Which shark species migrates over 1,000 miles across the Pacific, from California to Hawaii?

The great white shark migrates across the Pacific between California and Hawaii, with some journeys exceeding 1,000 miles.

Northeastern Pacific great whites gather seasonally along the California and Mexican coasts, where seals and sea lions provide rich feeding opportunities. Satellite tagging has shown that many then leave the coast and travel toward an offshore region between western North America and Hawaii known as the White Shark Café.

The Café lies roughly halfway between Baja California and Hawaii. Researchers first identified it through satellite tracking in the early 2000s, when tagged sharks were found repeatedly traveling there and remaining for months. One tagged shark traveled from California to Hawaii in a route measuring about 2,400 miles in a straight line.

The migration is not simply a one-way voyage. Sharks may feed along the coast in autumn and winter, move offshore in spring and summer, and later return to coastal feeding grounds. The Café was once thought to be an ocean desert, but later research found a deeper food web that may help explain why these powerful predators make the long crossing.