VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The great white shark Mary Lee is still lurking off the coast of Virginia Beach!
The female shark being tracked by the research group Ocearch pinged about 65 miles off the southern coast of Virginia Beach early Friday morning, even closer than two other recent pings.
Mary Lee’s track over the past month | Ocearch
On May 12, she pinged about 220 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach. She then headed west, and surfaced Thursday morning about 70 miles off the coast of Corolla.
A ping is determined when the tagged shark’s dorsal fin breaks the surface and transmits a signal to a satellite.
Mary Lee was named after Ocearch expedition leader Chris Fischer’s mother, the group said. “My parents have done so much. I was waiting and waiting for a special shark to name after her and this is truly the most historic and legendary fish I have ever been a part of and it set the tone for Cape Cod,“ says Chris.
Mary Lee was originally tagged near Cape Cod in September, 2012.
Since then she has been tracked making her way up and down the East Coast from off the coast of the Bahamas all the way up to the waters off Massachusetts.
When she was tagged in 2012, Mary Lee was 16 feet long and weighed 3,456 pounds.
Click here to learn more about Ocearch.
