Great White Shark — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Martin Prochazkacz
A 1,000-pound, 12-foot great white shark appears to have a preference for the seas off the coast of Southwest Florida.
Since November 18, the female shark known as “Ernst” has made 22 appearances here.
On October 4, OCEARCH researchers attached a satellite tag to Ernst’s dorsal fin off the coast of Nova Scotia. When the tag rises above the water’s surface, it communicates its location to trackers.
“Using satellite and acoustic tags, we’ve mapped where these sharks go and when, while biological samples reveal their health, prey, exposure to toxins, and genetic links to other global populations,” according to the OCEARCH website.
On November 18, Ernst’s satellite tag was detected near the coast of Everglades National Park. After zigzagging northward and pinging frequently off Marco Island and Naples, the shark descended again and surfaced off the coast of the Everglades.
Out of her 22 pings, the most recent one was:
Dec. 16 at 9:58 a.m., off Marco Island Dec. 22 at 2:02 p.m., 7:35 p.m., 11:05 p.m., and 11:22 p.m., far off the Naples Coast.
Ernst has only traveled 55 miles in the last two weeks, according to her tracker, after having traveled more than 2,600 miles in just over two months, from Nova Scotia to the balmy waters of the Gulf.
Here are some facts regarding Florida white sharks, the OCEARCH tracker, and great white shark Ernst.
Information about white sharks OCEARCH is tracking Ernst.
When Ernst was tagged on October 4, 2025, in Mahone Bay off Nova Scotia as part of ongoing cooperative field study with the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station, she was 12 feet long and weighed 1,009 pounds, according to her tracker website.
Since being tagged, Ernst has traveled 2,712 kilometers as of December 10.
In honor of the ferry William G. Ernst, which has been linking the villages of the Big and Little Tancook Islands to the mainland since 1982, Team Tancook decided to give her this name. This ship has been a lifeline for locals for over 40 years, offering essential transportation, encouraging community interaction, and symbolizing the resilience of coastal towns.
“Dedicated to the ferry’s hardworking crew, many of whom call Big Tancook Island home, Ernst the shark carries forward that same spirit of connection, resilience, and teamwork that keeps both island life and ocean research moving forward.”
OCEARCH: What is it? What does the research team do for great white sharks?
A nonprofit organization called OCEARCH conducts studies on the giants of the ocean.
The team investigates keystone species that are vital to the health of the oceans, such as great white sharks.
“Our goal at OCEARCH is to find the answer to the Global White Shark Puzzle. According to the organization’s website, “OCEARCH’s mission is to help regional scientists better understand the life of the white shark in each of the nine populations that exist throughout the world.”
For almost ten years, Jacksonville University has served as OCEARCH’s academic home. The organization’s future headquarters will be located in Mayport, Florida.
Do Florida waters harbor great white sharks?
Indeed. In the fall, great white sharks migrate south, primarily along the East Coast of the United States but also as far south as Florida and the Gulf.
When do Florida’s great white sharks appear?
In the fall, usually from mid-October to November, white sharks migrate from their summer feeding grounds around Atlantic Canada and New England to their overwintering locations as far south as Florida and the Gulf, presumably in search of warmer waters and reliable food sources, according to OCEARCH.
The migration is caused by decreasing daylight hours and cooling water temperatures.
What is the number of great white sharks?
Estimates of the number of white sharks worldwide range greatly, from 3,000 to over 10,000, and there is no precise data available.
As stated by NOAA Fisheries:
No stock assessments have been done, and it is unknown how many white sharks are present in American waters. As of right now, there are no planned stock assessments in the Atlantic.
Since restrictions safeguarding them were originally put in place in the 1990s, NOAA Fisheries scientists have found that abundance trends in the northwest Atlantic have been growing.
Recent studies and a NOAA Fisheries status review indicate that the northeastern Pacific white shark population is growing and does not face endangered status in U.S. waters.
Weight and length of great white sharks. What is their maximum size?
At birth, white sharks are around 4 feet long. According to NOAA Fisheries, they can reach a maximum length of 20 feet and a maximum weight of 4,000 pounds.
The largest great white shark that OCEARCH has ever tagged?
The “Queen of the Ocean” Nukumi is the largest great white shark that OCEARCH has ever tagged.
In 2020, Nukumi was tagged off Nova Scotia. Her age was judged by researchers to be over 50.
The enormous shark weighed an incredible 3,541 pounds and measured 17 feet, 2 inches in length.
Her tracker indicates that she covered 5,635 miles in 191 days. On April 11, 2021, Nukumi last sent a message outside the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
The 13-foot, 9-inch Contender is the largest male great white shark that OCEARCH has ever tagged and released.
In January 2025, the 1,653-pound shark was captured in the waters near the Florida-Georgia line.
The tracking tag for the contestant is active. His most recent ping occurred off the coast of Jacksonville on December 14, 2025.
What is the diet of great white sharks?
White sharks eat a varied and opportunistic diet of fish, crustaceans, and marine mammals, according to NOAA Fisheries.
The primary food sources for juvenile white sharks include schooling fish, squid, smaller sharks, and rays.
In addition to feeding on seal and sea lion colonies, larger white sharks sometimes scavenge dead whales.
Track great white sharks in Florida and beyond with the OCEARCH shark tracker. During the winter, North Atlantic great white sharks migrate as far south as Florida and the Gulf in pursuit of warmer waters and more food options.
OCEARCH is described on its website as “a global nonprofit organization conducting unprecedented research on our oceans’ giants in order to help scientists collect previously unattainable data in the ocean.”
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
