A shark research team has tagged its largest ever recorded male white shark off the East Coast, but it appears to be avoiding the Carolinas for now. OCEARCH tagged the massive shark on Jan. 17 about 45 miles off the coast near the Florida-Georgia line.

According to The Florida Times-Union, OCEARCH — the aforementioned nonprofit — tagged the shark on Jan. 17. The great white, which was later given the name “Contender,” clocked in at a whopping 1,653 pounds at 13 feet, 9 inches.

Ocean researchers have found the largest male great white shark ever recorded. The shark, named Contender, was first tagged by research group OCEARCH on January 17, off the coast of Georgia. Since then the group has been tracking its movements as he swims around the Atlantic Ocean,

Researchers last month caught and released the largest male white shark that they've ever tagged in the northwest Atlantic population, and it's all captured on video. (Credit: Ocearch via Storyful)

A record-breaking male white shark was found 45 miles off the Georgia-Florida coast, making big waves on Jan. 17.

A 9-foot great white shark, recently tagged by OCEARCH, has made its way to Florida, sending pings from its journey along the state's east coast.

While Contender is the largest male caught and tagged along the East Coast by OCEARCH, it tagged a bigger female white shark in 2020, off Nova Scotia. That shark, named Nukumi, was 17 feet, 2 inches, and weighed 3,541 pounds, data shows.