Venice Diver Finds Megalodon Shark Tooth In Gulf Of Mexico

VENICE, FL — A Venice diver and charter boat captain made a career find while diving with clients on Dec. 11 — a massive Megalodon shark tooth in the Gulf of Mexico.

The tooth measures at just over 5-7/8 inches, said Capt. Michael Nastasio, owner of Black Gold Fossil Charters.

Venice is a popular place for finding shark teeth and other small fossils. It’s referred to as the “Shark Tooth Capital of the World” by some for good reason. But it’s known for the quality and quantity of the shark teeth found in the area, not their size, Nastasio said.

“This is the kind of thing you always hope for. You know they’re out there somewhere, and when you finally see it and know what it is, it makes your heart stop,” he said.

He was out diving with three clients the day he made his find. Everybody on board had already discovered several shark teeth and fossils during the first two dives that day.

For the third and final dive of the day, Nastasio took the group to “a hero or zero type spot,” he said. “You’re either a hero or you’re a zero. They were game for it. They wanted to find that hero, too.”

It’s difficult to describe how he felt when he first noticed the large, exposed tooth at his secret diving spot, he said. “My first reaction was just, I don’t know. When you see it exposed like that, there was a wave of emotions. That (type of tooth) is what we look for. That’s what we want to find. To see something like that in person and that exposed took my breath away.”

Before becoming a charter boat captain, Nastasio worked as an agent for Farmers Insurance, where he always felt like the office “oddball.”

He spent most of his free time outdoors, fishing and searching for arrowheads. And the new hobby he picked up when he relocated from Missouri to Venice 10 years ago – searching the beaches and waters for shark teeth – made him stand out even more.

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It was nine years ago that he first started looking for shark teeth while walking along Venice beaches. From there, he began searching the rivers and he learned to dive, becoming a certified diver. Then, he made the leap to operating his own charter business, leaving the insurance office behind for good to focus on diving with clients full time. He’s out on the water “every diveable day,” he said.

He added, “I never thought I’d make the move to actually do it, but glad that I did, of course. I didn't think it was possible to work for yourself.”

Nastasio said his phone “hasn’t stopped ringing” since his big find, but he’s already dreaming of his next discovery.

“It’s something I hope to duplicate in the future,” he said. “There’s still bigger teeth to be found.”

Learn more about Nastasio’s dives on his YouTube channel, “I Hunt Dead Things,” where he shares underwater footage.