Venice shark tooth dive

[scubasteve311]

Anyone ever dove for sharks teeth in venice? Any knowledgeable advice such as, how far out, best depth, did you use a charter if so, who did you use? Thanks in advance.

[Tyson Brown]

AristaKat on this board, who hasn't been on this board much lately, runs teeth charters I think. http://spearboard.com/showthread.php...t=Venice+teeth

[ReefGuy]

I usually go off of Alhambra, which is about 5 blocks south of the public beach. There are other spots as well, off of sharky's (make sure to stay 1000' off the pier, or the fisherman may indicate their WEIGHTY displeasure), Casperson beach, dog park, etc.

Doesn't matter where, it's all pretty much the same, except some sites have showers. Simply head west until you're in about 13'-15' of water, and look for areas that have lots of debris, and start looking. At this depth, you can find tons of smaller teeth, bull (et al), sand tiger, tiger, hemis, makos and smaller megs.

If you want to find bigger teeth, keep heading west. You'll come across a stretch that is nothing but silt/sand, but after a while, you'll come across an old riverbed that runs north/south. The rubble in this area is larger, and you can find big megs here, but not so many of the smaller teeth.

If you keep heading west, across another barren stretch, you will eventually come to a ledge with about 6' of relief. Lots of fish, and really a pretty dive, if there's enough vis.

As mentioned above, Aristakat charters is also a good choice. Jaime will take you to the good spots. The dive shop changed hands recently, used to be Florida West, but I'm not sure of the name now. They also have a solid reputation, although I have never dived with them.

Honestly, my preference is to shore dive for teeth. I've chartered over the years, and don't see any real benefit find wise. More social, and it's always nice to get out on the boat, but if teeth are your objective, shore diving is just as effective. (damn, I should be Johnny Cochran).

[PrivateAye]

ReefGuy has provided some useful information, but the bottom off Venice is dynamic and can change from day to day, sometimes from hour to hour. Check out our web site (floridawestscuba.com), or call the shop. We dive or check conditions almost every day. Something you should be aware of diving off the beach is that visibility can be very problematic, and some days there is zero viz. you must also be a hardy diver to get out to the prime fossil areas, and back not to hazard yourself. Winds change and sea conditions change with them. Might be good to dive one of our trips, check out the area and evaluate what is best for you. Look forward to seeing you here in Venice!