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    Aristakat Charters

    4.2 (18 reviews)
    Open Open 24 hours

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    Rita C.

    It was great being back in the water! And looking for shark teeth no less! Booking was super easy, though I with there was an option to book both morning and afternoon dives in one go (something to work on?). Recommend searching location by Venice boat ramp, as the address can send you somewhere else... and I don't like that operator . The boats are nice and well kept, weights are included (another great difference from previous experiences...). The crew is AWESOME! Both Cpt Jamie and Cpt Chaz are knowledgeable and thoughtful, Josh is amazing!!! Reminded me of live aboard princess diving! Recommend, no HIGHLY recommend these beautiful people if you're into fossil diving!

    Capt. Jamie is the best!
    Michelle R.

    We first dove with Capt. Jamie on Aristakat in March 2021. It was our first ocean dive in low visibility and that coupled with the winter chill of the water made it a bit overwhelming at first. Capt. Jamie recognized that we needed a few minutes to get acclimated so he was kind enough to toss us a line so we could calm down before descending. The visibility was about 2' and the water was rough. We found a few fossils including a nice whale tooth but no Megs on this dive We dove with Aristakat again this past week (December 2021) and the conditions were excellent. Visibility was almost 20' and we were much more prepared for the adventure. We found one 2.5" Meg and a mini Meg so needless to say we were extremely pleased with the dives! I know there are a lot of other dive boats in the Venice area but we will dive with Capt. Jamie and Aristakat every time.

    Some of my past finds.

    Great boats. Great crew. Great captains. I always feel very safe with this company. I always use Aristakat to go out to look for shark teeth. I have found many. Highly recommend.

    Alyssa D.

    Capt Jamie & Capt Chas are amazing - both are super knowledgable, personable and just plain fun to be around! I've been on their charter several times now, and will be back for more once this Florida cold spell passes ;) This was one of the best boat dives I have been on: -Easy to get to the boat ramp with free parking available -Super quick trip (15-20 mins tops) to the dive site(s) -Captain knows where to find fossils & shark teeth -Captain knows what type of shark teeth or fossils you find, and are able to identify different marine life (fish, coral, etc.) -Hot wash on the boat to combat the cold ocean -Left with decent sized meg teeth Highly recommend the Arista-kat, especially for meg tooth hunting! Thanks again, guys!

    Ball joints
    Kynda C.

    One of my dive buddies wanted to take a trip to Venice to hunt for megalodon teeth. She found this charter so we booked. We wanted an afternoon charter, which they offered. They clearly state that if there aren't at least 3 divers, they will cancel the trip. We didn't have three divers but rather than canceling, Captain Jamie and Captain Scott took us out anyway since we offered to pay extra by splitting the cost of what the third diver would have been. We had a great time! While we didn't find megalodon teeth on our two dives, we did come back with some cool finds and a promise that we would schedule another charter with these captains!

    Meg tooth found on last dove.

    I've dove with Captain Jamie since 2018 and every time it is great! Boats are in great shape and crew is top notch. I highly recommend them

    MEG with rare brown root coloring.

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    3 years ago

    Captain Jamie, is wonderful and knows where the teeth are. I highly recommend Aristakat Charters for your shark tooth adventures.

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    Ask the Community - Aristakat Charters

    Review Highlights - Aristakat Charters

    Capt Jamie & Capt Chas are amazing - both are super knowledgable, personable and just plain fun to be around!

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Florida West Scuba School

    Florida West Scuba School

    4.1(8 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$

    Captain Thacker and his team know diving and better yet, they know sharks teeth and being that you…read moreare probably interested in that if you're diving in Venice, this is the place to go! Steve Thacker used to be a geologist and the man knows his stuff! He'll give a run through of the bones and teeth you will find at the bottom and take you to 2 different locations for big and small sharks teeth, some of which are jewelry-grade and would be lovely on a necklace. There were cold drinks (water and soda) on the boat and cookies were passed around between the 2 dives, though my husband and I would have preferred fresh fruit. Russ was the helper on-board today, great guy who grew up here and going to school in TN right now and working here during the Summer, very helpful and made it easy for us when we were queasy from the boat rocking :). The shop is fully outfitted with gear and equipment and shark's teeth in case you want to buy them and tell friends at home that you scoured the bottom of the ocean for it :). Afterwards make sure to grab a beer and a bite at Fisherman's Wharf.

