MARK “The Shark” Quartiano boasts that he can catch anything that swims – and judging by his monster trophies, he could be right.
The experienced fisherman has encountered dangerous situations and dealt with passionate animal advocates – but he remains determined to continue providing exciting experiences for adventure-seeking tourists.
Mark has been reeling in big-beast sharks from the Miami Bay for 50 years – and claims to have caught more sharks than anyone else alive.
He reckons he’s hauled 100,000 aboard his yacht, Striker-1, over the decades.
People pay to be taken on extreme fishing trips where Mark helps them catch the “fish of their dreams”.
Mark told The Sun that it’s not just midlife-crisis dads who come brave the waves.
He often hosts stag dos and hen parties – and says it’s the girls who have the most fun reeling in whoppers.
According to Mark, “Female tourists are particularly enthusiastic about shark fishing and enjoy the thrill of encountering large sharks. On the Striker-1, guests are even allowed to have drinks as we operate in a lively entertainment hub. Safety, however, is always the top priority.”
“I’m basically on baby-sitting duty the whole time. I always joke around that next year we’ll be doing the divorce party.”
He’s also welcomed the rich and famous aboard his boat – counting the likes of Robert De Niro and Will Smith among his happy customers.
People head to sea with Mark for all sorts of different reasons.
Some want to take home a huge trophy, while others just want to watch the experts tussle a giant hammerhead.
Mark is the driving force behind the operation, boasting years of expertise, state-of-the-art equipment, and a specially crafted boat designed for shark fishing.
Mark has sparred with a ridiculous number of sharks, but each one presents a different challenge.
He says: “Some sharks bite a lot harder than others. We had a big bull shark just the other day, maybe 500lb, and she was on the line for a couple of hours. She really didn’t wanna come into the boat at all.
“But you have to expect a challenge – these are big sharks battling for their lives, and they have deep water on their side. But we always get ’em in the end.”
One of his most intense showdowns came a few months ago when he spent more than six hours battling a great white.
And the biggest fish he’s ever reeled was 2300lb – which is more than a tonne.
With sharks that big, it’s vital to know what you’re doing.
And even with so many years of experience in the locker, accidents can still happen.
Mark said: “We’ve had a few guests get bitten, usually because they stand too close to the sharks while they’re trying to get a picture.”
The sharks are normally still alive when they join the crew onboard – so are still capable of chomping down.
“We also had one member of the crew get bit pretty bad on the foot,” he said.
To give him the edge over the beasts, Mark has kitted out Striker-1 with cutting-edge shark-wrangling gear.
He says: “My boat is the only one on the seas with the world-famous fighting chair over the water. It’s been my trademark for over 40 years.
“We can hoist any size shark into the boat using all our winches and block and tackles.”
Mark’s line of works doesn’t go down well with everyone – and he’s not exactly subtle about it.
He reckons that “90 percent of people are on board with what we do”, with the rest made up of PETA disciples (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
“But even they’ve got used to me,” he says. “There’s not much they can say – especially with the donations I make.”
Mark is adamant that the sharks he kills don’t go to waste, so donates anything he can to homeless shelters.
He says: “I dropped a big shark off there just last night.
“I take most of the sharks down to the shelters, especially if it’s one that’s good to eat. Best ones are mako, thresher, nurse, blacktip and tiger sharks.
“Shark tacos are really good, or it works well in a soup.”
And he helps out with research – though admits it probably doesn’t stretch to conservation.
“A few years back we started cutting the sharks open to see what was inside, and I’ve noticed a massive change. They never have any fish in their bellies these days, because there’s not enough left in the sea.
“I try and help the scientists figure out how to keep some of these fish from going extinct.”
Mark also sometimes get licences to catch endangered sharks.
“But conservation? That’s a big word,” he says.
Reflecting on a life at sea, Mark says: “Even though I’ve been doing this a long time, I still love it. We still love watching people catch the sharks and making memories for them.
“I’ve got people that still call me from 40 years ago and say they’ll never forget the trip we took them on.
“It’s great to see people having a good time, especially when no one even goes outside anymore. People only know how to sit inside and watch the TV.
“But we do things a little different down here. We try to make people’s trips really memorable and have a great time.”
