Shark Archives

A New Englander’s Fascination With Sharks

I’m from New England, and sharks fascinate me — especially now that they’ve returned to Cape Cod waters in such big numbers. So every now and then, I like to check in on what’s happening with our top newsmakers. This year, the headline grabbers are Contender and Breton. Let’s check in with them, shall we.

Contender Makes Headlines

If you’ve been watching shark news lately, you’ve probably seen Contender splashed across the headlines. He’s huge, he’s dramatic, and he moves like he owns the entire Atlantic. Every time he pings, the internet lights up. He’s the kind of shark that makes people stop scrolling and say, “Whoa.”

Most Great Whites Head North for Summer

By late July, most of the great whites tagged off the East Coast have already left Florida behind. They follow cooler water, chase prey, and avoid the Florida bathtub temperatures. It’s the standard summer migration: northward, predictable, sensible.

But sharks don’t read the rulebook.

Enter Breton: Florida’s Surprise Visitor

While most of the great whites are enjoying their summer vacation in New England and Canada, Breton — one of the most famous sharks ever tagged — decided Florida was still on the menu.

He pinged off the Florida coast recently, surprising everyone who follows shark movements. Breton has always been a bit of a wildcard, but showing up in Florida in late July? That’s bold even for him.

It’s like he said,

“Shark Week is over, but I’m not done.”

And here’s the cool part: Contender, Breton, and dozens of other sharks and sea animals can be tracked in real time using the free OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker app. If you’ve never watched a 1,500‑pound shark take a summer road trip up the East Coast, you’re missing out.

You can find the app here

Shark Tracker: Where Are They Now?

If you check the tracker today, you’ll see something interesting: Contender’s last ping on 7/11 was off the coast of Maine.

So while he’s been dominating the headlines, he’s actually cruising the cooler northern waters like a seasoned summer traveler.

Breton, meanwhile, is the wildcard — popping up off Florida when almost every other great white has already headed north. It’s classic Breton behavior: unpredictable, dramatic, and guaranteed to make shark watchers sit up a little straighter.

The Real Shark Story Isn’t on TV

Shark Week comes and goes. The sharks keep moving.

And sometimes, they surprise us — like Breton cruising Florida while everyone else heads north, or Contender quietly pinging off Maine while the headlines shout his name.

Nature just keeps on amazing me.

Nature is continuing to WOW us on and around Cape Cod! I turned my back for one minute and we had “Air Jaws” stealing fish right off the fishermen’s lines! It was just a small Great White, a juvenile, but it came awful close to landing in the boat. As if that wasn’t enough a few days before that a big great white also stole fish off a line. He was just less showy. He snuck up and chomp, half the fish was gone in one bite!

Look What’s right in our own backyard

While all of this nature news was making headlines here in Massachusetts, I was visiting my sister in New York. In her little suburban backyard we were entertained by all sorts of little critters. The Blue Jays were the first visitors when we came out. Sandy was prepared with peanuts to encourage them to visit. She’s such a good hostess. Did you know that Blue Jays love peanuts? The kind in the shells. They swoop in and snatch them, After they go back to the trees you can hear the shells cracking.