A mammoth, 1,600-pound great white shark is cruising the waters off Amelia Island.
The nearly 14-foot leviathan—named Contender by scientists who recently tagged it—has been repeatedly pinging in our area.
The satellite tag attached to the shark’s dorsal fin sends location data whenever it breaches the surface.
The device was initially placed on the shark on January 17 off the Florida-Georgia coast.
It first pinged several times off Savannah before heading south.
The 1,600-pound shark made its first Florida appearance off Fernandina Beach on January 26 and has since zigzagged between Amelia Island and Jacksonville.
OCEARCH, the team analyzing its movements, said Contender is the largest shark they’ve ever managed to tag.
North Atlantic great white sharks depart feeding areas off Atlantic Canada and New England, sometimes traveling to Florida to find warmer waters and fresh food sources.
You can track Contender’s movements here.
