The Cape Fear cuts Cretaceous Peedee Formation, Eocene Castle Hayne Limestone, and Miocene-Pliocene marine deposits before reaching Wilmington. Boat divers and kayakers find a wider age range of teeth here than anywhere else in NC — including occasional Cretaceous mosasaur and Squalicorax material.
Solid hunting day. Brisk NE winds (14 mph) — expect chop; seas 2–3 ft, some stir.
Next 3 days: Next few days look steady — all good-range. Pick whatever fits your schedule.
This site does not depend on a tidal low. Hunt during the coolest, brightest part of the day and use the wind and conditions notes below.
Impact on visibility and stir-up over the next 5 days.
River sites score on water level vs. recent rain. Low + clear = best; storms muddy the gauge and drop the score.
Solid. Reliable productivity expected.
We are deliberate about which factors to include. These are not currently in the model:
If you think we should add one of these, log a hunt with notes — every rated outcome helps us decide which signals actually predict tooth count.
Boat-based diving in the river and tributaries (Northeast Cape Fear, Black River). Surface-collect on tributary sandbars at low water. Snorkel limestone shelves where Castle Hayne is exposed.
Public ramps at Riverside Park (Wilmington), Castle Hayne, and Navassa. Castle Hayne quarries (Martin Marietta) are private — do not enter. Stay in public waterway and licensed dive sites.
Surface collection on the streambed is generally accepted. No quarry trespass. Dive collection of vertebrate fossils — defer to current NC Museum of Natural Sciences guidance for significant finds.
Trophy = headline find · Rare = real score · Uncommon = some trips · Common = most trips.
The beachcomber's bonus round — what else the geology gives up.
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