Photo: Alastair Pollock Photography / Moment / Getty Images
A massive great white shark named "Contender" has been detected near Atlantic City. According to OCEARCH, a marine research group that tracks sharks worldwide, Contender is the largest male great white shark ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. Weighing 1,653 pounds and measuring nearly 14 feet long, the 32-year-old shark pinged just southeast of Atlantic City on Wednesday night (November 11) around 9 p.m.
Contender was first tagged on January 17, 2025, near the Florida-Georgia line, about 45 miles offshore. Since then, he has pinged the research group more than 40 times while traveling north. His journey has included stops off the coasts of North Carolina, Massachusetts, and Quebec, Canada. Contender's recent ping near Atlantic City marks his brief stop in New Jersey before heading south to Florida for the winter.
The shark's movements are tracked using a SPOT tag, which provides real-time data for approximately five years. This technology helps OCEARCH understand shark migration patterns and contributes to their mission of shark research and ocean conservation. Contender's name honors Contender Boats, a longtime partner of OCEARCH.