Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are migratory marine animals that live in oceans worldwide. They are found in waters that range between 54° and 75° Fahrenheit. Great whites swim along coastlines as well as in the open ocean. These enormous predators can grow up to 20 feet in length and weigh over 4,000 pounds. The coastal waters of New Jersey serve as a nursery area where juvenile great white sharks are born and grow. Great whites migrate through these waters from late spring to early or mid-fall, spending the summer in the richer northern feeding grounds before returning south for the winter. Dive in to discover five of the largest great white sharks ever found off New Jersey waters, as tracked by OCEARCH, a non-profit organization focused on ocean research and conservation, which tags sharks to gather data.
Freya
Although they have a reputation for aggression, great white sharks will typically not attack humans unless they are startled or provoked.
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First tagged as a sub-adult in the coastal waters off Onslow Bay, North Carolina, Freya weighed 883 pounds and measured 11 feet, 8 inches long. Since she was a sub-adult when first tagged on March 25th, 2021, Freya may have grown even longer and larger. On July 2nd, 2022, Freya passed a few miles off the coast of Neptune, NJ, as she traveled north.
Since then, Freya has traveled as far north as the Southern Coast of Newfoundland and south to the Bahamas. From March 25th, 2021, until her latest trackable ping on January 17, 2023, Freya had traveled 8,550 miles.
Caroline
Great white sharks rely on stealth and speed to ambush and capture prey.
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First tagged as a sub-adult on February 26, 2019, off Hilton Head, SC, Caroline weighed in at 1,435 pounds and measured 12 feet, 9 inches long. Caroline has likely grown even larger since her sub-adult measurements. On August 22nd, 2019, this beautiful white shark was tracked a few miles off the coast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, as she headed north.
Between her tagging date and her last trackable ping on November 4th, 2024, Caroline had traveled 21,324 miles. Her journeys have taken her as far south as the waters of the Mexico Basin off the coast of Veracruz, Mexico, and as far north as the coastal waters of Newfoundland.
Breton
When great white sharks with trackers come near or breach the surface of the water, the tracker sends a ping to researchers.
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Initially tagged as an adult on September 12th, 2020, off the coast of Scatarie Island, Nova Scotia, Breton weighed in at 1,437 pounds and measured 13 feet, 3 inches long.
On July 16th, 2021, Breton cruised through the coastal waters off Brick, New Jersey, before veering southeast and heading out to the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Breton traveled hundreds of miles off the coast of North America before heading back north to the coastal waters of Newfoundland, which he reached by August 25th, 2021.
Breton was tagged on September 12th, 2020, and last pinged on August 6th, 2025. Breton has traveled an impressive 48,208 miles.
Mahone
Great white sharks primarily hunt alone but are known to hunt in small groups, especially when prey is abundant.
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The largest male white shark tagged by OCEARCH in Canadian waters, researchers tagged Mahone on October 1st, 2020 off the coast of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He weighed 1,701 pounds and measured 13 feet, 7 inches long.
On December 7th, 2021, a ping located Mahone near the coastal waters of Atlantic City, New Jersey, as he headed south. Mahone has tended to spend the late fall through early spring months off the coast of the Carolinas and eastern Florida.
From his tagging date on October 1st, 2020, until his last trackable ping on April 28, 2025, Mahone traveled 28,736 miles along the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada, as well as about halfway to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Mary Lee
Some great white sharks that live in northern waters travel along coastlines and venture farther out toward the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
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To date, one of the largest great white sharks tagged by OCEARCH is Mary Lee, a stunning adult female measuring 16 feet and weighing 2,639 pounds at her tagging. Researchers tagged Mary Lee on September 17th, 2012, off the coast of Cape Cod, MA.
On May 10th, 2015, this stunning white shark traveled less than a mile off the coastline of Seaside Heights, New Jersey. From there, she headed almost directly east into the open ocean before turning north for the coastal waters of Long Island, New York.
While many white sharks tracked by OCEARCH head for the coastal waters off Newfoundland for the summer and early fall, Mary Lee tended to head only as far north as the waters off Massachusetts. From there, she usually either headed directly back south near or along the coastline to Florida and the Carolinas or journeyed out into the open ocean of the Atlantic before making her way to the coastal waters of the Southeast US.
From her tagging date on September 17th, 2012, until her last trackable ping on June 17th, 2017, Mary Lee traveled 40,084 miles.
