12-foot great white sharks linger off Carolinas amid winter migration, data shows
The annual great white shark migration has begun, and tracking tags show a growing number of the predators are lingering off the Carolinas as they head to warmer waters.
Two sharks in the 12-foot range are among four showing up on satellite tracking between Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina, according to the nonprofit shark research agency OCEARCH.
And they represent just a fraction of the predators that are actually out there, experts say.
“As autumn sets in, white sharks of the western North Atlantic population are beginning their incredible southward migration,” OCEARCH reported in an Oct. 21 social media post.
“These apex predators are leaving their summer hangouts up in Atlantic Canada and around Cape Cod and are heading toward the warmer waters of the Carolinas, Georgia and southeast Florida. This migration happens every single year. As the water cools and daylight shortens, it’s nature’s cue for the sharks to move where food and warmer temperatures await.”
North Carolina’s Outer Banks is where the warm northbound Gulf Stream collides with the colder southbound Labrador Current, and sharks appear to enjoy the resulting mix of temperatures – and prey, experts say.
“This area marks a unique transition zone where ocean currents and water temperature create conditions that can cause sharks to linger before continuing south,” OCEARCH says.
“Understanding these pauses helps scientists learn more about shark movement patterns, feeding behavior, and how environmental factors influence their migrations.”
Some sharks tracking off the Carolinas were off Nova Scotia, Canada, earlier in the month, OCEARCH.org reports.
OCEARCH has put tags on more than 70 white sharks in the Northwest Atlantic, tracking their movements and revealing areas where they stay.
Tracking has revealed some will travel as far west as the coast of Veracruz, Mexico, during their trek south. However, scientists have yet to learn why some migrate farther west than others.
OCEARCH has been working to confirm a theory that white sharks are mating off North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The predators can reach up to 21 feet and 4,500 pounds and are found in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, NOAA Fisheries reports.
This story was originally published October 23, 2025 at 12:17 PM with the headline "12-foot great white sharks linger off Carolinas amid winter migration, data shows."