The 14-foot, 1,653-pound shark, nicknamed Contender, was first tagged by OCEARCH in January near the Florida-Georgia line. He disappeared from the radar for nearly a month—normal for tagged sharks since signals only transmit when the dorsal fin breaks the surface. But this week, he popped back up near Pamlico Sound, a favorite summer destination for tourists—and apparently, for apex predators enjoying a seafood buffet.
“This time of year, white sharks are starting their late spring/early summer migration…from their southern overwintering area to their summer/fall foraging areas in the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada,” said Dr. Harley Newton, OCEARCH’s chief scientist and veterinarian.
Largest Great White Shark Ever Recorded Is Headed for a Tourist Hotspot
Contender’s brief detour off the Outer Banks probably means he’s feeding—aggressively. “We often see the sharks…spend a period of time off the Outer Banks right before they move north,” Newton explained. Researchers believe this is a critical pit stop to build energy reserves for a 1,000-mile trek.
At around 30 years old, Contender is considered a fully mature male, and his tagging was part of a larger OCEARCH expedition to track massive marine life in real-time. After collecting biological samples and attaching a satellite tag to his dorsal fin, the team can now monitor his movements every time he comes up for air—giving both scientists and the public a rare look into his cross-ocean travels.
Beyond the spectacle, the data has real value. It helps scientists identify feeding zones, document shifting migration patterns, and push for smarter conservation policies. Great whites play a major role in balancing marine ecosystems, but they’re facing mounting threats from climate change, overfishing, and disappearing habitat.
Contender might not be hunting swimmers. But he is out there—over a ton of ancient instinct and teeth, slipping through some of the most popular surf in the country. And this is exactly why I only go up to my waist in the ocean.
Jules Riot
Journalist, culture critic, and digital troublemaker. Covering power, propaganda, and the strange theatre of modern life. Known for slicing through media noise with a rusted blade of clarity, Riot writes with the urgency of a deadline and the edge of a basement zine.
