Shark spring break? 9-foot great white shark traveled down Atlantic coast to Gulf of Mexico

Published 7:00 am Thursday, March 7, 2024

The lure of Gulf Coast beaches is strong around spring break season. That has been true for many, many years for humans, but researchers said this week it may also be true for at least one 9-foot great white shark.

Keji, a juvenile great white shark who is tracked by OCEARCH shark research group, has been spotted off the coast of Florida and Alabama recently.

Keji, named for Nova Scota’s Kejimkujik National Park where he was originally tagged with a tracking device, has traveled all the way down the eastern U.S. coastline, around Florida and into the warmer waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

The 578-pound shark’s tracker was pinged Monday near the Florida panhandle.

For the two-legged kind of human spring break goer, don’t worry. So far Keji hasn’t gotten too close to shore.