Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
July 25 , 2025
BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J. — Former Congressman George Santos has begun a new chapter of his ever-unpredictable career — this time as a marine biologist.
Santos, 37, who was expelled from Congress in 2023 following multiple ethics violations and criminal fraud charges (many still pending), announced this week that he has joined a shark-tagging research team operating off the coast of New Jersey. The project, operated under the Atlantic Apex Predators Initiative (AAPI), focuses on tracking migratory patterns and breeding behaviors of great white sharks in the region.
Wearing a wetsuit emblazoned with the phrase “Science is in my blood,” Santos told reporters aboard the research vessel Carcharodon Dreams that he was “thrilled to return to his roots in marine biology.”
“I’ve always had a deep connection with the ocean. In fact, I once conducted independent coral reef research in the Galápagos at age 14,” Santos claimed, though no public record supports this assertion.
The team, comprised mostly of graduate students and seasoned marine ecologists, has reportedly had mixed reactions to Santos’s sudden arrival. One anonymous crew member described the experience as “like if a reality TV show met a field study.” Another said, “He brings lunch. That helps.”
Lead researcher Dr. Melissa Crandall offered a carefully worded statement. “While Mr. Santos does not have formal scientific credentials, he has expressed a willingness to learn, and we believe public engagement is an important aspect of conservation.”
Santos, whose resume has famously included roles such as “Wall Street financier,” “Broadway producer,” and “Olympic volleyball alternate,” now adds “marine biologist” to the list. When pressed for details about his qualifications, he cited “years of Shark Week viewership” and a “spiritual bond with apex predators.”
Over the next seven years, Santos will reportedly assist in the deployment of satellite tags, collect biological samples, and—per his own description—“develop a reality docuseries titled Tagging Truths.”
Reaction online has ranged from disbelief to morbid fascination. “If Santos makes it through shark week without lying to a shark, I’ll be impressed,” one X user posted. Another wrote: “Honestly, great whites might be the only ones who can smell the BS coming.”
As for Santos, he seems undeterred by the skepticism. “I believe every shark has a story. And I’m here to help tell it,” he said, dramatically tossing a waterproof journal into a duffel bag.
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