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Category: Things To DO!

Venice is a wonderful oceanic shoreline experience for travelers, unforgettable weddings, family experiences and all adventurers.  And it is obviously not the only town in Florida where ancient ancient fossilized shark tooth gems are found.  Directly neighboring the Venice city boundary, on the north side of the Venice Inlet Jetty, is a small town called Nokomis.  The barrier island that protects Nokomis from and provides access to the Gulf shore is beautiful Casey Key.

A few years ago, ok, millions of years ago and throughout that time, Florida’s surface has been submerged under water and lifted up as sea levels change and tectonic plates shift around the planet.  And due to the nature of constantly changing shorelines, waves and millions of years of underwater ground shifting, fossilized treasures make their way to where enthusiasts can find them.

Hunting for shark teeth is fairly easy, as long as you know what to look for.  Common knowledge would suggest to keep on the look-out for white or light-colored triangular shaped things, like you would see on a live shark or in the movies.  But, in fact, it is just the opposite.  These are millions of years old, and fossilized, so, these shark teeth are dark, near black in color, or sometimes with brown tones, so, look for darker triangular shapes.  Once you get the hang of it, you won’t miss them.

You can start your shark tooth hunting at a private beach resort in Nokomis, on Casey Key and have a more secluded experience than the public Gulf shore beaches.  Casey Key Resort of Nokomis, Florida is a wonderfully modernized “old Florida” boutique hotel from the bygone era, circa 1940s.  The beach resort boasts 175 feet of private, white sand beach on the Gulf shore and the largest authentic palm covered “tiki-hut” style Grand Pavilion.  Casey Key Resort is the only hospitality location on Casey Key that spans from the West Coast Florida Gulf shoreline private beach, across the key to the east at our waterfront docking on the Sarasota Intracoastal Waterway just minutes to the Venice Inlet Jetty Bay by water. 

For a great description of, and we must recognize, a brilliantly eloquent narrative of one’s love for adventure and how Venice, Florida shark tooth hunting has inspired her many trips across North America from Ontario, CA, to Venice, FL, visit Oceanographic Magazine for the featured article, “Treasure Hunt”, words & photographs by Carolyn Murphy, and additional photographs by Dianne Murphy