11ft Great White Shark Just Spotted off Long Island Coast As Summer Nears
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
As summer approaches, a juvenile great white shark named Dold has today been detected off the Long Island coastline, marking the latest milestone in a months-long migration that has taken him up the U.S. East Coast.
While beachgoers are planning trips to the shore to enjoy the good weather, but many will be thinking about what lurks in the water, and the latest data from trackers at OCEARCH gives an insight to shark behaviors.
First tagged by researchers from OCEARCH in February near the Florida–Georgia border, Dold weighs 761 pounds and measures 11 feet 2 inches from tip to tail.
His most recent position, recorded in the early hours of June 20, places him off the coast of Long Island, some 80–120 miles offshore—near the Hudson Canyon, a common corridor for migrating sharks.
This is Dold's first ping since May 21, when he was detected in the Florida Gap off the coast of Port St. Lucie, Florida. Since being tagged, Dold has covered an estimated 2,875 miles in just under four months, demonstrating the far-reaching seasonal migrations juvenile white sharks undertake in search of prey and suitable water temperatures.
OCEARCH, a global nonprofit that tags and tracks marine life for scientific study, monitors sharks like Dold to better understand their behavior, travel patterns, and environmental needs. Their insights also help inform public safety along populated coastlines.
A file photo of a great white shark off the coast of False Bay, South Africa.
A file photo of a great white shark off the coast of False Bay, South Africa.
AlessandroShark Activity off the U.S. Coast
As summer heats up and crowds return to U.S. beaches, the movements of sharks like Dold serve as a seasonal reminder of increased shark activity near shorelines. Spring and summer months bring warmer waters, which white sharks favor as they move north for feeding and breeding.
Great white sharks are found along both the East and West Coasts of the United States.
According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF)—which is maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History—the U.S. leads the world in the number of unprovoked shark bites each year.
In 2023, the U.S. reported 36 unprovoked shark bites, including two fatalities. Florida had the highest number (16 in 2023), followed by Hawaii, California and New York.
Despite this, fatal shark attacks are extremely rare. Between 2013 and 2022 there was an average of just one fatal shark bite per year in the U.S., compared with tens of millions of people entering the water annually.
By contrast, Shark Guardian estimates approximately 100 million sharks are killed globally each year, including being intentionally targeted for fishing as well as those caught by bycatch in fishing nets.
Other Sharks on the Radar
Lower down the Atlantic seaboard, another shark continues to make waves: Contender, currently the largest great white shark tracked by OCEARCH.
A huge 1,653 pounds and 13 feet 9 inches, contender has been pinged several times this year, most recently on June 7 in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina.
Though Dold and Contender are impressive in size and range, the record for the largest great white ever reliably documented remains with Deep Blue—a massive female shark estimated at 20 to 21 feet long and weighing around 5,000 pounds.
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about sharks? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
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