Massive great white shark among several being tracked off Florida coast as spring break begins

File: Swimmers beware: Florida shark encounters very likely

You may be surprised to learn how often swimmers share the beach with sharks in Florida. FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell talks to a biologist who says to avoid these 2 times of the day to minimize an encounter. Courtesy: SOUTH BEACH HELICOPTERS and Clara Sarantopoulos/University of Miami

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A non-profit organization focused on monitoring and conserving marine life is tracking several large sharks off the coast of Florida, providing valuable insights into the movements of these giant predators. 

OCEARCH reports that several of the sharks are great whites but remain well offshore around the Gulf Stream, off the Southeast coastline.

Among the sharks being tracked are "Contender," a massive great white shark tagged earlier this year, along with "Dold" and "Danny."

Generally, these marine animals stay dozens of miles off the coastline, where they search for prey during the winter months.

Dold and Danny recently pinged just 18 miles apart along the edge of the Gulf Stream, east of Central Florida.

"Dold and Danny, both male white sharks on the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker, last pinged just 18 miles apart, positioned along the inside edge of the Gulf Stream. With Dold about 25 miles offshore and Danny 39 miles out, both are right in the heart of what we identify as the core overwintering zone for Northwest Atlantic white sharks," an OCEARCH scientist recently stated.

LARGEST SHARK EVER TAGGED BY RESEARCH GROUP SWIMMING OFF THE FLORIDA COAST

Map of active marine life being tracked by OCEARCH.

(FOX Weather)

The organization utilizes transmitter technology to monitor the sharks’ movements, providing real-time updates on their locations.

Contender is the largest shark tracked by the group, measuring 14 feet long and weighing more than 1,600 pounds.

During the spring and summer months, the sharks typically stay far offshore, well beyond the areas frequented by beachgoers. 

Marine experts note that these sharks often migrate farther out to sea before heading northward to the waters off of the Northeast and Canada, where they feed on seals.

The tracking system relies on pings sent by the transmitters when a shark surfaces.

OCEARCH said it is able to triangulate a location when a shark surfaces for at least 90 seconds. Depending on how frequently the shark surfaces, the battery in the tracking device can last up to five years.

OCEARCH photo of a shark off the Florida coastline

(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)

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Since the project began, nearly 400 sharks have been tagged, the majority of which are great whites or tiger sharks, which stay well offshore.

According to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File, there were 14 unprovoked shark attacks along Florida beaches in 2024. 

Shark encounters in the U.S. are typically non-lethal, and most incidents involve smaller sharks, such as blacktips and bull sharks, which confuse humans for prey.

Track the giant fish on OCEARCH's shark tracker at ocearch.org/tracker/.