The mysterious seasonal migration of great white sharks from the Northwest Atlantic Ocean to Florida is nearing its apex, with satellite tracking showing one as far west as Panama City Beach in the Panhandle.

As the new year begins, Florida is ringed with sharks tagged by the nonprofit OCEARCH, including a 13-foot, 1,437-pound male in the Atlantic off Daytona Beach, a 10-foot female near Key West and another 10-foot female off Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico.

Leading the migration is a 9-foot, 7-inch male named Keji, sitting near the continental shelf off Panama City Beach. Keji appeared Nov. 30 off Florida’s east coast at the Georgia state line, then mysteriously resurfaced Dec. 13 near the Florida Keys.

White sharks make “predictable annual migrations” from Newfoundland into the Gulf of Mexico starting in the fall, OCEARCH research has revealed.

The nonprofit has tagged dozens of sharks along the East Coast and among its discoveries is a possible mating ground off North Carolina’s Outer Banks.

“The sharks spend summer and fall primarily in coastal waters off New England and Atlantic Canada, feeding on high-calorie prey such as seals, before heading back south to warmer winter waters off the southeast U.S. from South Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico,” OCEARCH says.

“White sharks demonstrate strong site fidelity, with individuals returning to the same location in multiple years, suggesting these animals use complex navigational cues to migrate over thousands of miles every year.”

Among the mysteries of this migration is why some sharks go farther into the Gulf of Mexico than others, scientists say.

In 2023, a 12-foot, 9-inch shark was tracked as far west (and south) as Cancun, Mexico, OCEARCH says. That shark, named Caroline, was tagged in 2019 off Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, scientists say.

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