Great White Sharks in 2025: Range, Nursery Hot-Spots and Recent Sightings Explained

Just thinking about great white sharks can send shivers down your spine. You might picture them lurking far out at sea, yet new tracking data shows just how close these apex predators prowl. Below we map their 2025 range, nurseries and migration corridors..

Great White Sharks Global Habitat & Range

Great white sharks live across the world, favoring warmer temperate and subtropical belts. Telemetry tags show adults shuttle between productive continental-shelf zones and nutrient-rich offshore fronts.

In the eastern United States, you might spot great white sharks from Maine south through the Gulf of Mexico and down into the U.S. Caribbean. On the western side of the country, they range from Hawaii and California up to Alaska. Great whites sharks are also commonly found in Australia and South Africa.

Young great white sharks, known as pups, grow up in “nurseries” along the coasts of Southern California and Long Island, NY. Juvenile sharks usually stay closer to shore, while adults may divide their time between coastal areas and deeper ocean waters.

Field researchers often deploy acoustic receivers around the Farallon Islands (California), Gansbaai (South Africa), Guadalupe Island (Mexico) and the Neptune Islands (Australia) because of their high shark densities.

Peak Seasons for Great White Shark Sightings

Great white sharks migrate over 2,500 miles annually. Satellite-tag time-series reveal seasonal aggregations off California, Australia and South Africa during summer–early autumn.

In California, you might see young great white pups in the spring, while the best time to spot larger sharks is from late summer through the fall. In fact, October is sometimes called “Sharktober” because many great whites can be seen along the coasts of central and northern California.

On the other hand, great white shark sightings in Maine peak between July and September. Researchers have even observed these sharks during daylight hours near popular beaches like Head Beach, Kennebunk, and Ogunquit, sometimes swimming quite close to humans.

Dyer Island and the Gansbaai coastline in South Africa are known as the “Great White Shark Capital of the World.” The best time to see sharks here is from June to September.

The Most Recent Great White Shark Sightings of 2025

Even though summer has just begun, great white sharks are already gathering in various parts of the United States. Recently, a great white was seen in Massachusetts while another was spotted swimming close to shore in Montauk, New York. Here are a few examples of reported great white shark sightings so far in 2025:

• March 7: A great white was spotted near Huntington Beach, CA.
• March 11: Several great whites were tracked along the Florida coast, including heavyweight champions “Contender,” a 14-foot adult; “Dold,” an 11-foot sub-adult; and “Danny,” a 9-foot sub-adult.
• March 14: Researchers tagged great white sharks swimming near a group of surfers.
• March 23: Fishermen in North Carolina caught a great white shark. Since great whites are protected, the shark was released back into the ocean.
• April 14: A great white was spotted during a fishing trip near Destin, FL.
• April 17: The large shark “Dold,” measuring 11 feet and weighing 761 pounds, was seen again off the coast of southwest Florida.
• April 20: A young great white was spotted at Grover Beach, CA.
• April 21: A 12-foot-long shark was seen at Pismo Beach, CA.
• May 6: A rare great white sighting was reported just 5 miles from Pawley’s Island in South Carolina.
• May 12: A great white shark was spotted near shore in Montauk, NY.
• May 13: The first great white shark of the season in Massachusetts was spotted off Smith’s Point.

Staying Safe in Shark Territory

Ecologists point out that the presence of apex predators like great whites signals a balanced, highly productive marine ecosystem.”

There are several ways to stay safe even while enjoying a nice day at the beach:

• Consider using tracking apps like Sharktivity and Ocearch to stay informed about recent shark sightings in different areas.
• When you go into the ocean, stay with other people, as sharks are less likely to investigate larger groups.
• Avoid wearing bright or shiny jewelry or brightly contrasting colors, as sharks have good eyesight and may be attracted to these items out of curiosity.
• Stay close to the shore, and always check for any recent shark sightings in the specific area you are visiting.