Alabama is used to having visitors to its Gulf. This visitor is unusual.

“Ernst,” a 1,000-pound sub-adult female great white shark, has pinged on its tracking device in Alabama’s Gulf waters since January 11.

The 12-foot female shark had pinged four miles southeast of Dauphin Island, south of Fort Morgan in Baldwin County. It continues to ping in Alabama waters, and the pings on January 16 put it unusually close to shore.

It is being tracked by the research team OCEARCH.

Ernst was tagged in October 2025 off Nova Scotia, Canada. Since then, she has traveled over 3,200 miles in about 90 days, traveling down the East Coast and around the Florida peninsula into the Gulf of America.

Great whites typically stay further offshore near the continental shelf. Ernst’s pinging within four miles of the shore and the January 16 pings close to shore are considered rare and of valuable scientific interest.

Ernst is likely chasing a seafood dinner of tuna and mackerel. She is expected to go back to deeper waters when dinner is over.

Experts view her presence as a positive indicator for Alabama’s marine management, suggesting a vibrant and healthy ecosystem with abundant food sources to support such a large species.

You can track Ernst’s movements in real-time on the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker.

The journey of Ernst in and around Alabama waters will continue to be covered by Yellowhammer News.

Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at [email protected]