We Tested High Tide vs. Low Tide for Shark Teeth on Manasota Key (The Results Surprised Us)
Everyone knows where to hunt for shark teeth around here. The Venice area is called the Shark Tooth Capital of the World for a reason. But what about when to go?
Ask around and you'll hear it over and over. Go at low tide. So we decided to put that to the test.
We hunted at the exact same spot twice, once at low tide and once at high tide. Same beach. Same gear. Same strategy. The only thing that changed was the tide. We counted every tooth we found... and the result was not what any of us expected.
Our Experiment Setup
To keep things fair, we set a few simple rules:
Same spot: Blind Pass Beach on Manasota Key, both times
Same time limit: exactly 30 minutes on the clock per hunt, not a minute more
Same gear: a sand flea rake and a sifter
Same crew: me, James, Sissy and Brother Bear
One variable: the tide
Then we counted every shark tooth at the end of each round.
Round One: Low Tide
We went out on an evening low tide and waded in to about knee-deep water, roughly two feet. The water was super warm.
The teeth started coming in almost right away. By our fifth scoop we already had about 10 shark teeth. Low tide was off to a very strong start.
We also found a ton of mole crabs. The kids thought these little guys were the best thing ever... so much so that they abandoned us completely to play with them on the shore. James and I got back to business.
Final low tide count: 31 shark teeth in 30 minutes.
That was a pretty impressive number to beat.
Round Two: High Tide
A couple of days later we went back to the exact same spot at high tide. This time the conditions were completely different. A big storm had just rolled through, and it was windy with a real swell and waves breaking close to shore.
My hypothesis? The storm plus the incoming tide would stir up way more teeth. I was sure we'd crush 31.
We had to wait for the storm to pass so it was safe, so we got there a little later than planned. The tide wasn't quite as high as I'd hoped, but it was definitely coming in.
Within minutes James was getting knocked around by the waves, so we changed our strategy. He used the sand flea rake to reach past the breaking waves and scoop from deeper water. Then he brought each scoop back to shore, where the kids and I could sift through it safely.
It was a slow start. Four minutes in we had one tooth. With 20 minutes to go we had three. I really started to think our high tide theory was completely wrong.
Then we hit our stride. I pulled three out back to back to back, and the count started climbing. When time was up we were all tired and my shoulders were sore. We figured we'd come up short.
James started counting... 27, 28, 29...
Final high tide count: 31 shark teeth (plus a little fossil fragment)!
The Results: A Perfect Tie!
Low tide: calm, warm, knee-deep water. We scooped and sifted right in the water. 31 shark teeth.
High tide: post-storm, windy, big swell. We raked past the waves and sifted on shore. 31 shark teeth.
Exactly the same number. I could not believe it. When we asked the kids to guess, Brother Bear said fewer. Sissy guessed the same... and she nailed it.
What This Means for Your Shark Tooth Hunt
In our experiment, the tide didn't matter nearly as much as I thought it would. And that might be the best news of all.
You don't need to plan your whole day around the perfect tide. What seemed to matter more:
Getting in the water. Scooping where the waves break turned up far more than walking the dry sand.
Adjusting to the conditions. When high tide got rough, sifting from shore kept everyone safe and still worked.
Sticking with it. Our high tide hunt started slow and still caught up.
Pro tip: Train your eye for the triangle. A real shark tooth has a clear triangular shape, a thicker root at the base, and a shiny, glossy look. Little triangular rocks can fool you, but they don't have that shine.
Bonus: Keep an eye out for mole crabs. The kids love playing with them, and they make excellent fishing bait too.
Why We Love Blind Pass Beach
Locals call Blind Pass "Middle Beach" because it sits right at the halfway point on Manasota Key. Chadwick Park is to the south and Manasota Beach is to the north.
It's one of our favorite beaches because it's so chill. It's mostly a locals' beach, we've never seen it very crowded, and it feels like old Florida. On the east side you can reach the Intracoastal Waterway, with a kayak launch tucked back there, so it's easy to spend the whole day.
Check out our full guide to shark tooth hunting on the Gulf Coast
So grab a sifter, get outside and start looking. Happy hunting!
Comments