Ocearch Shark Tracker Reveals Great Whites Congregating Off the Carolinas

A congregation of great white sharks has been spotted around North and South Carolina. Over 25 great whites have been tracked to the area, with many swimming close to the shore.

"White sharks along the eastern coast of the U.S. perform seasonal migrations, where they tend to move south during the fall and winter, so we would expect to see more white sharks in the Carolinas region during the fall and winter," Yannis Papastamatiou, an expert in shark behavior at Florida International University, told Newsweek. "White sharks are coastal during this time of year and can come quite close to shore."

The sharks were detected by GPS tools used by the marine conservation group Ocearch. It has been tracking the movements and migrations of these large fish in the North Atlantic for over a decade, with the hope of using this data to inform future conservation strategies.

"We have certainly gotten much better at knowing they are there, due to a large number of sharks being tracked and a higher number of observations by the public using tools such as drones," Papastamatiou said.

Using these tools, researchers have found that the sharks perform annual north-south migrations from as far north as Newfoundland all the way down to the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Great white sharks are the planet's largest predatory fish and have been responsible for more attacks on humans than any other shark species, so it's important to know when they might be swimming in your area.

"Despite their reputation, the chance of a white shark biting someone is still very low," Papastamatiou said. "However, there are certain times and places when they may be more likely to bite, simply because they are in a foraging mode.

"I wouldn't recommend swimming in areas where their prey are abundant, as that might just be a location where they hunt. In areas where their prey includes marine mammals, we often find that white sharks may be more likely to hunt at dawn, so this might be a time to avoid the water," he said.

While the chances of being bitten by a great white shark are extremely low, swimmers are still advised to remain vigilant in areas where sharks are known to congregate.

"Avoid swimming right after it's been raining, especially near a river mouth," Papastamatiou said. "Any area where the water is murky may be riskier, simply because it will be harder to see an approaching shark. It's safer to be in the water in a group rather than by yourself. Again, it just means you are more likely to see a shark and can get out of the water [quickly]."

To follow the movements of these sharks, go to the Ocearch tracker and filter for "white sharks."