Rene and Captain Mark "the shark" Quartiano as teenagers

william · 2008-10-20T15:04:54Z

Rene de Dios was a fierce competitor in everything he did Rene was out to be the best.Up on the South Beach pier Rene gained in stature and recognition after 1974 when he caught the 14 foot hammerhead his place as the # 1 shark fisherman on the pier was secured and few man could match his intensity.One of the few that tried was none other then the now infamous brash boat captain of the Striker 2 Mark "the shark" Quartiano.Quartiano like Rene was also a fierce competitor who tried to take the #1 spot on the pier and allthough bigger and stronger then Rene could never match Rene's fierce intensity to catch sharks.Rene Would stay and fish when Mark would leave by 4 or 5 am,Rene would fish 4 times a week when Mark would only fish 2 or 3 times a week.In there later years there rivalry got more intense when they would fish against each other once year in the Marathon Jaycee's Shark tournaments .Sometimes Mark was better and other times Rene was untouchable with his crew of followers getting him whatever bait he needed and doing whatever he asked of them.Rene had great respect for Mark and called him a great shark fisherman but he never allowed anyone to better him on the pier and Mark gave up after many years of trying.Mark Quartiano went on to become a liscensed boat captain while Rene de Dios continued to make his mark from land.Mark is disliked by many in the fishing community in South Florida for his continued practice of killing just about any shark that comes his way but i have to say one thing about "Mark the Shark" he knows how to catch sharks.You decide ,,check him outHere Rene on the left and Mark in the center pose with the big ray the helped capture at Sebastian Inlet in 1976. Mark Quartiano in a 1984 Miami Herald newspaper article

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