A warning to stay out of the ocean in Jacksonville Beach.
GPS tracking by the Ocean Research Group has discovered two Great White Sharks. The group even names the sharks.
"Mary Lee" was tracked to the Jax Beach surf zone around 12:46am Tuesday. She is 16 ft long, nearly 3500 lbs. She was first tagged in September in Cape Cod.
The other, named “Genie”, was tracked around 50 miles off the coast of Jacksonville. She weighs in nearly 2300 lbs, 14 ft 8 in long. She was also tagged in Cape Cod in September.
“They’re out there trying to find something to eat and to reproduce like every other species is,” says Jacksonville University Marine Science Research Institute Director Quinton White.
White isn’t surprised to see sharks here necessarily, because they tend to move in when the water cools down. He says confirming that the sharks are great whites, however, and not just big sharks is unique.
Because of the size and risk, police are recommending people stay out of the water until the sharks leave our area.
While White doesn’t think there is a significantly higher risk of shark bites because of the sharks’ presence, he says surfers, especially those who go far offshore, could face some heightened chance.
"Surfers tend to look like wounded fish, they're out there paddling and splashing around," White says.
See the track of the sharks here.