The Largest Great White Sharks Ever Found in New York Waters

Great white sharks are fascinating animals. So fascinating that they’ve been the subject of many movies and TV shows. Shark attacks are rare. Unprovoked attacks are even rarer. Generally, great white sharks stay away from humans. They aren’t overly aggressive, but you still shouldn’t knowingly interact with them. Although a lot of what movies say about great white sharks is wrong, these sharks are indeed massive. The largest great white shark ever recorded, Deep Blue, was over 20 feet long. These huge creatures travel throughout the world, but are they common in New York? Follow along to discover some of the largest great white sharks ever found in New York waters.

Are Great White Sharks Common in New York?

Great white sharks are occasional visitors to New York. These migratory sharks rarely stay in one place for long. Although they aren’t common off the coast of New York, you may spot one or two a year.

Although it may take a while to spot a great white shark in New York waters, some shark species are common. For example, the Atlantic blacktip shark lives and swims near New York. Atlantic blacktips grow up to 8 feet long. They mainly prey on large schools of fish. Basking sharks are also found off the coast of New York. You can usually see them near the surface of the water. They are slow-swimming filter feeders that can grow up to 40 feet long.

Another shark you may find in New York waters is the dusky shark. They reach up to 10 feet long. Dusky sharks are slender, which helps them swim fast. Sadly, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists dusky sharks as endangered. Dusky sharks are often hunted and killed for their fins. Although they are common off the coast of New York, you should never catch and keep one.

The Largest Great White Sharks Ever Found in New York Waters

While great white sharks aren’t the most common shark species off the coast of New York, they are sometimes spotted. The largest great white sharks ever found off New York waters, as listed here, were tracked using the OCEARCH Shark Tracker. OCEARCH is a unique non-profit organization that researches sea animals, mainly sharks. To date, they have conducted 48 expeditions and tagged 446 animals with a team of 200 scientists.

Simon (9 Feet and 6 Inches)

Simon is a juvenile great white weighing 434 pounds and measuring 9 feet and 6 inches. He is a more recent addition to the tagging program. Researchers tagged him on December 04, 2022, near St. Simons Island, Georgia. In 499 days, Simon has impressively swum about 8,767 miles. Simon is the 86th great white shark scientists found and released in OCEARCH’s Western North Atlantic White Shark study. He was pinged in New York off the coast of Staten Island on May 2, 2023. His latest ping was on April 15, 2024, near the Chesapeake Bay.

Keji (9 Feet and 7 Inches)

Keji is a 9-foot 7-inch juvenile great white. He weighs 578 pounds. Researchers first tagged Keji on September 22, 2021, on Ironbound Island, Nova Scotia. Scientists named him after the Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site. Keji passed near Montauk Point on Long Island in November 2024. His latest ping was on January 4, 2025, near the West Florida Escarpment. While he isn’t the largest great white in the area, he is a fast swimmer. In just 1,200 days, Keji has traveled 21,823 miles.

Rose (10 Feet and 5 Inches)

Rose is a great white shark that scientists tagged in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on October 4, 2020. She is a juvenile great white measuring about 10 feet and 5 inches long. Rose weighs 600 pounds. In 1,289 days, Rose has traveled approximately 20,399 miles. According to the tracker, in just 72 hours, Rose traveled 165 miles. Rose seems to spend most of her time off the coast of Florida and the Carolinas, but her tracker pinged her off the coast of Long Island, New York, in June of 2023. Rose was last pinged off the coast of Louisiana on April 15, 2024.

Breton (13 Feet and 3 Inches)

Breton is a 13-foot and 3-inch great white shark weighing 1,437 pounds. This large adult great white was first tagged at Scatarie Island, Nova Scotia, on September 12, 2020. According to his last trackable ping, Breton had traveled a whopping 48,208 miles. This unique great white travels far and into the deep sea, away from North America. He’s been pinged in multiple places, including near the Nares Plain, northeast of Puerto Rico. Breton was pinged near the Lower New York Bay on July 16, 2021. His most recent ping was on August 6, 2025, in the North Atlantic, closest to Nova Scotia. Interestingly, Breton was the first shark tagged during OCEARCH’s Expedition Nova Scotia 2020.