Great White Sharks Detected Off of Texas Coast in Rare Occurrence

"You yell barracuda, everybody says, "Huh? What?" You yell shark, we've got a panic on our hands." Looks like some great whites recently scoped out some Texas beaches.

I really hate the people that are going to go. It's an ocean, of course great white sharks are in there. True, but it's extremely rare that a great white shark is hanging out in The Gulf of Mexico (America? I don't know what we're calling it nowadays). Researchers have determined that nine great white sharks were about 100 miles off the Texas coast in a new study this month.

Why Are Great White Sharks Near the Texas Coast?

Unsplash: Alex Steyn

Great whites are no strangers to the Gulf of Mexico, but sightings west of the Mississippi River have historically been extremely rare. In fact, scientists had never documented the species during more than 25 years of visual and remotely operated vehicle surveys at the sanctuary. "The fact that white sharks were detected during summer at offshore banks in the northwestern Gulf could reflect a potentially expanding white shark population in the western North Atlantic Ocean," the study's authors wrote.

When Are You Most Likely to See a Great White Shark in Texas?

Unsplash: Karen Zhang

These researchers have shared no divers or cameras have caught footage of the sharks. They're following the trackers that were placed on them when they were tagged before. Apparently these great whites have been moving closer and closer to the Texas coast during the spring. So if you have a South Texas spring break beach vacation planned in 2027. May want to keep an eye out for a shark.