Fort Lauderdale Shark Research
A partnership with The International SeaKeepers Society extended OFI’s shark research up Florida’s southeast coast.
Shark tagging aboard the Orca
On December 10, 2025, Ocean First Institute researchers and SeaKeepers crews launched from Fort Lauderdale aboard three vessels: Orca, Chelsea Rae and RedundanSea. The Orca, a modern replica of the boat from Jaws, joined the team as a research vessel.
The team tagged, measured, sampled and released five sharks that day: three nurse sharks, a tiger shark and a great hammerhead. Measurements and tissue samples help researchers study shark health, while tags help them follow movements over time.
How the partnership began
The first documented outing took place on December 10, 2024, aboard DISCOVERY II. Researchers sampled three sharks offshore. The team returned in February 2025, when they tagged two nurse sharks, and again in April 2025 to deploy baited underwater cameras and continue sampling offshore Dania Beach.
Coming back to the same area helps researchers build a record of which species use these waters and how their presence changes over time.
Explore the research
Read the SeaKeepers expedition report and view its photo gallery.