Great White Shark Pinged Near Jersey Shore, Researchers Say

Great White Shark Pinged Near Jersey Shore, Researchers Say 

A great white shark was detected off the coast of the Jersey Shore last week, according to experts. Here's where.

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Warmer weather is approaching, prompting sharks to begin their northern migration towards New Jersey - and at least one has already been detected off the coast of the Jersey Shore last week, according to shark-tracking organization OCEARCH.

Hali, a 700-pound, 10-foot shark, was detected on Friday off the coast of Long Beach Island. Named for the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she was tagged, Hali was spotted Friday just 15 to 20 miles off the coast, OCEARCH said.

Hali’s whereabouts can be tracked here.

Last year, a string of sharks were pinged near the Garden State, including Tancook, a 9-foot, 7-inch juvenile white shark, located off the coast of Atlantic City on May 4, as well as Ironbound, a 1,000-pound shark. A 12-foot Great White shark was also seen less than a mile off the coast of Townsends Inlet near Sea Isle City on June 4, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Factors like warming ocean temperatures in recent years have prompted an increase in shark activity and expanded northward migration patterns in areas along the New Jersey coast, experts say.

But the chances of attacks are still slim: per the International Shark Attack file, there were a total of 57 unprovoked shark bites in 2022, which mostly occurred in the U.S. and Australia. Five attacks in 2022 were fatal, down from nine deaths in 2021.