7 reasons to love Mary Lee, the superstar shark now lurking off the SC coast

Mary Lee is everything we’ve ever wanted in a shark and more.

She’s large and in-charge. The massive 16-foot great white shark weighs in at 3,500 pounds.

She’s an immensely fast swimmer. She’s swum a whopping 34,000 miles over the past 4 years, averaging an impressive 119 miles a day. OCEARCH tagged Mary Lee in September 2012 and has tracked her impressive adventures throughout the Atlantic — as far south as the Bahamas and as far north as the Massachusetts area.

And she’s wildly popular — arguably the internet’s favorite shark with more than 101,000 Twitter followers and 65,000 Facebook followers.

Every year, like clockwork, Mary Lee has made her way to the South Carolina coast in the fall, according to OCEARCH’s tracking.

And last week, she sparked excitement across the Carolinas when she pinged her location Wednesday morning roughly 20 miles off Hunting Island.

While visiting the area, Mary Lee was nice enough to take time out of her busy schedule to do an interview with The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette (we applaud her support for local media). Here’s what we learned on Twitter about the sassy, sharp and apparently single shark swimming in Lowcountry waters this fall.

1. She loves Marines.

@MandyMatney: What brings you to the area — the Beaufort Shrimp Fest, the HHI Burgers and Brew Fest or just the warm weather?

@MaryLeeShark: You’ve seen those Marines at Parris Island, haven’t you? -;()

2. She doesn’t sweat hurricanes.

@MandyMatney: So Tropical Storm Matthew could be headed our way by next week. Do hurricanes scare you?

@MaryLeeShark: I’m like Chuck Norris — I scare hurricanes, ha ha. Usually just move to deeper water. -;()

3. She’s single (and great with puns)!

@MandyMatney: Does this mean you’re single and looking, Miss Mary Lee?

@MaryLeeShark: You might say I’m always on the hunt. -;()

4. Left Shark’s got nothing on her.

@MandyMatney: You’re the most famous shark since Jaws. Who are your idols? Any thoughts on @LeftShark?

@MaryLeeShark: The @RockStarLydia is my idol. She swam all the way across the Atlantic! As for @leftshark — meh. -;()

5. She’s seriously busy.

@MandyMatney: You’ve swum over 34,000 miles in 4 years. How do you make time to tweet? Is work/life balance hard for you?

@MaryLeeShark: Swim, eat, tweet. No wonder I have trouble meeting eligible bachelors. -;()

6. She does have fears.

@MandyMatney: What are three things scarier than sharks?

@MaryLeeShark: You mean besides Chuck Norris?

@MandyMatney: Any other fears? Speaking of — the world is dying to know — who’s your pick for president?

@MaryLeeShark: I do have a fear of fishhooks. Weird, eh? President? Why my vote goes to @ChrisOCEARCH -;()

7. She’s using her fame for good.

@MandyMatney: Finally, what’s one thing the world should know about sharks?

@MaryLeeShark: The more you know about sharks, the less you’ll fear them. Group hug! -;() #replacefearwithfacts

This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 7:47 AM with the headline "7 reasons to love Mary Lee, the superstar shark now lurking off the SC coast."