Dixie Divers

Benton County is one of the most remote areas in Tennessee, but it is home to the country’s richest supply of coveted mother of pearl. Natural pearls are highly sought after rare gems, and they can reel in big money. Divers used to make thousands of dollars from these waters, but many of them moved on to other careers when the economy fell on hard times. Today, only 36 dedicated divers are left. This comical group remains fiercely competitive; their livelihood depends on how many pounds of shells they can extract from the water and sell to the shell shack. But they dream of striking it rich by finding a rare pearl inside one of the shells – a ‘Big Bertha’ – the jackpot of all pearls that could be worth more than $2000.

Working from Benton County, the Dixie divers risk their lives each and every day. It’s a competitive, high-risk, high-reward business and these guys wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. They work to ensure enough money to get them through the week and they dive with the hope that they will finally find the one large pearl that could change everything. (Source: The Discovery Channel)