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Connecticut Nature|On The Water

A Great White Shark Has Been Spotted Swimming Off The Shore Of Connecticut

By Natalie Clunan | Published May 21, 2019

Around lunchtime on Monday, May 20th, a great white shark made its presence known in the Long Island Sound off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut. But don’t let this put a damper on your Memorial Day plans, officials say beachgoers should be perfectly safe. Here’s what you need to know:

A great white shark that is monitored by OCEARCH, a research and educational organization, has turned up in the Long Island Sound off the coast of Greenwich. The male shark was tagged with a digital monitor off the shores of Nova Scotia last year and given the name, "Cabot". He was detected here in Connecticut on Monday.

OCEARCH has tagged not only great white sharks but hundreds of other sea animals including sea turtles and whales to gather valuable data. Cabot has been tracked off the coast of Florida and Maryland in recent months and now has made his appearance off the shore of Connecticut.

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The shark weighs 533 lbs. and measures nine feet eight inches long. While Cabot does not pose a likely threat to swimmers, kite surfers off of Greenwich Point Park are cautioned to be extra vigilant.

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Cabot, unlike most other great whites, has his own social media account and you can follow him on Twitter here. It's rare to discover a great white this far west in the Long Island Sound and it's actually a positive indication that the water quality is increasing.

If you’re planning a beach day for this upcoming holiday weekend, check out these lesser-known beaches in Connecticut.

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