The Great White Shark is the ultimate marine killing machine. It lives on the coasts of all continents feeding mainly on seals, sealions, porpoises whales, and dolphins. Usually, it prefers deeper coastal waters, but when hungry will search for food close inshore, along the beaches where they become a menace to bathers. The likelihood of shark attack has increased in recent years because of overfishing along the coasts.
While their favorite hunting grounds are coastal waters, Great Whites will and do migrate across vast stretches of ocean and have been spotted frequently in open seas.
Australia
White sharks prefer the temperate waters off the Australian coast. Dangerous Reef in Southern Australia, formerly a popular shark viewing area, was nearly fished out by 1990. The White Shark is now protected from commercial fishing Southern Australia waters and Eastern Australia deemed it a protected species in Dec. 1996. Shark netting now stretches along 50 miles of coast to protect bathers from sharks. The International Shark Attack File has recorded 32 unprovoked Great White attacks in Australian waters from 1876 to 1994.
California
Great Whites exist along the central California coast in the Red Triangle--between Santa Cruz in the south and Bodega Bay in the north and then west of San Francisco. Currently, they are a protected species off coastal waters. Federal officials have banned the practice of shark baiting along the central coast. According to the International Shark Attack File, 67 unprovoked great white attacks, or 42.4 percent total great white attacks worldwide, occurred in California waters from 1876 to 1994.
Florida
Great Whites live in both the Atlantic and Gulf Coast waters of Florida. However, they're not as abundant as other species of sharks in the region. With the Passage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act in 1972 that made it illegal to kill whales, porpoises, and dolphins in U.S. waters, fishermen could no longer attract sharks with the flesh of these mammals.
Mediterranean
While Great Whites are not common in this region, they have been seen in French waters and in the Mediterranean. They are primarily coastal fish rather than oceanic, and can penetrate shallow bays in continental coastal waters. Since they can raise their body temperature 10 degrees above the water's temperature, they are able to sustain cooler waters.
New England/Atlantic Coast
According to a study by the International Shark Attack File, analyzing the data from 1876 to 1994, the Atlantic coast accounts for 3 percent of great white shark attacks worldwide, with 6 confirmed unprovoked incidences. The author saw a school of 11, one estimated at 15 feet in length, circling a pod of whales three miles off the Cape Cod beaches in August of 2005. Great Whites were also sighted off Long Island the same year.
After years of consideration, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed measures in Dec. 1996 to protect depleted populations of Atlantic coastal sharks. The plan covers 39 species more than 200 miles offshore and is aimed at controlling the damage done by commercial fishing and popular shark tournaments.
South Africa
South Africa is one of the most popular destinations for white sharks, especially Cape waters, where they can feast on seals and sea lions. After decades of sport fishing began to deplete their numbers, they're now a protected species off South African waters. Netting now protects swimmers in beach waters. Sixteen unprovoked Great White shark attacks, or 10.1 percent of the total were documented by the International Shark Attack File from 1876 to 1994.