Captain Sharks was started in a wooden building by San Pedro’s Airstrip in 1997 by Ian Ritchie, his son James and their partner Corry McDermott.  Ian and James came to Belize from England in 1984, and Corry first came in 1971 from the U.S.A.  Both Ian and Corry had successful Real Estate businesses in San Pedro for many years, and young James became familiar with boats and fishing as he grew up.  He married Araceli Marin in 1987, whose father Aldo was one of the early island boat builders, and whose brothers participated in their family boating business.   Thus, James learned a lot about running and building boats, and Captain Sharks became an instant success in fulfilling the local demand for marine products. 

In 1999, we became the distributors for Club Car, as golf carts became the number one means of transportation in the island, Club Car of course being the number one vehicle of choice.  Tragedy struck in 2002 when a fire started in a neighboring building, jumped to Captain Sharks and the entire business was burnt to the ground.  Thanks to the help of our suppliers, and the availability of a temporary premises, kindly loaned by Corry McDermott, we were up and running a few days later.  Our advertising slogan at that time “Grilled but not Killed”, told customers that the Shark was still alive. We now have a spacious two storey building in the same spot by the airstrip, and have added a boatyard in the D.F.C area, where James continues his wife’s familys tradition by building, repairing, and storing boats.We believe that we offer the most comprehensive range of marine and fishing products and services in Central America, which is why with our Club Car distributorship; we proudly say in our radio advertisement, “For land and sea, Captain Sharks is the place to be.”

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