The largest reliably measured great white in Australia was about 6.0 meters (19.7 ft), caught at Ledge Point, Western Australia in 1987, though sensational reports of much larger sharks exist; other massive catches include a 1208 kg (2663 lb) shark by Alf Dean in 1959, and a 5.62m pregnant female in Queensland in 2024, with some sightings claiming over 7 meters.
The Guinness Book of World Records listed two specimens as being the largest. A 10.9 m (36 ft) shark was caught in the 1870s in Australian waters, near Port Fairy. The other was found trapped in a Herring weir, in New Brunswick, Canada, in the 1930s. This shark was reported measuring 11.3 m (37 ft) in length.
No, 25-foot great white sharks are likely impossible; the largest reliably measured great whites are around 20 feet (6 meters), with females generally growing larger than males, though reports and estimates sometimes suggest slightly larger sizes, but scientific consensus points to 20 feet as the realistic maximum for modern sharks, making the Jaws shark a fictional exaggeration. While some historical records mention larger, unverified sharks and whale carcasses suggest big ones exist, the growth of great whites generally plateaus, preventing them from reaching 25 feet, according to Savannah Morning News, The Daily Jaws, and Science.
The biggest great white sharks can reach up to 20 feet long, but most are smaller. The average female is 15-16 feet long, while males reach 11-13 feet.
Her name was Deep Blue and she spent much of her time at Mexico's Guadalupe Island. She measured at least 20 feet and boasted the girth of a pregnant hippo.
Basking Sharks
This slow-moving migratory shark is the second largest fish, growing as long as 40 feet and weighing over 5 tons. It is often sighted swimming close to the surface, huge mouth open, filtering 2,000 tons of seawater per hour over its complicated gills to scoop up zooplankton.
While Deep Blue has yet to be spotted in 2025, as of 2024, the ginormous great white shark was still alive, continuing to provide researchers information about her migratory patterns, as she has done for over a decade. Deep Blue has a preference for the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
The Great White Shark is considered the deadliest shark due to having the most recorded unprovoked attacks and fatalities, followed closely by the Tiger Shark and Bull Shark, which are also responsible for numerous attacks in coastal areas. Great Whites are apex predators known for their powerful bites and curiosity, often mistaking humans for prey like seals.
If a shark charges, fight back
“That happens nine times out of 10.” If that does not work, and a shark tries to bite a swimmer—or even has a limb in its mouth—Naylor says the best course of action is to poke the shark hard in the eyes.
An adult great white shark has just one predator: the orca. Until recently, orcas have only been observed regularly preying on these sharks in South Africa, where they usually prefer to hunt larger adults, which provide more food once caught.
Anything between 16 and 20 feet is a real monster." So the movie "Jaws" shark is impossible, but the novel "Jaws" shark is? Technically, yes, but it's worth mentioning that the National Smithsonian says most are smaller with average females being 15-16 feet and average males being 11-13 feet.
Orcas, commonly known as killer whales, are the only natural predator of white sharks.
White sharks are estimated to live up to 73 years. Females take 30 years to reach sexual maturity and the average reproductive cycle is thought to take two to three years. This means populations take a long time to recover when they are disturbed. Sadly, the greatest white sharks may be a thing of the past.
Remains of megalodon fossils have been found across Europe, Africa, the United States of America and Australia, suggesting that the species occupied all of the oceans, except for polar areas.
Populations are most concentrated at the Pacific and Atlantic sides of North America and in the waters of southern Africa and Oceania. They are a highly migratory species, traveling between the coast and open ocean and even between continents.
The most dangerous sharks in Australia, responsible for the majority of attacks, are the Great White, Tiger Shark, and Bull Shark, with the Bull Shark often cited as the most dangerous due to its aggressive nature, wide habitat (including freshwater rivers), and tendency to frequent shallow, populated coastal areas where humans swim. The Tiger Shark is also highly dangerous due to its large size and indiscriminate diet, while the Great White is notorious for its power and frequency in attacks.
Shark repellent refers to methods or devices designed to keep sharks away from an area, using magnetic fields, electric pulses, or strong smells (like dead shark extract) to disrupt their senses, with Sharkbanz (magnets) and electric deterrents (like RPELA) being popular personal options, while in business, "shark repellent" also means tactics companies use to fend off hostile takeovers, like golden parachutes. Both marine and business applications aim to deter unwanted approaches, though effectiveness varies and is often debated.
Shark repellent bracelets offer limited, close-range protection, with scientific studies showing most magnetic bracelets like Sharkbanz have little to no measurable effect on large sharks, while some electronic deterrents (like Ocean Guardian) can deter sharks at a short distance, but no device guarantees safety and they shouldn't replace common-sense practices. Effectiveness varies greatly by device and shark species, with larger sharks being harder to deter.
One of the most common and least dangerous sharks is the nurse shark.
The shark feeds on fish and other marine prey such as octopi. However, hammerheads are extremely shy, and do not attack humans unless provoked or if they mistake one for an injured seal. There has been only one confirmed instance of a hammerhead killing a human.
#1 Most Scary Shark: Megalodon
Megalodon was the king of all sharks, a giant that could swallow a great white in one bite. At more than 50 feet long, it ruled the seas millions of years ago. It's extinct today, but the thought of a megalodon lurking in the deep is enough to give even the bravest diver nightmares.
The Greenland shark is the animal known to live up to 400 years, making it the longest-living vertebrate, with some individuals estimated to be even older, while the Ocean Quahog clam (Ming) lived over 500 years, holding the record for the longest-lived animal overall.
The 134.2-metre Lürssen superyacht Deep Blue has been spotted on sea trials following her launch in June 2025. Construction on the secretive superyacht began in 2021, with details surrounding the project kept tightly under wraps.
We know that megalodon had become extinct by the end of the Pliocene, 2.6 million years ago, when the planet entered a phase of global cooling. Precisely when the last megalodon died is not known, but new evidence from the USA suggests that it was at least 3.6 million years ago.