Massive 1,653-Pound Great White Shark Spotted Near Nantucket

A massive great white shark was spotted in the area around Nantucket, an island enclave off the coast of Massachusetts.

The shark is a whopping 1,653 pounds.

The company OCEARCH publishes a shark tracker website that shows the shark's movements, and it's getting dangerously close to the vacation hotspot.

Specifically, the shark was pinged heading toward the New England coast, between Georges Bank and Nantucket Shoals.

The shark is "the largest Atlantic great white shark tagged by a marine research company," according to USA Today. However, it's not the largest great white shark in history; a shark caught in Australia in the 1870s measured 16.4 feet, according to the website, White Shark Divers. Unconfirmed sightings say a shark named "Deep Blue" measures 20 feet, the site reported.

The recent shark is called Contender, and it pinged off the coast of New England on July 17, according to the shark tracker. According to USA Today, the ping means the shark's fin was spotted above water.

Contender is a male shark that is 13 feet and eight or nine inches long, according to that website. The shark was initially tagged in January near the Florida and Georgia border.

The shark tracker says that Contender is the "ultimate ocean warrior! This powerful white shark was tagged on January 17, 2025, off the FL/GA coast, about 45 miles offshore. At 13.8 feet long and weighing an estimated 1,653 lbs, Contender is a mature male now contributing to OCEARCH’s mission of shark research and ocean conservation."

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," the website says.

"Contender’s name is in honor of Contender Boats, a longtime OCEARCH partner, whose industry-leading sport fishing and pleasure boats enable our research missions. Their commitment to performance and innovation is essential to our ability to explore and protect our oceans," it adds.

In early June, Contender pinged off the coast of North Carolina, according to CBS News.