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Largest male great white shark ‘Contender’ returns to waters off Florida’s coast in time for Spring break<\/p>\n
The Atlantic Ocean’s largest male white shark on record is on the move once again, returning to a familiar spot near the Florida\/Georgia<\/a> coastline.<\/p>\n Contender was tagged by OCEARCH in a similar area slightly closer to the coastline in January 2025.<\/p>\n Largest Shark Ever Tagged By Research Group Swimming Off The Florida Coast<\/a><\/p>\n Since then, he has traveled up the coast, spending long periods of time around the Carolinas, traveling further north up into Canadian waters, and back south again to the Florida<\/a> coast.<\/p>\n In recent days, Contender has pinged several times along the Florida coast. The most recent was on Thursday afternoon, in the waters just north of Jacksonville<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nearly 1,400-Pound Great White Shark ‘Goodall’ Pings Near Gulf Coast As Spring Breakers Hit The Beach<\/a><\/p>\n At the time of his tagging, Contender was nearly 14 feet long, and estimated to weigh 1,653 pounds, according to Ocearch<\/a>.<\/p>\n OCEARCH scientists estimated Contender to be about 32 years old when he was tagged.<\/p>\n Dozens of white sharks like Contender spend their winters and early spring days around Florida in search of food.<\/p>\n New Research Finds Gulf Of America Is The Ideal Habitat For Great White Sharks During The Winter<\/a><\/p>\n Contender, the 14-foot, 1600 pound great white shark on the day he was tagged by OCEARCH in January 2025.<\/p>\n (FOX Weather)<\/p>\n A recent OCEARCH study found that the Gulf of America serves as a regular winter habitat for white sharks migrating thousands of miles from Atlantic Canada and Northeastern<\/a> U.s.<\/a><\/p>\n While Contender has never ventured into the Gulf since being tagged, many of OCEARCH’s tagged white sharks have made a recent visit or are there currently.<\/p>\n Ocearch<\/a> is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to researching and protecting sharks, whales, sea turtles and other ocean<\/a> life, tagging these animals to track and study their migration habits and behaviors from afar.<\/p>\n How To Watch Fox Weather<\/a><\/p>\n Contender the great white shark being tagged in the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n Stay tuned to see where Contender ventures next, along with more than 475 other ocean animals using OCEARCH’s free global shark tracker app<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Contender](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5c6fc4f248c59e13cc5d5ac5a3250b37.jpeg\"\/)
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