Possible Arrival of Massive Sharks on Long Island

In late June, a notable 12-foot-long, 1,000-pound great white shark was tracked off the East End of Long Island. There are now reports suggesting that the largest great white ever found in the Atlantic might be heading in the same direction.

This female shark, named Ernst, first made a sound near Montauk on June 20 while making her way toward Cape Cod, eventually traveling further north. Experts suspect that there’s an even bigger shark, a 14-foot, 1,700-pound great white called “Contender,” now en route as well.

Both sharks appear to be on similar paths, migrating up the East Coast from Florida. If they stick to the same patterns, it’s likely they will pass through Long Island this summer.

According to an OCEARCH spokesperson, “Great white sharks in the western North Atlantic generally migrate north and spend the summer and early fall foraging in the waters of Cape Cod and Atlantic Canada.”

Currently, Contender is reported to be near Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, while Ernst is heading toward the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada.

This information comes at a time when there’s been a significant rise in shark sightings and bites this year. Just this month, officials had to temporarily close beaches from Long Island to the Rockaways after a swimmer was bitten on the leg off Jones Beach, with the injury severe enough to expose bone. This incident has raised concerns about schools of bull sharks typically found in warmer waters.

In response, authorities across Long Island are increasing patrols with boats at sea and using advanced drones to monitor the beaches for these ancient predators.

Nevertheless, experts have cautioned that predicting the sharks’ movements is tricky. “We can’t know exactly what will happen this season,” said Frank Quevedo, an environmental scientist and the executive director of the Southfork Museum of Natural History.