Biggest Great White Shark Just Pinged Off Atlantic City

Many people who visited the beaches of South Jersey - from LBI to Brigantine to Atlantic City to Ocean City and down to Cape May - are amazed that from land they can see dolphins, whales, and other marine life.

Even sharks!

Memo to them: this IS the Atlantic Ocean. This IS where they LIVE!

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Monster Great White Shark Just Pinged Off Atlantic City and Cape May

That's a big shark!

The largest great white shark to ever be tagged and released in the Atlantic Ocean has paid a visit to the waters off South Jersey this week.

Our friends at Ocearch report the great white shark named Contender pinged just off the coast Wednesday (November 2025). At 9:13pm the ping was captured just south of Atlantic City. Indications are the shark is heading south for the winter. (Just like your parents!)

What We Know About Contender, the Shark

Ocearch reports that when Contender was tagged earlier this year near the Florida-Georgia border, it was measured as 13 feet, 9 inches. The male weighed in at 1,653 pounds! (Is there an Ozempic shot for sharks?)

Contender was named after Contender Boats, a longtime partner with Oceach.

In the last two weeks, Contender has made way from the Newfoundland area to South Jersey.

Here's what Ocearch says about tracking Contender: "The SPOT tag deployed on Contender will provide valuable real-time data for approximately five years, helping us track his movements and understand his migration patterns. Additionally, we've collected important biological samples, including urogenital material, which are currently being analyzed."

Source: Ocearch