White Shark Spotted Far Off Long Beach Island

NEW JERSEY — A massive white shark is lurking off the coast of the Jersey Shore, according to OCEARCH's shark tracker.

Scot, the 12-foot, 1,644-pound shark was swimming near the Hudson Canyon many miles off the coast of Long Beach Island Wednesday night, according to the tracker. He first appeared Tuesday night just north of that spot. In the past 72 hours as of Thursday morning, Scot had traveled 214 miles, according to OCEARCH data.

The Hudson Canyon is a submarine canyon roughly 100 miles off New Jersey that serves as a prolific fishing ground and habitat for marine life.

It's been quite some time since a shark appeared off New Jersey's coast. OCEARCH, a shark research group, tags and tracks these animals. When one "pings," it means the shark fin surfaced from the water long enough to transmit a signal that allows researchers to see its location.

Scot was first tagged on Sept. 8, 2021 in Nova Scotia. Since then, he's swam 16,420 miles, according to OCEARCH.

OCEARCH data has shown that white sharks head to the southeastern coast of the U.S. for winter, spending time in the area of Outer Banks, North Carolina.

According to OCEARCH, this Western North Atlantic White Shark Study is the most comprehensive study of white sharks in the world.