Freya the great white shark pings off coast of North Carolina

A frequent visitor to the Grand Strand’s prize-winning waters appears to be plotting her return.

Freya, an 883-pound subadult great white shark, was pinged underwater May 20 in the area of Onslow Bay, N.C. — about 100 miles from downtown Myrtle Beach.

Migration patterns for the nearly 12-foot-long creature show her moving through the area several times since OCEARCH researchers began tracking her movements in March 2021.

It could very well be that Freya already pierced the region’s Atlantic depths and is headed north for cooler waters — typically, great whites begin their northern journeys between mid-May and June.

According to OCEARCH tracking data, Freya registered a “z-ping,” which happens when a shark’s ID chip doesn’t break the surface long enough for exact location data to register.

Tracking data helps researchers demystify life cycles and behavior of the ocean’s greatest predators.

[ A shark party off the Outer Banks in April: Here’s a rundown of who was there ]

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Freya was named in “homage to the noble women researchers on both Expedition Carolinas and on all past research expeditions who are working to uncover crucial shark insights related to their species’ conservation,” OCEARCH said on its website. Her name translates to “noble woman.”

Shark sightings in the region’s temperate waters are a fairly common and always buzzworthy occurrence, and the Carolinas are known for their appeal to the animals.

In late October 2022, two tagged great whites breached the water just long enough to ping. One was 1,308 pounds tracked off Myrtle Beach and the other 9-foot-9-inch predator was identified 125 miles to the north.

More than 40 species of shark call the Grand Strand’s waters home, with peak season running from early May through October.

Last January, OCEARCH reported that Jekyll pinged 50 miles off the Myrtle Beach coast.

To give an idea of how quickly the sharks travel, his latest z-ping was May 19, south of Long Island Sound.