Hilton the great white shark, all 1,326 pounds and 12.5 feet of him, is now patrolling the Gulf Coast for prey after swimming almost 10,000 miles in the past 14 months.
USA Today reported the mature male shark was tagged last March off the coast of South Carolina by shark research organization OCEARCH, and since then his movements have drawn more than 20,000 followers to his Twitter page.
OCEARCH had been tracking Hilton along the Atlantic coast but on Tuesday the organization received a transmission that put the shark in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Navarre.
This is the first time that Hilton has been tracked in the Gulf of Mexico.
According to OCEARCH Chief Science Advisor and Dr. Robert Hueter, Mote Marine Laboratory senior scientist, the great white shark has since made his way toward the Florida panhandle, a famous fishing ground for sport fishermen.
“No doubt Hilton's doing a little fishing of his own, chowing down on the many fish of the canyon and shelf region there," said Hueter, based in Sarasota, Florida.
Hilton was named after the location where he was caught and tagged, off the coast of Hilton Head in South Carolina, OCEARCH noted. The shark has travelled a total of 9950.323 miles since being tagged last year.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.