There are certain times of the year when every parent is looking for something to keep the youngsters occupied for a few hours without having to spend a bucket load of money in the process. My wife was in the same predicament a few weeks ago (because her 47 year old was becoming restless) and she came upon a solution that killed a some time and showed me a section of the Florida coast I’d never been to. We went looking for shark’s teeth!
Venice Beach on Florida’s Gulf coast has the reputation of being “The Shark’s Teeth Capital of the World,” and no one seems to know exactly why this particular spot is the place to go, but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t take a whole lot of effort to dig up a few keeper specimens for your collection. We spent five dollars to rent what is essentially a sand flea rake, and about an hour later had a small bunch of teeth plucked from the sandy trough right next to where unsuspecting people walk on a daily basis. I’m sure that most of them aren’t in the mood to sift through basket loads of sand in search of such a small artifact, but you never know what size the next specimen might be or from what flavor of shark it might have come from. Given that a single tiger shark may shed over 24,000 teeth in just ten years, you can just imagine the astonishing number of teeth possibly out there for discovery by anyone willing to take the time. You just have to scoop a bunch of sand, repeatedly dip it in the water to sift out the smaller sand and shells, then dump it out where you can search trough the remaining chunks for the teeth. Or you can walk the beach on a calm day during low tide and spot the teeth laying right there in the sand. We didn’t have a calm day during which we could enjoy that kind of luck, but it was kind of like treasure hunting on a small scale.
The beach access is excellent and there are restroom facilities, a restaurant, gift shop, and fishing pier to keep everyone busy when they aren't actually digging in the sand for goodies, and the surf is generally much calmer and cleaner than the day we visited so swimming is quite pleasant most of the time. Just be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and water because all that prospecting under the hot sun will take it’s toll on all your little treasure hunters. I was ready for a nap afterwards but there are just too many fish in the sea to sleep during fishing time.
Take a trip to Venice the next time you’re looking for something to do and you might just create a lifelong memory your kids (and spouses) will appreciate for years to come. My kids remember their first trip looking for shark’s teeth, and we’re definitely going to be taking our grandkids there once they’re old enough to walk alongside grandpa and make sure he doesn’t go too deep, drinks his water, and liberally applies sunscreen. Collecting your own fossilized shark teeth is quite a bit easier than many people think. Just head to Venice, Florida…..NOT Venice, Italy.
Brian “Beastman” Eastman
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