Great white shark Mary Lee recorded off shore near Seaside Heights
As we get closer to Memorial Day, more and more people are going to flock to Shore spots like Seaside Heights. But this year, they may not be alone.
As we get closer to Memorial Day, more and more people are going to flock to Shore spots like Seaside Heights. But this year, they may not be alone.
Mary Lee, the nearly 16-foot, 3,500 pound great white shark Daily News scribe Jason Nark described being "as big as a damn Volkswagen Beetle," has been swimming offshore near Lavallette and Normandy Beach this morning, coming as close as 700 meters to the Jersey Shore.
She sent her latest "ping" just after 9:30 a.m. to OCEARCH, a preservation group that is monitoring the shark's movements and sharing them on social media. She was less than two miles off the beach in East Channel way, drifting south towards Ortley Beach.
In the past 24 hours alone, Mary Lee has traveled over 74 miles. She's been swimming off the coast of New Jersey since arriving on Thursday.
All told, the great white, first tagged on Sept. 17, 2012 off the cost of Cape Cod, has traveled nearly 20,000 miles, spending time in the waters off Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. She's even swam as far out as Bermuda.
And believe it or not, there's even a Mother's Day connection with this fast-moving shark.
Mary Lee was named after OCEARCH expedition leader Chris Fincher's mother. "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.