A massive 9ft great white shark has been detected off Merritt Island, Florida. It is part of a common winter migration route, however the predator’s actions have surprised experts for one reason
A staggering 9ft long great white shark dubbed “Brass Bed” has been spotted off the coast of a popular holiday location. The hefty 433-lb juvenile female was originally tagged back in October 2025 near Mahone Bay in Nova Scotia and pinged on February 7 northeast of Cape Canaveral.
John Tyminski, Senior Data Scientist at OCEARCH, explained that this sighting is part of a typical winter migration route for these creatures, which is proving to be far more extensive than previously thought.
Now spotted off the coast of Merritt Island, Florida, the mysterious movements of Brass Bed are providing scientists with new insights into the behaviour and winter habitats of great white sharks. Tyminski said: “This is a common route that we see with white sharks at this time of year.” He added: “The overwintering area generally extends from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and then along the East Coast, and also into the Gulf of Mexico.”
Measuring an impressive 9ft 2in, Brass Bed was tagged as part of a joint effort between OCEARCH and the Tancook Islands Marine Field Station, under the leadership of Dr. Nigel Hussey.
The field station, located near Nova Scotia’s Tancook Islands, has become a vital research centre after OCEARCH’s earlier work identified the area as crucial to white sharks. Tyminski: “Nigel has brought this to the next level, started a field station there where graduate students can be completely immersed in the community and environment. They can stay there for months on end and learn more about how these white sharks are utilizing the habitat in Atlantic Canada.”
The moniker of the shark holds a special significance, steeped in seafaring tradition. Tyminski shared an anecdote: “Years ago, a woman dreamed of owning a brass bed, but was instead gifted a handcrafted boat named Brass Bed, a vessel that became a beloved part of her family’s life on the water.”
“Inspired by that story, the shark’s name pays homage to this special bond between a boat and its name, a connection every mariner understands as a symbol of identity, pride, and enduring respect for the sea.”
However, Brass Bed has proven to be a bit of a slippery customer for researchers. Tyminski noted: “She’s one that doesn’t seem to be spending much time at the surface, or at least her tag is not giving us very regular pings.”
“We don’t have a real good sense of her pattern, but most recently she’s obviously shown this movement south along the east coast of Florida.” The study is providing ground breaking revelations about white shark behaviour in the Gulf of Mexico. Tyminski hinted forthcoming research will shed light on the extent to which white sharks frequent Gulf waters during winter months.
He revealed: “About two-thirds of the sharks that we’ve tagged have shown evidence of at some point going into the Gulf. It’s much more prevalent than we’ve understood previously.”
The expert explained some sharks exhibit a predictable pattern along Florida’s coast. He added: “Some of them will stop on East Florida, and others will go right around the tip of Florida, and then typically bend north and follow that West Florida escarpment up into the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.”
Tyminski revealed: “We’ve had a couple of sharks off Mississippi and Alabama this year already.”
The Tancook Islands Marine Field Station utilises cutting-edge tracking tech including an underwater acoustic receiver network which picks up signals from tagged sharks as they traverse Mahone Bay. These acoustic tags – surgically inserted into the sharks – can last up to a decade and provide boffins with detailed movement data.
As Brass Bed continues her journey southwards researchers are keeping tabs to see if she’ll join the increasing number of sharks spotted in Gulf waters. The Cape Canaveral area where she was recently detected, is renowned for its rich marine life.
Tyminski added: “That Cape Canaveral area in general seems to be a fairly productive area. There seems to be a lot of food around there. It’s generally considered a fairly sharky area.”