Atlantic’s largest great white shark, named Contender, returns to Florida waters after a year

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The largest male great white shark ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean has returned to Florida waters just one year after it was tagged.

After traveling as far north as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the 14-foot-long, 1,700-pound shark known as the “Rival” has resurfaced in warmer coastal waters, researchers said.

The shark was named in honor of Contender Boats. Scientists are closely monitoring the timing of the shark’s return, as it may coincide with great white shark mating activity, according to SWNS news agency.

Great white shark sightings are rising along the northeastern shores as the summer winds blow

Chris Fisher, founder of OCEARCH, a US-based marine research group that monitors shark movements globally, said researchers hope to gain new insight into the largely unknown reproductive habits of great white sharks.

“From the few clues we have, it seems we need to pay attention to the late winter and early spring region,” Fisher told SWNS.

The largest male great white shark ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, Contender (pictured above), has returned to Florida waters after migrating to the Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern Canada. (Sonus)

The competitor was tagged off the Florida-Georgia border on January 17, 2025, marking one year since researchers tracked its movements.

Using satellite tags, OCEARCH tracks shark movements across thousands of miles and across international waters.

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“The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track its movements and understand its migration patterns,” OCEARCH stated on its website.

The shark made one of the longest recorded migrations by a great white in the Atlantic Ocean.

A great white shark named Contender as a crew member secures it to a pole above the deep blue ocean waters.

The research team uses satellite tags to track a competitor’s movements. (Sonus)

SWNS noted that the contender was recorded off the coast of New Jersey and Canada, as well as near Jacksonville.

Fox News Digital previously reported that Contender was miles away from Nantucket, Massachusetts, in the summer of 2025.

It was also near Cape Hatteras, off the coast Outer Banks of North Carolina.

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Other great white sharks tracked by the research team include Britton and Goodall.

Researchers will watch to see if the competitor makes contact with other sharks during this time.

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“More importantly, would there be other mature white sharks like Britton and other mature white sharks like Goodall and others present in that similar area at the same time?” Fisher said.