World's biggest shark heads for tourist beach as 14ft monster on the move
The staggering 14ft great white shark, named Contender, went off radar for nearly a month until last week when it surfaced off Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, US
The largest ever 14ft great white shark is on the move towards a popular tourist hotspot, according to scientists.
The shark, named Contender, was tagged in the North Atlantic by OCEARCH in January, a non-profit organisation that conducts research on large marine animals, 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia coast, off Jacksonville.
And after going off the radar for nearly a month - the tracker only transmits locating signal when the shark's dorsal fin is briefly exposed above the water's surface - last week (June 7) it surfaced north, off Pamlico Sound in North Carolina.
The beast appears to have made a dart for the north over the last few weeks. Measuring around 1,653lbs, Contender is estimated to be around 30 years old.
This stopover is believed to be a critical feeding period, allowing him to build energy reserves, for what may be a journey of 1,000 miles or more.
The great white was first spotted around 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia border on January 17. The 14ft shark was later spotted on February 12, having swam further along the Florida coastline.
According to conservationists at OCEARCH, Contender is thought to weigh around 1,653lb, around the same as an adult bear and a small car. OCEARCH said it has now deployed a SPOT tracker on the shark so it can monitor his activities.
The shark trackers said that over the next five years they will be able to gain 'valuable real-time data' about Contender's migration patterns and behaviour.
An OCEARCH spokesman previously said: 'On January 27 of 2025 our team encountered this massive Apex predator 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia coast. At nearly 14ft-long and tipping the scales at 1,653lb, Contender is a true ocean giant.'
The shark trackers said they also collected 'important biological samples, including urogenital material' that is now being analysed. They say Contender is named after the company that provides boats for its research missions.
Meanwhile, the largest female great white shark is estimated to measure around 20ft. Named Deep Blue, she is thought to weigh around 4,400 lb.
The shark was first spotted in Mexico by researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla. Witnesses said Deep Blue was calm and non-aggressive around both humans and dolphins. Another shark, Haole Girl, is also said to measure a similar size and weight to Deep Blue, but was spotted in Hawaii. Like Deep Blue, she is said to be calm around humans and dolphins, even being recorded surrounded by divers.
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