A massive 12-foot, 1,000-pound great white shark named Ernst spotted just 150 miles off the Southwest Florida coast.

The juvenile female, traveling into Pulley Ridge during her Gulf migration, is helping highlight the area's growing importance to great white sharks.

Chris Fischer, founder and expedition leader of OCEARCH, describes the area as a "proper hotspot" and says Ernst's repeated visits signal strong ecosystem health as the apex predator forages in the biodiverse region. "

Her movements also support new findings that great whites are entering the Gulf more commonly than previously believed.

"We're starting to see a lot of our sharks spend a fair bit of time here in this Pulley Ridge area," Fischer said. "

"It's a super biodiverse place with a tremendous volume of life there." "

The deep-water region, known among anglers for exceptional bottom fishing with abundant amberjack populations, appears to serve as a crucial mark for white sharks migrating through the Gulf of Mexico.

Fischer says that the sharks pause at Pulley Ridge "to balance the system and feed" in the highly biodiverse environment. "

For researchers, Ernst's presence at the site signals the health of the broader ecosystem.

"You're winning when your white sharks are hanging out in places like that," Fischer said. "

"Our apex predator is going there to forage. That is a plus sign that that region is thriving." "

At an estimated mid-to-late 20s in age, Ernst represents a particularly valuable research subject.

Fischer notes that when she reaches approximately 14 feet in length around age 30, she will become sexually mature, potentially altering her migration patterns dramatically.

"We'll be watching her to see if her migratory pattern shifts from a one-year migratory loop to a two-year migratory loop, which could be a tell that she's become sexually mature," Fischer said. "

The change would indicate successful mating and gestation, which modifies the annual migration patterns of mature females.

Ernst's journey reflects a broader shift in scientific understanding of great white shark behavior in the Gulf of Mexico.

When OCEARCH began its research a decade ago, scientists believed white shark sightings in the Gulf were rare.

"We thought that the Gulf was just a rare occurrence for the white shark, and a small percentage trickled over into the Gulf," Fischer said. "

"Now we're seeing that it's actually very common and the majority of whites are wandering into the Gulf for a period of time over their wintering period." "

With over 100 tagged white sharks now providing data, researchers have documented significant numbers traveling into the Gulf, with some reaching as far as the Florida panhandle.

This discovery has raised intriguing questions about their motivations for the journey.

"Why are they going into the Gulf? There's plenty of food in the Atlantic," Fischer said. "

"Is there less competition with other big white sharks? "

Is there something over there that there's a big event that occurs, some sort of big biomass aggregating together where there's an opportunity for them to feed?"

The ongoing research may reveal additional hotspots in the region.

Fischer said: "It's fascinating to watch this story of the Gulf continue to unfold."