Massive Great White Shark Pinged Off Florida Coast Ahead Of Spring Break

Scientists have detected a huge great white shark lurking off the Florida coast right before what's expected to be a busy Spring Break season in the state. Maple pinged Monday morning (March 6) southeast of St. George island in the Gulf of Mexico, according to OCEARCH's Global Shark Tracker.

The female shark, who's 11 feet and 7 inches long, weighs a staggering 1,264 pounds! She also has a distinctive wound from what researchers believe was a fight with another white shark.

"Over the past two seasons Maple has spent much of her winter in the Gulf of Mexico," according to the global nonprofit organization.

Maple's latest appearance comes days before what experts are calling the busiest Spring Break season the United States has seen in years. Despite inflation and high-profile hiccups from popular airlines, one out of five Americans plans to take a Spring Break trip, according to a 2023 travel outlook report from financial company IPX.

And what is travelers' top Spring Break destination? Florida.

“Spring break is American’s next chance at a real vacation, and with their continued appetite for travel, even amid inflation fears, it should prove a busy season stretching across several weeks in March and April,” Travelzoo Senior Editor Gabe Saglie told TravelPulse.

The Sunshine State is also known as the world's capital for shark bites, despite these incidents being rare. Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission encourages visitors to be aware of their surroundings while in the water.

"It's very important for people who visit Florida waters to be aware of their surroundings, understand the relative risks, and be educated on various shark issues such as behavior, biology and fisheries," Brent Winner, an FWC scientist for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI), said.