There are significant knowledge gaps in the ecology of whale sharks Rhincodon typus beyond well-studied coastal aggregation sites. We synthesize several disparate data types, including scientific aerial and shipboard surveys, environmental impact assessments, and opportunistic citizen science records, in a species distribution model framework to characterize whale shark distribution across the northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA), Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Based on 2010 occurrence records spanning 1993–2023 from the Bay of Fundy to the North Brazil Current off the northern coast of South America, we developed a species distribution model to characterize seasonal habitat suitability for whale sharks.