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9-Foot Shark Pings Off Virginia Coast To Kick Off Memorial Day

In what appears to be the first of beach season, a shark has pinged off the Virginia coast.

Anne Bonny pinged off the coast of Virginia Beach on Memorial Day.

Anne Bonny pinged off the coast of Virginia Beach on Memorial Day.

Photo Credit: OCEARCH/Chris Ross

According to OCEARCH, a non-profit organization dedicating to researching sharks and other forms of marine life, a 9-foot, 3-inch gal named Anne Bonny "pinged" just off the coast of Virginia Beach around 7:20 a.m. on Memorial Day.

OCEARCH tracks its sharks using a Smart Positioning and Temperature Tag, or a SPOT Tag. The tags create a "ping" when sharks fins break the surface of the water, according to its website.

Anne Bonny is a 425-pound white shark who was first tagged by OCEARCH in April 2023 in the Western North Atlantic.

"She was named after the notorious female pirate that frequented the waters around Cape Hatteras in the early 1700s, near where she was tagged," Anne Bonny's bio reads. "Anne Bonny was a pioneer of her time and we’re excited to see what Anne Bonny the shark will teach our scientists."

It was not immediately clear how far off the coast Anne Bonny had surfaced. 

Click here to track Anne Bonny's journey through OCEARCH.

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