There’s no place like home: Hilton Head shark returns after trip to St. Augustine

Nearly 2 months after the 9-foot, 300-pound tiger shark was tagged off the coast of Hilton Head, Weimar - as he’s been dubbed - is back in town.

So where’s he been?

And what’s with the name ‘Weimar’?

We’ll start with that question first. OCEARCH located the mature shark back on March 3. It’s customary for them to name the sharks after nearby locales. But Weimar isn’t so much a place as a person. The shark is named after Ruth Weimar who hosted the OCEARCH team during their recent trek to Georgia, and connected them to the Savannah and Brunswick area.

What’s he been up to all this time? According to his ping history, he’s zigzagged 1,400 miles all over the southeastern shoreline, going as far south as St. Augustine Beach. The closest he’s come to shore was near the Fernandina Beach of Amelia Island, back on April 13.

Welcome home, Weimar!

Here’s a quick look at a few other hometown sharks:

This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 11:37 AM with the headline "There’s no place like home: Hilton Head shark returns after trip to St. Augustine."