Home / Environment / Great White Shark 'Bella' Visits Florida Coast
Great White Shark 'Bella' Visits Florida Coast
11 Mar
Summary
- A 10-foot great white shark named Bella was tracked near Sarasota.
- Bella was tagged by OCEARCH off Nova Scotia in July 2025.
- Great white sharks migrate to Florida waters for warmer temperatures.
A 10-foot great white shark, identified as Bella by OCEARCH researchers, has been detected in the Gulf waters off Sarasota, Florida. This juvenile female shark was tagged in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, on July 18, 2025. Since then, Bella has journeyed approximately 4,219 miles, with recent pings indicating her presence near the Florida coast.
Bella's migration is part of a larger seasonal pattern observed in North Atlantic great white sharks. These marine predators typically travel from their summer feeding grounds off Atlantic Canada and New England to overwintering spots, often as far south as Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, seeking warmer waters and reliable food sources. This migration is triggered by cooling water temperatures and shorter daylight hours.
OCEARCH is a research organization dedicated to studying ocean giants, particularly great white sharks, to better understand their life cycles and global populations. Their work involves safely tagging and tracking these animals to gather critical data. Another tagged shark, a 12-foot great white named Ernst, was previously recorded in Sarasota waters on January 1, 2026.
