Great White Shark Detected Again Off Jersey Shore

NEW JERSEY — A great white shark that recently swam through the waters off Island Beach State Park found its way back to the Jersey Shore this week.

Andromache, one of the newest sharks tagged by research group OCEARCH to travel by the Jersey Shore, "pinged" at 11:29 a.m. Monday when it was about 20 miles off Long Beach Island, according to OCEARCH's Shark Tracker.

The shark pinged off Island Beach State Park in October. Read more: Great White Shark Detected Off Island Beach State Park

OCEARCH tags and monitors several sharks and other marine creatures to help scientists develop data. The organization also provides a map that can determine whether a shark swam close to shore.

OCEARCH had tagged the 10-foot-8-inch female Aug. 9, 2020, in Cape Cod for the organization's Expedition Massachusetts 2020. She is named after the Greek character of the same name who is a symbol of maternity, strength and courage.

Andromache has since traveled 5,505 miles in 165 days, according to the research group. To track Andromache's journey, people can follow her on ocearch.org or on Twitter, where she provides occasional updates about her journey.

The Jersey Shore holds a significant place in the history of sharks. One century ago, American scholars doubted that sharks could kill a person without provocation.

That changed after the original Jersey Shore shark attacks, when sharks killed four people and injured another in a series of attacks during July 1-12, 1916. The initial attack took place at Beach Haven. Charles Epting Vansant, 25, was bitten on the leg and bled to death on the manager's desk of the Engleside Hotel at 6:45 p.m. that day, according to documentation.

The other attacks took place days later in Matawan and Spring Lake. Read more: National Geographic's 'SharkFest' Examines 1916 LBI Shark Attack

Shark attacks are rare, though. Sharkattackdata.com has recorded only four cases since 1965. New Jersey's last fatal case occurred in 1926, according to the website.

With reporting by Josh Bakan.