FILE: A new study from the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy reveals video from July 2023 in what is believed to be the first direct observation of dusky sharks preying on seals.
Along with the annual migration of thousands of college students to Florida for spring break, four great white sharks decided to venture South to see what the hype was about, pinging off the coast of the Sunshine State in the Gulf of America.
These recent pings in the Gulf not only align with vacationers heading south to avoid winter weather, but highlight the Gulf as a critical habitat for white sharks.
In a recent study published in Wildlife Research, researchers found that white sharks are highly migratory, moving long distances seasonally in response to prey availability and water conditions, with the Gulf as a common place to spend winter.
FILE – Waves break in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
(Jumping Rocks/Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
OCEARCH, is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to researching and protecting sharks, whales, sea turtles and other ocean life, tagging these animals to track and study their migration habits and behaviors from afar.
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Understanding the white sharks’ seasonal movement, from Canadian waters, down the U.S. eastern seaboard, and into the Gulf, helps scientists identify critical habitats for protection, inform conservation policy and manage this recovering, but still vulnerable species more effectively.
OCEARCH maintains a detailed shark tracker, following the movements of numerous species of sharks as they wander through Earth’s ocean.
FILE – Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, dorsal fin six nautical miles off the coast of Gansbaai, quite close to Dyer Iceland and Geyser Rock, a great white shark breaks through the water surface. Its dorsal fin is an individual, special distinguishing feature of the shark, unique and unmistakable. The dorsal fin and also the tail fin with its asymmetric structure are ideal for the mobility of the shark.
(Education Images/Universal Images Group / FOX Weather)
Four white sharks were recently pinned off the West Coast of Florida, swimming in the Gulf of America in the past several weeks.
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Ernst, Bella, Penny and Ripple, like many white sharks, trek South along the East Coast during the winter in search of warmer waters.
Ernst, a 12-foot subadult female white shark that weighs 1,009 lbs, pinged off 23 miles south of Cape San Blas on the Florida Panhandle on Feb. 20.
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She last Z-pinged on March 2. A Z-ping occurs when the shark spends only a brief period of time at the surface, sending a signal to a satellite that isn’t strong enough to determine an accurate location.
Ernst, the great white shark, has gotten the attention of scientists amid increased activity in the Gulf.
(OCEARCH / Instagram)
She was first tagged this October, just days before making the long journey from the frigid waters of the Gulf of Maine to the warmer waters in the Gulf of America, where she has lingered since.
Ernst traveled 3,633 miles in just 139 days, surfacing as far west as Mississippi.
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On March 4, Bella pinged northwest of Key West after moving through the Straits of Florida.
Bella, a 10-foot juvenile female white shark that weighs roughly 729 lbs, was tagged and released in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia.
Bella’s name, meaning “beautiful” in Italian, holds special significance.
The OCEARCH logo on a boat during a shark tagging in 2020.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
She was named in honor of one of OCEARCH’s biggest fans and supporters in Florida, representing the passionate global community that fuels this important work.
“Her story is a testament to the power of collaboration—from world-class scientists and fishermen to everyday ocean lovers,” Bella’s profile reads on OCEARCH.
Penny, a 10-foot juvenile white shark that weighs roughly 522 lbs, pinged off the coast of Key West in late February.
She was tagged by research nonprofit OCEARCH in April 2023 off Ocracoke, North Carolina.
OCEARCH catching Penny the white shark in April 2023 off the coast of North Carolina.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
In the 1,000-plus days that Penny has been tracked, she has ventured more than 12,000 miles, and has returned to the Gulf on several occasions before returning to the Northwestern Atlantic during the summer and fall months.
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On March 3, Ripple, an 11-foot subadult male white shark weighing in at 778 pounds, pinged off of the Florida Panhandle.
In the past, OCEARCH has tracked Ripple’s adventure from Mahone Bay all the way along the southeastern coast and around Florida to New Orleans.
Ripple, was tagged by OCEARCH on Sept. 30, 2025 off the coast of Nova Scotia. OCEARCH scientists track sharks like Ripple to understand their migration patterns and how they impact the ocean.
Like many other white sharks, Ripple has returned to the Gulf on several occasions in search of warmer waters.
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You can track the four white sharks, and 400 other ocean animals, in real time using the free OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker app.
