Largest Great White Shark on Record Swimming Off Popular Tourist Destination
OCEARCH, a shark-tracking research group, says it has recently detected a great white shark dubbed Contender a mere 50 miles off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts. The research group says Contender weighs a whopping 1,653 pounds and is 13 feet and nine inches long.
The ocean giant was last pinged on Friday east of Massachusetts, between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank.
After tagging the great white shark, OCEARCH will track Contender for the next five years. The hope is for OCEARCH to learn about the species' migration patterns.
So far, Contender has had quite a journey. Researchers first tracked the adult male in January and tagged him off the coast of Georgia. Contender then made his way down to Florida before heading up to the Outer Banks in North Carolina, where his presence previously made headlines."The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns," the group says. "Additionally, we've collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed."
As for how the group came up with the name Contender, OCEARCH says it's to pay homage of Contender Boats, "a longtime OCEARCH partner, whose industry-leading sport fishing and pleasure boats enable our research missions."
Largest Great White Shark on Record Swimming Off Popular Tourist Destination first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 22, 2025
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Newsweek
10 hours ago
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Massive Great White Shark Pings Off Nantucket Coast: Track Its Movements
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New York Post
11 hours ago
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Yahoo
a day ago
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A record-breaking great white shark was spotted swimming off the coast of Nantucket, Mass., on July 18. The shark, named Contender, was tagged by the marine research nonprofit OCEARCH. Contender measures an impressive 13 feet, 9 inches long and weighs a whopping 1,653 pounds. Researchers referred to the shark as 'the ultimate ocean warrior," per MassLive. Contender's latest satellite ping placed the massive shark in waters east of Massachusetts, specifically between Nantucket Shoals and Georges Bank, per the outlet. OCEARCH originally tagged the male shark in January off the coast of Georgia, approximately 45 miles offshore. Contender then made the journey to Florida, before turning back up north. Before the ping off the coast of Massachusetts, there was a ping off the coast of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras, OCEARCH shared on Instagram on June 10. "The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns," the research group said in a statement. "Additionally, we've collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed." The group also revealed how they chose the shark's name. Contender is named after Contender Boats, "a longtime OCEARCH partner, whose industry-leading sport fishing and pleasure boats enable our research missions." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Another great white shark was spotted in Cape Cod on July 4 by two paddleboarders, roughly 100 yards offshore from Stony Beach. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy determined that there were an estimated 800 great white sharks in the waters around Massachusetts from 2015 to 2018, per WBZ News. OCEARCH has shared an interactive travel log of Contender's migration journey on their official website. Read the original article on People
