A record-breaking great white could be headed toward the Jersey Shore Scientists say encounters with swimmers remain extremely rare Great white sharks are a regular part of New Jersey’s ocean ecosystem
A massive great white shark known as Contender—the largest male great white ever tagged in the western North Atlantic by marine research group OCEARCH—is making his annual migration up the East Coast. After a recent satellite ping off North Carolina, researchers believe the nearly 14-foot, 1,700-pound predator is continuing north, following a route that has brought great whites through waters off New Jersey in previous years.
A record-breaking great white could be headed toward the Jersey Shore. (OCEARCH/TSQ illustration)A record-breaking great white could be headed toward the Jersey Shore. (OCEARCH/TSQ illustration)
Great white shark migration could bring giant predator near New Jersey
Researchers don’t know Contender’s exact location because satellite tags only transmit when the shark’s dorsal fin breaks the surface long enough to send a signal. But scientists say great white sharks routinely migrate north during the summer, passing through Mid-Atlantic waters before reaching feeding grounds off New England and Atlantic Canada.
The last time Contender pinged off the Jersey Shore was last November when he was tracked off the coast of Atlantic City.
New Jersey is no stranger to great white sharks. Every year, researchers track multiple sharks moving through waters off the Garden State as part of their normal seasonal migration.
A record-breaking great white could be headed toward the Jersey Shore. (OCEARCH/TSQ illustration)A record-breaking great white could be headed toward the Jersey Shore. (OCEARCH/TSQ illustration)Shark sightings at the Jersey Shore are uncommon—and attacks are even rarer
Despite the shark’s impressive size, experts stress there is little reason for beachgoers to worry.
Great white sharks spend most of their time offshore hunting fish and marine mammals. Encounters with swimmers are extremely uncommon, and unprovoked shark bites remain exceedingly rare along the New Jersey coastline. Researchers say tracking sharks like Contender helps them better understand migration patterns and ocean health—not because the animals pose an unusual threat to people.
Even if one of the biggest great white sharks ever tagged passes off the Jersey Shore in the weeks ahead, you probably won’t even know he is there.
8 sharks you may find off New Jersey’s coast
Gallery Credit: Dino Flammia
Perfect names for sharks coming to the Jersey shore
Gallery Credit: Kylie Moore