A man holding a large shark jaw.
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MARK “The Shark” Quartiano boasts that he can catch anything that swims – and judging by his monster trophies, he could be right.

The seasoned fisherman has witnessed intense encounters and dealt with passionate animal rights advocates, yet insists that nothing will deter him from taking adventurous tourists out to sea.

A man holding a large shark jaw.
Mark has an incredible collection of shark jawbones
Girl holding a large caught tiger shark on a boat.
Mark’s seven-year-old son is already a master fisherman
Man holding a large shark on a boat.
One of Mark’s happy customers with his humongous catch
Large tiger shark caught on a boat with two people.
The sharks are hauled onto the boat alive
Large hammerhead shark hoisted onto a boat with a person standing beside it.
Hammerheads are one of the most common in Mark’s home patch

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.

Mark remarks, “The ladies absolutely enjoy the experience – they are thrilled by the massive sharks. Drinking on Striker-1 is allowed – we are, after all, in the entertainment capital of the world. As long as safety is prioritized.”

“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.

However, it is Mark who orchestrates every adventure. With years of expertise, state-of-the-art equipment, and a specially designed boat for shark expeditions, he is the expert behind these exhilarating tours.

Mark has sparred with a ridiculous number of sharks, but each one presents a different challenge.

A man holding a large, bloodied shark on a boat.
Mark uses the winch to hang up his catches and snap a pic
Man holding a large hammerhead shark on a boat.
The heaviest he’s ever reeled weighed over a tonne
A man on a boat using a radio.
Key to Mark’s success is his trusty Striker-1 yacht

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.

Two fishermen bringing a large hammerhead shark aboard a boat.
The likes of Will Smith and Robert De Niro have boarded his boat
Captain Mark "The Shark" Quartiano with a large hammerhead shark.
Mark donates some of his catches to homeless shelters

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.”

Two men on a boat holding a large shark.
The best sharks for eating are make, tiger, black-tip,
Two men on a boat holding a large hammerhead shark.
Mark and Nick Hodgson celebrate after catching an 8ft hammerhead shark

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.

Girl holding a large shark on a dock.
Captain Mark "The Shark" Quartiano with a young girl and a large sailfish.

“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.”

Captain Mark "The Shark" Quartiano with a large hammerhead shark and tuna.
Photo of Captain Mark "The Shark" Quartiano and two others with a large stingray.
Captain Mark "The Shark" Quartiano steering his boat.
Captain Mark "The Shark" Quartiano with a child on a boat.
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