Reactions to recent Great White Shark sighting in the Gulf

A great white shark was recently spotted less than 100 miles east of Pascagoula off the coast of Gulf Shores Alabama

Meet Miss Pawla, an 8-foot-long female great white shark. According to researchers at the university of southern Alabama, based on her size it’s approximated that she’s about 15 years old and she’s been spotted off the coast of Alabama not once but twice now in the past month, the first time a great white has been recorded in that area.

“I don’t know if researchers know why she was spotted in these waters, but I think a good hypothesis is that there was a food source that she was probably following, some big fish schools or maybe some smaller sharks.”

Miss Pawla’s sighting is an unusual occurrence since Great Whites typically prefer the cooler waters of the pacific and Northeastern Atlantic. But her presence and sighting of other great whites in the region have scientists thinking the species may be more common in the northern Gulf of Mexico than previously thought

Researchers from Mississippi State University and Florida’s Fish and Wildlife institute spotted miss Pawla near reefs about 150 feet deep in mid-April and then again just 10 days later. By May 3 she was no longer seen in the area. Leaving the question, where did she go? And could she be swimming in waters off the Mississippi coast?

“No one really knows where she went so, they haven’t seen her again. She could always swim over here, and if she does, I hope I get to see her.”

After learning about miss Pawla being on the gulf coast, one local resident says people should be cautious when spending a day at the beach.

“You know you should always be on the lookout. It’s pretty scary because of all the overfishing, these great whites are popping up all over where they’re not supposed to be. It’s something to really be concerned about, especially for the people that go out on their paddle boards out here, real far out, it’s pretty scary.”

It’s worth noting that Miss Pawla’s presence here along the gulf coast is a rare occurrence. But whether you are swimming in the Gulf Coast, surfing in the California Pacific, or relaxing in the waters of the northeastern Atlantic, always be careful and enter the water at your own risk.