18-Foot White Shark “Curly” — Largest Shark Ever Tagged off Cape Cod

Last week, the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy released striking drone photographs and footage showing the largest white shark ever tagged off Cape Cod. The shark is an 18-foot female known to researchers as Curly, a name derived from the distinctive curl in her dorsal fin. The new imagery captures her immense size and presence in the water, providing researchers and the public with a rare and vivid perspective on one of the region’s most impressive apex predators.

Curly’s dorsal fin curl makes her immediately recognizable in aerial photographs and video. In the newly shared drone footage, she appears alongside a research vessel and spans roughly half the length of the boat, a visual that helps convey just how large an 18-foot white shark can be. Aerial imagery from drones has become an invaluable tool for marine researchers, offering clear, noninvasive views that support individual identification, size estimation, and behavioral observations without disturbing the animals.

Curly is the fifth individual to be tagged as part of Dr. Greg Skomal’s ongoing white shark study. That long-term research program aims to better understand white shark movements, seasonal patterns, and population dynamics around Cape Cod and the broader Atlantic coast. Tagging and aerial monitoring work together to build a more complete picture: tags provide movement and dive-depth data, while imagery confirms identity, condition, and interactions with prey or vessels.

Researchers first documented Curly in 2010 when she was seen feeding on a humpback whale carcass, an event that highlights the role of large scavenging opportunities in supporting the diets of adult white sharks. According to the Conservancy’s release, Curly was last reported in 2012 until these recent drone images reintroduced her to the scientific record. The gap between sightings underscores the value of both tagging and persistent observation for tracking individual sharks over many years.

Although Curly’s reappearance does not by itself reveal long-term migratory routes or seasonal habits, it contributes to a growing archive of individual profiles that researchers rely on to detect trends in white shark behavior and distribution. Each confirmed sighting of a tagged or identified shark adds to datasets that inform conservation measures, public safety guidance, and scientific understanding of how these predators use coastal habitats.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s publication of Curly’s drone imagery also serves an educational purpose. High-quality photographs and video make it easier for the public to appreciate the scale and biology of white sharks while fostering support for research and conservation. Visual documentation helps demystify these animals by showing them in natural contexts rather than through sensationalized portrayals.

Curly’s distinctive dorsal fin and sizable frame will remain valuable markers for researchers following Dr. Skomal’s study. As long-term monitoring continues, each new image or tag-derived dataset improves the scientific community’s ability to protect both sharks and the coastal environments they inhabit. Curly’s presence in the recent drone footage is a reminder of the ongoing discoveries that result from careful observation, technological tools like drones and satellite tags, and collaborative conservation efforts along Cape Cod and the Atlantic coast.

For now, the Conservancy’s release stands as a striking visual record: an unmistakable 18-foot white shark documented from the air, reintroducing Curly to the catalog of individually identified sharks and highlighting the continued importance of research in understanding and conserving these iconic marine animals.