See it: Upticks in activity from Ernst the great white shark has scientists watching closely

ALABAMA – A large great white shark has gotten the attention of scientists after recent jumps in activity.

A great white shark named Ernst is on the move off the waters of Alabama this week. According to Ocearch, Ernst is a 12-foot, one-thousand-pound sub-adult great white shark that was first tagged by scientists in October 2025.

Osearch is a non-profit organization that conducts research on our ocean giants to help scientists collect previously unattainable data.

In the last month, she has traveled from the coast off the Florida Keys to the coast of Alabama.

According to Ocearch, over the last two days, Ernst has delivered five pings in Alabama waters near Gulf Shores. Most recently, the shark was pinged just four miles offshore of Dauphin Island.

This is not a common occurrence, although juvenile white sharks are frequently seen in shallow nearshore waters in areas such as Southern California, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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This species of shark lives in temperate and subtropical waters worldwide, often migrating seasonally to its preferred temperature range (50 - 80 degrees), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ernst is barely older than a juvenile shark.

"We’ve noted tagged white sharks utilizing this part of the northeastern Gulf in other years - most commonly well offshore and near the continental slope," stated Ocearch Data Scientist, John Tyminski. "Seeing one move within a few miles of shore is certainly less common and highlights our need to better understand the drivers of this apex predators’ movements in the Gulf."

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Scientists will continue to monitor this shark's movements and, hopefully, acquire more data on why Ernst has swum so close to shore.