If you're in North Carolina, the name is singular. An S on the end puts you in the wrong state.
The island in the lower Cape Fear River near Wilmington is called Shark Tooth Island. One tooth, one island, no S. That's the name the fossil hunting community settled on, the name locals use, and the name that corresponds to this place.
The name is descriptive and it fits: go at low tide, work the exposed shoreline, find teeth. Megalodon, great white, tiger, bull, mako — the sediments here have been producing them for as long as people have been paddling out to look.
An S puts you in Virginia.
Sharks Tooth Island — plural — is a real place. It's on the Potomac River in Virginia, about 600 miles north of here. Different island, different river, different state.
The two names are easy to conflate in a search. They aren't the same place.
If you're looking for the Cape Fear River location — the one near Wilmington, accessible by kayak, public, no permit required — you're on the right site. Shark Tooth Island. Everything here is about that place: how to get there, when to go, what to look for, and how the island came to be.
If you're looking for the Potomac River site in Virginia, this site won't be much help. It's a different island with a different name, and it's out of our coverage area.
Either way: the names belong to different islands, different rivers, different states. Getting them right is the first step to finding the right place.
SharkToothIsland.org
A Mozy Outdoors field project · Cape Fear Region, NC
Continue Exploring
What Is Shark Tooth Island?
A plain-English overview of the island, where it is, and why it's worth visiting.
How to Visit
Access, what to bring, how to search, and how to leave it right.
How to Find Shark Teeth
Technique, timing, and what beginners miss.
Field Guide
The full guide to Shark Tooth Island — species, technique, history, and more.