CAPE HATTERAS, N.C.– A young female white shark caught the attention of researchers at OCEARCH when she was recorded traveling more than 150 miles off the coast of the Carolinas during the height of a powerful nor’easter this past weekend.
CAYO, a juvenile white shark, was tagged off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada in late July 2025 by global nonprofit OCEARCH.
The research nonprofit has followed CAYO’s journey as she began moving south off the East Coast in October for the fall migration toward warmer waters.
‘HATTERAS HANGOUT’: WHY DO WHITE SHARKS TEND TO LINGER AROUND THE NORTH CAROLINA OUTER BANKS?
CAYO upon being tagged in Nova Scotia in July by OCEARCH.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
OCEARCH’s tracker showed CAYO on Friday hanging out off the coast of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, right before the worst impacts of a major winter storm bombed out over the Carolinas over the weekend.
The nor’easter brought several inches of snow, hurricane-force winds and near-blizzard conditions to the Outer Banks during the height of the storm on Saturday.
CAYO’s track over North Carolina during the weekend nor’easter on Jan. 30, 2026.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
CAYO’s next ping shows her on Saturday, several miles south of her last location.
The tracker continued to ping throughout the weekend, including several times on Sunday as the shark moved further south.
CAYO’s latest ping south of Cape Lookout on Sunday.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
OCEARCH noted the significant change in CAYO’s location, mentioning that it could’ve been because the shark was in search of more suitable conditions amid the storm and extreme cold that has lingered over the eastern portion of the country lately.
“That’s 153 miles in just 2.5 days — about 60 miles per day,” OCEARCH said in a social media post about CAYO’s movements.
The shark’s most recent ping showed her south of Cape Lookout in North Carolina.
CAYO’s most recent ping on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026.
(OCEARCH / FOX Weather)
It’s unclear if CAYO will continue her trend of lingering off the coast of the Carolinas for the remainder of winter or if she will move further south in search of warmer waters.
White sharks like Cayo have been found to linger around the Outer Banks during migration season.
OCEARCH scientists theorize this happens because, due to temperature breaks and oceanographic features that act as an invisible boundary, the sharks may wait to cross into the area.
Additionally, upwelling in the ocean, a process in which winds blowing across the ocean push surface water away, bringing deep, colder water to the surface, creates rich food sources for the sharks in the region, scientists said.
You can track CAYO and 400 other ocean animals in real time using the free OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker app.
