Tagged Atlantic Great White Shark Detected Off North Carolina Coast
A 14-foot, 1,700-pound male great white shark, the largest ever tagged in the western North Atlantic, was recently detected near the Outer Banks and is expected to migrate northward.
A male great white shark measuring about 14 feet and weighing roughly 1,700 pounds was detected off the Outer Banks in North Carolina, according to marine-research organization OCEARCH. The shark, tagged in January 2025, set a regional record as the largest male great white ever tagged in the western North Atlantic.
The animal’s tracking device emitted a signal when its dorsal fin broke the surface, allowing researchers to record its location. The most recent ping was logged in April, and a brief detection last Wednesday confirmed the shark’s presence, though the signal was too weak for precise positioning.
"White sharks in the western North Atlantic typically migrate north and spend the summer and early fall foraging in the waters of Cape Cod or Atlantic Canada," an OCEARCH spokesperson told The Sun. "These regions offer comfortable water temperatures and an abundant food supply, particularly seals and large fish species."
While this individual, nicknamed Contender, is the largest male great white recorded in the area, it is smaller than the species’ overall size record held by a shark known as Deep Blue, estimated at 20 feet and 4,500 pounds and observed off Hawaii.