{"id":530747,"date":"2026-03-12T05:32:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T05:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/530747\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T05:32:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T05:32:14","slug":"great-white-shark-pinged-off-the-coast-of-vancouver-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/530747\/","title":{"rendered":"Great white shark \u2018pinged\u2019 off the coast of Vancouver Island"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers confirm a great white shark<\/a> was in the waters off the west coast of Vancouver Island, but experts say it is not as unusual as you might think.<\/p>\n

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The shark, named Kara, is around five metres in length and weighs about 1,000 kg.<\/p>\n

She was one of six sharks fitted with a tracking device last October in California.<\/p>\n

Dr. Michael Domeier<\/a>, director of the Marine Conservation Science Institute, told Global News that they tag the adult females as they are the most interesting.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a two-year migration cycle because they give birth every two years and then in that off year, they spend it entirely offshore in the deep ocean, it\u2019s going as far as Hawaii,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, Kara, that\u2019s the name of the shark that we\u2019re tracking now that ventured as far as Vancouver Island, she was tagged in October and I do expect her to be venturing offshore quite soon if in fact she\u2019s pregnant.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn the last day or so, she\u2019s drifted back south. She\u2019s now closer to Tacoma. She\u2019s off of Washington state. She\u2019s no longer right off your shore.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Domeier said it is a little unusual to have a shark\u2019s tracking device \u2018ping\u2019 so far north, but it may become more common as sharks are creatures of habit and tend to travel to the same waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do know that they can withstand very cold water,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve tracked these sharks out into the middle of the Pacific, where they routinely make dives below 1,000 metres. That is ice cold. And we had one stay down there for 12 hours. So they can handle the cold water.\u201d<\/p>\n

There is also an app that people can download to track sharks\u2019 movements<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n

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Domeier said people don\u2019t have to worry about Kara \u2014 she\u2019s not prowling.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIn fact, if white sharks ate people, it would happen every single day,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s how many white sharks are around people, especially in California.\u201d<\/p>\n

Laura Briggs, the creator and main administrator of the Field Naturalists of Vancouver Island group on Facebook, told Global News that it is normal for sharks to be in B.C.\u2019s waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not normal for us to necessarily see them or see evidence of them, so that\u2019s what makes this so cool,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Briggs added that sharks are often misunderstood.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have been vilified for decades, and the fact that they\u2019re here and there\u2019s been no recorded shark attacks in B.C. waters ever is a good indication that these sharks are not out there to harm humans,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re actually a great sign that the ecosystem, it\u2019s doing well and they\u2019re a very welcome sight for us to see as naturalists.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n