The Largest Great White Sharks Ever Found Off 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 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.

Great white sharks are fast swimmers. They travel throughout the world. But are they common in New York? Follow along to discover some of the largest great white sharks ever found off 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.

What Sharks Live Off the Coast of New York?

Although it may take you a while to spot a great white shark off of New York waters, some 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 growing up to 40 feet long.

Another shark you may find off 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 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 Off New York Waters

While great 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 on this list were tracked using the OCEARCH Shark Tracker. OCEARCH is a unique non-profit organization that researches sea animals, mainly sharks. Currently, they’ve held 45 expeditions and have tagged 437 animals with a team of 200 scientists. The first expedition was in Guadalupe Island, Mexico and the latest was Expedition Northbound.

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 595 days, Rose has traveled approximately 12,424 miles. According to the tracker, in just 72 hours, Rose has traveled 165 miles. Rose was pinged off the coast of New York on June 10 to June 12, 2023. While her tracker pinged her off the coast of New York, Rose seems to spend most of her time off the coast of Florida and the Carolinas.

Breton (13 Feet and 3 Inches)

Next is Breton, a 13-foot and 3-inch great white shark weighing 1,437 pounds. This large adult great white was first tagged in Scatarie Island, Nova Scotia on September 12, 2020. In 605 days, Breton has traveled 25,131 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 Nare’s Plain. Breton was last pinged near New York on July 16, 2021. His most recent ping was on May 30, 2023, near Palm Coast, Florida. Interestingly, Breton was the first shark tagged during OCEARCH’s Expedition Nova Scotia 2020.  

Simon (9 Feet and 6 Inches)

Although Simon isn’t as long as Rose or Breton, he’s still a large great white shark! Simon is a juvenile great white weighing 434 pounds and measuring 9 feet and 6 inches. He is a more recent tag. Researchers tagged him on December 4, 2022, in St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. In 117 days, Simon has impressively swam about 1,520 miles. Simon is the 86th great white shark scientists found and released in OCEARCH’s Western North Atlantic White Shark study. He was last pinged in New York off the coast of Staten Island on May 2, 2023.

Keji (9 Feet and 7 Inches)

Last but not least is Keji, 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. His latest ping was on May 17, 2023, near New York. While he isn’t the largest great white in the area, he is a fast swimmer. In just 380 days, Keji has swam 7,697 miles.

Summary of The Largest Great White Sharks Ever Found Off New York Waters

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/ShaneMyersPhoto