How to Find TONS of Teeth at Venice Florida Shark Tooth Beach (Caspersen Beach)

by | Nov 7, 2023 | 0 comments

Caspersen Beach is the Venice Florida Shark Tooth Beach that’s known as the shark tooth capital of the world.

It’s an absolute must-visit destination when you’re visiting the Sarasota and Siesta Key area because the beach is quiet, beautiful and filled with shark’s teeth!

shark tooth beach in venice florida

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Why You Must Visit the Shark Tooth Beach in Venice

Not only are shark’s teeth an amazing natural keepsake from your Florida vacation, they are also so much fun to find.

Once you find one or two on “Shark Tooth” Caspersen Beach, you quickly get addicted and want to spend hours searching for them. Plus, you never know what you’ll find! You could find a mako shark tooth or a white shark tooth or even a megalodon shark tooth! It’s happened right here on Caspersen Beach before so why not you?!

Let’s “dig” in to the ultimate guide to finding heaps of teeth at Venice Florida Shark Tooth Beach!

shark tooth beach fl

Getting to Caspersen Beach AKA Venice Florida “Shark Tooth Beach”

Caspersen Beach is located on Venice Island past the popular Sharky’s on the Pier Restaurant and Brohard Paw Park (dog beach). You drive down a slim road along the ocean and pass two main parking lots. The second is at the end where the road ends at the public beach access.

During busy times of year and many weekends, the parking lots can get crazy and you’ll have to wait in line for a spot. However, during off season and most weekdays, you should be able to find a parking spot easily.

best shark tooth beach in florida
All the shark’s teeth I found in just one day at Caspersen Beach. I spent about 2.5 hours on the shells searching.

How to Find Tons of Shark Teeth Without a Sand Sifter or Any Tools

When you walk on to Caspersen Beach, you’ll immediately notice people in the water or walking along the water’s edge with metal sand sifter tools. The idea is that they help you sift through sand and easily spot shark’s teeth.

While I’m sure the sifting tools help if you’re looking by the water’s edge, it’s definitely not the most effective method for finding loads of shark’s teeth, in my experience. Plus, who wants to go to the store and buy a sifting tool on vacation?

caspersen beach for shark teeth

My Secret to Finding Tons of Shark Teeth at Venice Florida Shark Tooth Beach

I’m going to let you in on a little secret that will make your Venice Beach shark tooth hunting so much more fun and successful.

With my method you don’t hunt for shark’s teeth at the start of the beach where all the people are. Instead, walk down the beach to the left where there’s less people and the beach just goes on for 1.5 miles. As you walk, you’ll start seeing piles of shells all along the sand on the beach. I mean huge piles that practically run the length of the beach.

venice beach shark tooth hunting

Once you find a solid area with tons of shells and not many people around, set down your stuff and prepare to sift!

All you need are your eyes, hands and a small pouch or ziplock bag. Crouch or sit down in the shells and start sifting through looking for shark’s teeth.

It may take you 10-20 minutes to find your first tooth and you’ll start to doubt my instructions. BUT, I PROMISE if you keep looking you’ll find a shark tooth. Then another. And another.

Once you’re on a roll, you’ll get addicted because you realize there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of shark’s teeth hiding in the shells on the beach.

venice beach shark tooth diving

Supplies You’ll Need for Teeth Hunting at Venice Florida Shark Tooth Beach

Like I said above, there’s no need for a sand sifter or other fancy tools. You really only need your hands and something to store your shark’s teeth and shells in. That being said, the following items will make your day on Shark Tooth Caspersen Beach much more comfortable.

Turkish Towel – A thin Turkish towl is ideal for shark tooth hunting because you can sit on it while sifting, wear it as a sarong for sun protection or use it to dry off.

Comfortable Sandals – While you’ll be fine sifting barefoot if you have tough feet, it’s way more comfortable wearing sandals you can easily crouch in.

Wide Sun Hat – The sun in Florida is no joke year-round. A nice big sunhat is a must for keeping you cool and protecting your face and neck from sunburn.

Rashguard – If you’re not partial to slathering yourself in sunscreen, I recommend wearing a rashguard for long hours in the sun. I usually wear my suit for the first 30 minutes to get some sun then wear my rashguard for the rest of the day at the beach.

Mesh Pouch or Ziplock Bag – You’re going to find tons of beautiful shells and shark’s teeth so you need a reliable pouch or ziplock bag to store everything in. A mesh pouch with tiny holes is ideal because it lets sand and moisture escape, but make sure the holes aren’t so big teeth can slip through. Some shark’s teeth are teeny tiny!

Sunscreen – You really can’t visit Florida without a solid, reef-safe sunscreen. The sunscreen I linked is not only reef-safe, but also non-toxic to you. Many other brands have ingredients that irritate skin and can cause cancer.

shark tooth caspersen beach crafts

What to Do With Your Shark Tooth Treasure

There are so many ways you can use the shark teeth you find on Caspersen Beach!

You could make shark tooth earrings or other shark tooth jewelry. Or, you could use a hot glue gun to glue them around a plain picture frame. You could also learn how to make resin art that looks like ocean waves in a little dish or coaster.

I’ve done all these projects pictured above and each is a great way to ensure your beautiful sea shells and shark teeth stay on display rather than end up in a junk drawer.

shark tooth caspersen beach venice

Restaurants & Activities Near Venice Florida Shark Tooth Beach

After you’ve had you fill of sun, sand and sifting at the best shark tooth beach in Florida, explore the historic Venice area!

Eat at Sharky’s on the Pier or Fins at Sharky’s

Sharky’s on the Pier is a popular tourist destination but it’s also loved by locals. It sits right on the beach behind the Venice Fishing Pier with open-air dining. Or you can head upstairs to Fins at Sharky’s for a more high-end experience.

Fishing on the Venice Fishing Pier

The Venice Fishing Pier is a solid fishing spot for visitors because it’s free admission and no fishing license is required to fish there. Plus, it’s open 24/7!

Walk Around Downtown Venice

Downtown Venice has tons of cute shops and restaurants. It’s a great place to walk around and browse or learn about Venice’s history.

Surfing at the Venice Jetty

If you’re into surfing, you’ll love the Venice Jetty. This is by far the most popular surfing spot in the Sarasota area. If you’re lucky enough to be around when there are waves, you can rent a surf board at Jetty Rentals and jump right in. Though, this spot can get extremely crowded—you’ve been warned!

Go to Historic Spanish Point

Just south of Venice in Osprey, you can learn about 5,000 years of Florida prehistory at Historic Spanish Point. This unique site has some of the most impressive and intact remnants in Florida of the prehistoric people who settled along the Tampa Bay shoreline thousands of years ago. On top of that, the grounds of Spanish Point are stunning. There are history tours, boat tours, a butterfly house and more at this special Osprey, Florida outdoor museum.

best beaches to find shark teeth

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I’m Tara Weber, a Sarasota, Florida based travel blogger and copywriter. On She Needs Less, I share my adventures across our beautiful planet and inspire women to build self confidence and independence so they can live the life they dream of. No matter how unconventional!

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