South Carolina coast ‘buzzing’ with great white sharks, ocean research group said
A group that studies marine life said South Carolina’s coast was “buzzing” with sharks this week.
Three white sharks were swimming in Charleston area ocean over the last week, according OCEARCH, an organization that tracks sharks and other ocean animals. The white shark is also known as the great white shark.
OCEARCH, which have the three sharks tagged with tracking devices, said on Jan. 3 the great whites had been hanging out around the Holy City waters for about a week.
The sharks, named Miss Costa, White Shark Hal and Grey Lady Shark, spent New Year’s Eve near Edisto Beach and Charleston as well, OCEARCH reported.
Grey Lady Shark hadn’t pinged for OCEARCH in two years before she popped up on the group’s radar on Dec. 31 at Edisto.
White Shark Hal, a 12 foot 6 inches bull, has traveled the eastern seaboard over the last month, winding up in Daytona Beach during the end of December before coming to Charleston.
Other sharks tracked by OCEARCH have also pinged in South Carolina waters in the last month such as Hilton the Shark, another great white that spans more than 12 feet.
OCEARCH says that white sharks stick to pretty precise migrations, so they’re likely to return to the same places at certain times of year.
According to OCEARCH’s shark tracker, currently three great white sharks that the group tracks are swimming off or near the coast of South Carolina from Myrtle Beach down to Hilton Head. Four tiger sharks and one hammerhead are pinging for OCEARCH in nearby waters.
This story was originally published January 5, 2019 at 3:08 PM with the headline "South Carolina coast ‘buzzing’ with great white sharks, ocean research group said."