Celebrity great white shark still enjoying the N.S. coast
HALIFAX — Hilton, a celebrity shark whose travels have captivated Nova Scotians, has extended his summer vacation off the province’s coast.
The 600-kilogram great white — tagged by the research group Ocearch in March — signalled four times on Thursday that he is still near Lunenburg, N.S.
Hilton first appeared on Nova Scotia’s south shore in early August, charming locals with a wry Twitter feed chronicling his movements, but hadn’t pinged since Aug. 23.
“*PING* Nova Scotia is still the place to be!” he tweeted Thursday at 8:52 p.m., slightly farther offshore than he had been. He was headed in the direction of nearby Halifax Harbour.
“Great to see @HiltonTheShark … possibly moving closer to #Halifax? #NovaScotia loves this shark!” Alex MacDonald of Dartmouth, N.S., tweeted.
“Glad you’re still enjoying all NS has to offer,” tweeted Peter Leighton.
The highly visible great white, here to feast on an abundance of seals, has kept some Nova Scotians out of the water, but captivated many others.
His Twitter feed is full of jokes, local food references — seals and donairs — and flirtations with other tagged sharks and even human Nova Scotians.
“Hey Hilton, seafood dinner date at my place tomorrow in Nova Scotia?” Heather Field tweeted. “You had me at hello,” Hilton replied, although she never actually tweeted hello.