just jumps in the water
longer naturally producing an adequate ten feet wide and the banks were completely in his swim trunks and swims over. Jesse
amount of dopamine. “Things that I used to muddy. His friend didn’t bother to suit up measures the tooth right then and there in the
enjoy, I didn’t enjoy anymore. Things that and join Mike because the prospects looked water,” and is amazed by the fact that Mike
were interesting and fun, just weren’t fun dim, so Mike decided to go it alone. “I get Harris, on his first dive in a tiny fishing hole,
anymore.” in the water and it was just pitch black. You had discovered a 6¼” Megalodon shark
tooth.
From then on Mike was hooked. He
would soon discover that he had gotten
lucky the first time and that diving for shark
teeth wasn’t quite as easy as he first thought.
It would take Mike a little time, a few more
dives, and developing his own special
“shark tooth finding” technique involving
two potato rakes, handles removed and tied
together with string. Over time, he would
learn that he did indeed have a knack for
finding shark teeth, joining an elite league of
successful divers in the lowcountry.
Mike knew he needed something in his can’t see your hand in front of your face and When Mike Harris started diving for
life that would spark that excitement again. you’re down there wondering what is in this shark teeth he was living on a houseboat
That opportunity would soon come, in the creek with me? But I didn’t want to be called docked on Lucy Creek. As he became
form of his next repair job. He was working a chicken so I kept going down until I hit the better and better at finding ancient shark
for a man whose boat had capsized in the bottom. I finally get the nerve to get on my teeth and other various fossilized bones, his
river. He recalls, “all of a sudden a 5 ½” hands and knees. I get to the hardpan, it collection of artifacts grew and grew. Soon
shark tooth falls out! Because the boat was
upside down it must’ve gotten wedged in
the steering console. The guy, Jesse was
his name, he was so happy that I found
it because he thought he had lost it.” In
talking, Mike would find that Jesse had
been diving for shark teeth when he ran into
trouble. This encounter immediately piqued
Mike’s interest, he had maintained his diving
certification since first getting it in 1986.
He offered to fix the man’s boat for free if
he would teach him how to dive for shark
teeth. “For the first time in a long time, I was
interested in something.”
The following weekend the two men
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