E-Paper
Giant great white shark threatens East Coast beaches. What experts are saying
1,653-pound great white “Contender” pinged about 50 miles off Nantucket on July 18, with a brief blip July 24, as researchers tracked his northbound summer run.
A great white shark the size of a small car just checked in off Massachusetts. OCEARCH says the adult male - nicknamed Contender - weighs 1,653 pounds and stretches nearly 14 feet, making him “the largest white shark ever tagged in the western North Atlantic Ocean.” The latest solid ping hit on Friday, July 18, roughly 50 miles east of Nantucket between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank, CBS reported. There was a blip on Thursday, July 24, but he did not stay up long enough to fix a clean position. The group calls him “a true ocean giant.”
Contender: Great white shark’s route from Georgia to Georges Bank
Researchers tagged Contender in January 2025 off Georgia, grabbed their samples, and let him go. He cruised south to Florida, then looped up the coast past the Outer Banks. By early June, he was pinging off Cape Hatteras. OCEARCH said then he was likely headed for the “cooler and more prey-dense waters” of the Northeast and Canada.
This is the migration story scientists want to map in sharper detail. The tag on Contender should work for about five years, long enough to sketch his seasonal routes, feeding stops, and mating habits. Data like that shapes policy, beach alerts, even fishing rules.
New England’s shark summer is here - again
According to CBS, Massachusetts shark season kicked in early. Back in May, beachgoers on Nantucket watched a great white hunt a seal right off the sand. On Memorial Day, a roughly 20-foot shark circling Block Island, Rhode Island, drew instant Jaws comparisons. And up in Maine, officials warned swimmers to stay sharp after two confirmed great white sightings off Bailey Island in Casco Bay.
Contender’s latest ping just underlines the obvious: the big animals are here, doing what they do every summer. If you are hitting the water, follow the local guidance, heed the flags, and don’t swim near seals. OCEARCH’s public tracker will show you where Contender - and dozens of other tagged sharks - surface next.
FAQs:
1. What is the biggest great white shark ever recorded?
The largest verified great white shark is believed to be “Deep Blue,” measuring around 20 feet and weighing over 4,000 pounds.
2. Are great white sharks aggressive?
They are apex predators but typically avoid humans; most attacks are due to mistaken identity.
3. Do 25-foot great whites exist?
There are unverified claims of sharks that size, but no scientifically confirmed great white shark has reached 25 feet.
4. How many hearts do great white sharks have?
Great white sharks, like most fish, have a single two-chambered heart.
5. How big is Contender?
Contender weighs 1,653 pounds and measures nearly 14 feet long.
