{"id":695525,"date":"2026-07-16T21:31:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/695525\/"},"modified":"2026-07-16T21:31:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T21:31:21","slug":"massive-great-white-shark-contender-could-be-headed-to-your-summer-hotspot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/695525\/","title":{"rendered":"Massive great white shark Contender could be headed to your summer hotspot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Contender, a 14-foot, 1,600 pound adult male great white shark was tagged by OCEARCH in January near the Florida\/Georgia line. The nonproft works to research ocean life by tracking their locations throughout their lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

MASSACHUSETTS – The largest male great white shark ever tagged by OCEARCH in the Atlantic could be making his way toward a popular summer<\/a> hotspot: the coast of Cape Cod.<\/p>\n

MULTIPLE SHARK SIGHTINGS AT NEW YORK CITY’S ROCKAWAY BEACH, LIKELY PROMPTING CLOSURES AMID INTENSE HEAT WAVE<\/a><\/p>\n

Weighing in at nearly 1,700 pounds and measuring almost 14 feet, Contender<\/a> triggered a Z-ping on July 10, continuing a series of Z-pings that followed his latest tracked location off the Outer Banks of North Carolina<\/a> in late April.<\/p>\n

\"Contender, <\/p>\n

Contender, the 14-foot, 1600 pound great white shark on the day he was tagged by OCEARCH in January 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(OCEARCH \/ FOX Weather)<\/p>\n

While Z-pings do not provide enough data to pinpoint an exact location, they indicate that a shark has briefly broken the surface and is on the move.<\/p>\n

Since\u00a0first tagged in January 2025 off the\u00a0Florida<\/a>–Georgia<\/a>\u00a0coast, he\u2019s traveled over 7,000 miles up and down the North Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n

SCIENTISTS WATCHING FOR MORE DUSKY SHARK SIGHTINGS OFF THE COAST OF NANTUCKET FOLLOWING 2025 SEAL ATTACKS<\/a><\/p>\n

According to a statement on the shark\u2019s recent movements from OCEARCH<\/a>, “White sharks in the western North Atlantic typically migrate north and spend the summer and early fall<\/a> foraging in the waters of Cape Cod or Atlantic Canada<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

“These two regions offer comfortable water temperatures and an abundant food supply, in particular abundant seals and large fish species,” OCEARCH continued.<\/p>\n

\"Contender <\/p>\n

Contender the great white shark being tagged in the Atlantic Ocean.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(OCEARCH \/ FOX Weather)<\/p>\n

Not only does Cape Cod draw millions of visitors each summer, but dangerous heat is also currently gripping the Northeast<\/a>, meaning plenty of beachgoers are likely to flock to the Massachusetts<\/a> shore for relief.<\/p>\n

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER<\/a><\/p>\n

While these apex predators do not typically target humans, they can mistake swimmers for prey like seals when seen from below.<\/p>\n

\"Contender's <\/p>\n

Contender’s latest tracking<\/p>\n

(OCEARCH)<\/p>\n

Because this is the time of year sharks begin heading toward the Cape, it’s best to be on the lookout.<\/p>\n

‘MOST FOLLOWED’ SHARK PINGS OFF SOUTH CAROLINA COAST AS TAG CONTINUES TO DEFY LIFESPAN<\/a><\/p>\n

If you are heading to the beach<\/a>, here are a few simple ways to stay safe in the water:<\/p>\n

Stick together:\u00a0Sharks are more likely to target one swimmer than a group.Watch the clock:\u00a0Avoid swimming at dusk or night when visibility is low and sharks are actively hunting.Don’t wander:\u00a0Stay close to the shore where help is easily accessible.Read the signs:\u00a0Pay close attention to posted beach signs and follow lifeguard instructions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Contender, a 14-foot, 1,600 pound adult male great white shark was tagged by OCEARCH in January near the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326076,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[230133,2851,10700,10852,10939,90,165075,1043,56,54,55,741,4407],"class_list":["post-695525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-northeast","tag-animals","tag-beaches","tag-massachusetts","tag-new-england","tag-science","tag-stay22","tag-summer","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-us","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}