A white shark named Webster has been tracked 425 miles off the coast of Cape Canaveral, according to OCEARCH, a research nonprofit that tagged the animal in September 2025 in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Webster is an adult male weighing over 1,000 pounds and measuring just over 12 feet long at the time of tagging. The shark has been monitored via satellite pings since then, with recent data showing him moving through the open Atlantic.
Webster’s journey began in Nova Scotia, where he was captured, measured, and released by OCEARCH researchers. Over the past year, he has traveled down the East Coast, spending time off South Carolina’s coast before heading north briefly in late January. His latest movement brought him into the open ocean, where he was tracked Thursday night roughly 425 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral.
OCEARCH senior data scientist John Tyminski said the open ocean is largely barren, with low nutrient levels making it a “biological desert.” Apex predators like Webster often seek out eddies—rotating water masses that bring nutrient-rich cold water to the surface—to survive in such areas. Tyminski noted that these eddies are critical for sharks and other marine life in the open ocean.
This is the first time Webster has been tracked in the Gulf of Mexico, though another white shark tagged by OCEARCH in 2023, a juvenile female named Penny, made her first Gulf appearance in 2026. Researchers say tracking sharks like Webster helps understand their migration patterns and habitat use, particularly in deep, uncharted waters.
OCEARCH’s data shows Webster is now moving south again, deeper into the Atlantic. The nonprofit continues to monitor his movements, providing real-time updates to the public through its website and social media.