The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is a formidable apex predator. Though encounters between great white sharks and humans are rare, the species gained a reputation as a killer from its portrayal in the 1975 motion picture Jaws! Despite their intimidating appearance, great white sharks don’t pose a significant threat to human life. The largest great white sharks on record are 20 feet (6 meters) long and weigh over 4,000 pounds (1,814 kilograms). So, don your SCUBA gear as we dive in and discover the 13 largest great white sharks ever caught in the US.
Considered vulnerable, meaning that their numbers are decreasing at an alarming rate, great white sharks are protected in many areas. Conservation efforts emphasize catch-and-release practices, in which sharks are caught for tagging and research purposes. This approach allows scientists to gather valuable data. Great white sharks once tagged are followed closely. You, too, can follow the great white sharks you will meet in this post on OCEARCH’s amazing shark tracker.
OCEARCH, a non-profit organization dedicated to the research and conservation of marine animals, primarily focuses on sharks. Their shark tagging expeditions team scientists with big game anglers to capture sharks, equipping them with SPOT tags. A SPOT tag, or Smart Position and Temperature Transmitting tag, is an electronic tag used to track the movements of sharks. SPOT tags are designed to gather and transmit data about the animal’s location and ambient temperature. These tags are particularly valuable for studying the migratory patterns of great white sharks. PSAT or Pop-up Satellite Archival tags are used to follow the sharks’ vertical and horizontal movements, providing information about how long the sharks stay submerged and how deep they dive.
Deep Blue
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia
- Length: 20 feet (6 Meters)
- Weight: 4,400 pounds (1,995 kilograms)
- Date Discovered: 2014
Deep Blue is the largest great white shark in recent history. First seen off the coast of Guadalupe Island, Mexico, Deep Blue resurfaced near Oahu, Hawaii. Deep Blue is estimated to be 60 years old. She may have been pregnant as recently as 2015.
Haole Girl
Source: Global_Pics / Getty Images
- Length: est. 20 feet (6 meters)
- Weight: est. 4000 + pounds (1,814 + kilograms)
- Date Discovered: 2019
Haole Girl was first spotted off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii in 2019. Mistaken for Deep Blue, but was later determined to be a different shark.
Nukumi
Source: MuhammadFawadAli / Shutterstock.com
Source: MuhammadFawadAli / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 17 feet (5.18 meters)
- Weight: 3,542 (1,606 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2020
Nukumi, dubbed Queen of the Ocean by the folks at OCEARCH, is the largest great white shark that has been tagged so far. She is also one of only two tagged great white sharks to cross the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Luna
Source: Martin Prochazkacz / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 15 feet (4.5 meters)
- Weight: 2.137 pounds (969 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2018
The second-largest great white shark that has been tagged by OCEARCH, Luna likes to cruise the Eastern Seaboard of the US and Canada. She last pinged off the coast of Georgia in December of 2019.
Genie
Source: Sergey Uryadnikov / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 14 feet, 8 inches (4.5 meters)
- Weight: 2,010 pounds (911.7 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2012
The first-ever North Atlantic great white shark to be tagged by OCEARCH, Genie was tagged in the summer of 2012 near Cap Cod, Massachusetts. According to her SPOT tag, while Genie summers at the Cape, she spends her winters in the warmer waters around Savannah, Georgia.
Lydia
Source: Shane Myers Photography / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 14 feet 6 inches (4.4 meters)
- Weight: 2000 pounds (907 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2013
Lydia was the first of only two great white sharks tagged by OCEARCH to cross the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. She breached the ridge in April 2014. Lydia last pinged in March 2017.
LeeBeth
Source: Jsegalexplore / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 14 feet (4.26 meters)
- Weight: 2800 pounds (1270 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2023
LeeBeth is among the newest great whites to be caught. She was tagged on December 8, 2023, off the coast of South Carolina. Estimated to be in her mid-to-late 20s, LeeBeth was caught and tagged by Hilton Head Charter Captain Chip Michalove, who has tagged 36 great whites. Along with her SPOT tag, LeeBeth has a camera attached to her dorsal fin, allowing researchers to not only track her movements but view them, as well!
Mahone
Source: LuckyStep / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 13 feet 7 inches
- Weight: 1,701 pounds
- Date Tagged: 2020
Mahone is an adult male great white shark, who seemingly spends his summers in Hudson Bay, and his winters in sunny Florida.
Bob
Source: Alessandro De Maddalena / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 13 feet 4 inches (4.2 meters)
- Weight: 1308 pounds (593 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2021
Bob is an adult male great white shark who cruises up and down the Eastern Seaboard. According to his SPOT tag, Bob is spending the 2023 holidays near North Carolina’s Outer Banks!
Breton
Source: Stefan Pircher / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 13 feet, 3 inches (4 meters)
- Weight: 1437 (652 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2020
Breton is an adult male great white shark. Since he was tagged in 2020, Breton has been on the move, pinging up and down the East Coast. He tends to favor open water.
Ironbound
Source: Stefan Pircher / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 12 feet, 4 inches (3.75 meters)
- Weight:1189 (539 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2019
Ironbound is an adult male great white shark who tends to hug the coast as he cruises north and south. Tagged in 2020, Ironbound last pinged near Georgia’s coast in the spring of 2023.
Miss Costa
Source: Alessandro De Maddalena / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 12 feet 2 inches (3,7 kilograms)
- Weight: 1001 pounds (495 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2016
Tagged off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts in the fall of 2016, Miss Costa last pinged in May of 2023.
Maple
Source: Sergey Uryadnikov / Shutterstock.com
- Length: 11 feet, 7 inches (3.5 meters)
- Weight: 1,264 pounds (573 kilograms)
- Date Tagged: 2021
Maple is a sub-adult female great white shark. When she was tagged, she had a prominent wound that was believed to be inflicted by a much larger great white shark. Maple hasn’t pinged since the fall of 2023.
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