A group of fishermen off Cape Canaveral spotted a 15-foot great white shark on Sunday, March 10, 2026, during a routine fishing trip. The shark swam within feet of their boat, about five miles east of the port, for roughly 20 minutes before disappearing. Captain Blair Wiggins, who has spent 60 years on the Space Coast, described the encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime moment. He said the shark’s size was staggering. 'I literally tried to measure when it was under the boat, and I could not put my arms halfway around that fish,' Wiggins said. 'It was a monster.'
Wiggins, who has only seen two great whites in his lifetime, called the sighting 'special' given the rarity of the species in Florida waters. The shark initially confused the crew, who thought it might be a manta ray or whale shark before identifying it by its distinct fin. 'It made me feel like I was pretty special that day,' Wiggins said. 'I’ve been here 60 years on this Earth and have seen a great white twice now.'
Toby Daly-Engel, a shark researcher at Florida Tech, said the sighting aligns with trends of great whites migrating south to warmer waters in the spring. 'Sharks really like it when it’s kind of a nice medium temperature—not too hot, not too cold,' Daly-Engel said. She noted the species is increasingly seen in Florida’s southern Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico as they follow prey and seek optimal temperatures. Great whites can live over 100 years and grow up to 18 feet long, though the one spotted near Cape Canaveral was already massive.
The fishermen said the shark remained near their boat for about 20 minutes before swimming away. They described the encounter as both thrilling and humbling. 'I was so enamored by seeing such a giant creature,' Wiggins said. 'It was cool.' Researchers emphasized that the sighting should not deter visitors during spring break, as great whites typically avoid human activity and pose little threat to swimmers.