Massive great white shark Breton, known for viral self-portrait, pings again off Florida coast

A 13-foot great white shark made a return appearance to the Florida waters Wednesday. The over 1,400-pound male shark, named Breton, has been tracked by researchers since 2020 and last resurfaced near Florida on New Year’s Day in 2024.

Breton left the Newfoundland coast in early December and made his way south down the East Coast, according to the OCEARCH tracker. 

The marine science nonprofit OCEARCH tracks Breton and was first tagged by researchers in September 2020 near Scatarie Island, Nova Scotia. He was the first shark tagged during OCEARCH’s 2020 expedition. He has traveled 40,913 miles since he was tagged. 

Breton has previously made trips to Florida around this time of year, and in 2022, went viral after his tag pings revealed that he had seemingly created a self-portrait.

The great white shark has traveled up and down the East Coast for the past five years and in 2023, he was “pinged” near the Pamlico Sound on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Great white sharks range from Maine down to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Breton isn’t the only great white shark making his way south. Bob, another 13-foot male white shark, was pinged off the Florida coast on Jan. 5, according to the tracker.