    Caution, as of December 2012 the address and Google map is wrong on yelp, change submitted. They…read moreare not 509 Tamiami Trl S. This is a great little shop, right by its dive boat. Staffed by very experienced knowledgeable and helpful people it offers equipment sales, service, rentals and dive trips. I had a great time with them diving and strongly recommend them. It's an especially rare treat to have no rushing going on. As most dives are shallow, 90 min a tank is normal for most divers and their two tank trip gives you 2 x 90 min on the shallow stuff. Where else can you get that? Virtually all dive boats rush divers into less than 45 minutes. I rented gear for shore dives, did a dive boat trip and bought some minor gear. Loved it and will be back.

    Great Day Boat Tours - Full moon  on this beautiful tour

    Great Day Boat Tours

    5.0(12 reviews)
    2.9 mi

    If you're looking to create one of those "this is what Florida is all about" days, Great Day Boat…read moreTours with Captain Jenn delivers exactly that--and then some. From the moment we stepped aboard, the experience felt effortless and personalized. Captain Jenn guided us smoothly from Venice out into the Gulf and down toward Stump Pass, where we enjoyed relaxed beach time and some incredible shelling on Peterson Island. It felt like our own private slice of paradise. After a quick and easy shore lunch, we cruised up Lemon Bay and through the Intracoastal back to Venice, taking in beautiful views the entire way. What truly made the day special, though, was Jenn herself--she connected with every member of our family, kept the energy light and fun, and captured so many great photos that we'll treasure for years. It's rare to find an experience that feels both professionally run and genuinely personal. This was one of those days you wish you could bottle up and repeat. Highly recommend--this is a must-do if you're in the Venice area and want a perfect day on the water.

    Been coming to Venice for 31 years and was kicking ourselves wondering why we didn't do this…read moresooner! Captain Jenn was phenomenal. She was very knowledgeable about all of the areas, could answer all our questions, gave history and insights along the trip, all while being incredibly kind and thoughtful of our comfort. She went above and beyond to make sure we got to see what we wanted to, give us a few surprises, and had the best attitude. It felt like a family friend taking us out on the boat. While every outing could be different, on this day we got to see dolphins up close, many birds nesting, got to pull up on a key for some beach time, shelling and shark tooth hunting, and loads of sight seeing! Have already recommended to several friends and family who frequent Venice. Can't wait to book again!

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    Great Day Boat Tours
    Great Day Boat Tours
    Great Day Boat Tours

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    Top 2 Bottom Charters

    Top 2 Bottom Charters

    3.6(8 reviews)
    6.6 mi

    I booked a charter for today and they never showed up. I called yesterday with questions and nobody…read moreresponded. I tried calling several times this morning to no avail. super unprofessional and I wasted so much money on renting equipment and wasted my time when I could be doing something else. I came to Venice specifically for this and bought cold weather diving gear specifically for this dive. crazy to not even communicate with customers.

    We tried to call Dustin 4 times in the week leading up to our dive, since we needed to rent dive…read moregear. The 5th try was via email. Still no response. My spouse finally called from his number and Dustin answered. We verbally confirmed 2 wetsuits, 2 BCDs, fins and boots for the next morning. It wasn't the best start, but as long as it got handled, we can forgive poor communication. The next day, we met the boat at the public ramp. It was not Dustin, but Joe who greeted us. Another party was already there and had been given two wetsuits. When we arrived, it was clear there were not enough wetsuits, BCDs, or fins and booties for us all. Despite having verbally confirmed gear rental the night before, we were left with the boat captains personal wetsuit and a pair of neoprene pants from the truck. The fins weren't the right size for either of us, there was one pair of booties. Again, making the most of the situation, we made do with wrong size, cobbled together gear. (My email to Dustin listed sizes and weights.) We were not vetted for dive certification or levels or really anything prior to getting underway. To be fair, Joe was great and made things work as best he could, but he was set up to fail. He put our group on the teeth and fossils. It would have been a much better, successful dive with in-water guides. Thankfully, we both had dive computers, experience, and some navigation skill, so we were able to salvage the experience. However, this is definitely not a dive-centric charter. The dive safety and gear quality focus was missing from the trip. Diving with a charter boat compared to diving with a dive shop was just a bit different. Was it the best dive trip we've taken? Definitely not. Did it end up okay? Sure. We really thought with all the chaos and the fact that our gear we rented with given to another customer that we would not have to pay the rental, but no, Dustin made sure to reach out very soon after the trip looking for more money, which we begrudgingly paid. All in all, we likely would not take a second trip with Top 2 Bottom. Joe was as good as he could be, given the circumstances. This just isn't how a dive business should be run.

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    Top 2 Bottom Charters
    Top 2 Bottom Charters - All of our finds!

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    All of our finds!

    Aristakat Charters - scuba - Updated June 2026

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