The GPS tracking device on the 14-foot-long shark<\/a> known as \u201cContender\u201d triggered an alert<\/a> Thursday evening near North Carolina\u2019s Outer Banks<\/a>. The device pings a satellite when it is out of the water, helping the non-profit to track the sharks<\/a>.<\/p>\n This time, it was not exposed long enough to determine Contender\u2019s exact location, but a spokesperson for OCEARCH told The Sun<\/a> the nearly 1,700-pound shark is likely heading up the East Coast as a part of sharks\u2019 annual summer migration.<\/p>\n \u201cWhite 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,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The region offers sharks comfortable water temperatures, and grey seals and large fish species to feast on.<\/p>\n Experts say that white sharks \u2013 white sharks and great white sharks are the same species \u2013 feed on schools of menhaden<\/a> near the shore of New York\u2019s Long Island, for example. <\/p>\n The last location for Contender was around the same area in April, when the tag stayed out of the water long enough for the researchers to pinpoint him.<\/p>\n Contender is a big white shark \u2014 but by no means the biggest. <\/p>\n Deep Blue<\/a>, the largest known white shark who has been seen swimming off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii, is around 20 feet and is estimated to weigh 4,500 pounds<\/a>.<\/p>\n The inspiration behind the book that led to filmmaker Steven Spielberg\u2019s 1975 summer blockbuster film Jaws, these sharks swim thousands of miles<\/a> around the world.<\/p>\n Contender was first tagged in January last year off the coast of Florida and Georgia. <\/p>\n Since then, he\u2019s traveled more than 7,000 miles in the Atlantic Ocean, swimming between Florida and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, off Canada.<\/p>\n The tag on Contender is expected to provide real-time data about his movements for five years. <\/p>\n \u201cEvery ping from Contender gives us a window into the life of a mature male white shark \u2014 how he moves, feeds and contributes to the population\u2019s recovery,\u201d Chris Fischer, OCEARCH\u2019s founder, said in a release<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n Contender was named in honor of the boat company Contender Boats, which partners with OCEARCH.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1_17_2025_Ongoing_Field_Research_WhiteShark_Contender_Brett_McBride-1.png\")
The great white shark known as \u2018Contender\u2019 is tagged in January 2025. His GPS device triggered an alert this week (OCEARCH)<\/p>\n![\"Marine](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/greatwhite-shark-hawaii.jpg\")
Marine conservationist and diver Ocean Ramsey swims with the largest known great white \u2018Deep Blue\u2019 in August 2020 (AFP\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n