1,700-pound Great White Shark Spotted Off North Carolina Coast

Contender, a massive adult great white shark, was tracked moving north after spending time in Florida waters.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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A 1,700-pound adult great white shark named Contender has been spotted off the coast of North Carolina after months of swimming in Florida waters. The shark, tagged by the marine research group OCEARCH, is being tracked in real-time as it migrates north for the summer.

Why it matters

Tracking the movements of large apex predators like great white sharks provides valuable insights into their migration patterns and behaviors, which can inform conservation efforts and improve understanding of marine ecosystems.

The details

Contender, a 13-foot-long male great white shark, was most recently spotted about 45 miles southeast of Cape Fear, near Wilmington, North Carolina. The shark was tagged by OCEARCH in January 2025 and its movements are being tracked via a device attached to its dorsal fin. In addition to Contender, several other juvenile and subadult white sharks have also been detected in the waters near Cape Fear and Charleston.

  • Contender was tagged by OCEARCH in January 2025.
  • Contender was most recently spotted on Sunday night, February 12, 2026.

The players

Contender

A 1,700-pound, 13-foot-long adult male great white shark tagged by the marine research group OCEARCH.

OCEARCH

A marine research organization that tags and tracks the movements of large sharks and other marine life.

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What they’re saying

“Great whites like Contender tend to spend the summer in cooler, prey-dense northern waters near Maine and Canada before migrating south for the winter.”

— OCEARCH (Instagram)

“To accurately confirm a shark's location, the tracker must break the surface while an Argos satellite is above. The satellites are only in a given spot for about 13 minutes. During that time, the tracker must send multiple messages for a location to be confirmed.”

— John Tyminski, OCEARCH Senior Data Scientist (OCEARCH video)

What’s next

OCEARCH will continue to track Contender and other sharks in the area as they migrate north for the summer.

The takeaway

Tracking the movements of apex predators like great white sharks provides valuable data that can inform conservation efforts and improve our understanding of marine ecosystems.