Largest male great white shark recorded in the Atlantic last seen off North Carolina coast

One of the largest male great white sharks that researchers have ever recorded in the northwest Atlantic ocean was last seen in a familiar beach destination. 

The nearly 14-foot-long adult white shark, named “Contender,” was last pinged near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on June 7, just before 5 p.m. 

Coined as the “ultimate ocean warrior” by non-profit organization OCEARCH, this nearly 1,700-pound shark was first caught, tagged and released on January 17, 2025 off the Florida-Georgia coast, 45 miles offshore near Jacksonville.

OCEARCH conducts research and collects data on large marine animals and follows hundred of sharks across the nation and in Canada.

The SPOT tag deployed on “Contender” provides real-time data for approximately five years to help the organization track his movements and understand his migration patterns.

They’ve also collected important biological samples, which are currently being analyzed to further OCEARCH’s mission of shark research and ocean conservation. 

Since being tagged back in January, “Contender” has been off the radar and swimming down the Florida coast and then up toward North Carolina for 142 days, collecting 1870 miles in swims, when he was last Z-pinged of Cape Hatteras.

A Z-ping occurs when the shark spends a brief period of time at the surface, according to the organization’s website. The signal is sent and received by an Argos satellite but it’s not strong enough to determine an accurate location.

According to his travel log, “Contender” has been up and down the majority of North Carolina’s coast, miles from the Cape Lookout Shoals.

“Contender” is named in honor of Contender Boats, a longtime partner with OCEARCH, whose industry-leading sport fishing and pleasure boats enables their research missions. 

“This apex predator is making moves along the Atlantic coast, giving us more valuable data on the lives of white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic,” the organization wrote on social media. “Every ping helps us get one step closer to understanding and protecting these incredible animals.”