Kristen Marvin was scanning Melbourne Beach in Florida for sea turtles when an unusual discovery in the sand brought her search to an unexpected halt.
Partly buried nearby was a pale object marked with white and golden tones.
“We often find melted plastic washing ashore, so I picked it up without thinking much about it,” she told Our News Outlet.
“As soon as I held it, though, I realized it wasn’t plastic—and it certainly wasn’t a stone. It was remarkably light and had a very unusual, wax-like texture.”
That was when Marvin began to wonder whether she had stumbled upon ambergris, an exceptionally rare substance prized by the fragrance industry. “Of course, I smelled it,” she said.
Often nicknamed “floating gold,” ambergris is a substance expelled by sperm whales, either through vomiting or defecation. Scientists believe it may help protect the whales’ digestive systems from the sharp squid beaks they swallow with their food.
The rare material can command as much as $10,000 per ounce. After drifting through the ocean for decades, it develops the distinctive aroma once used in perfumes such as Chanel No 5.
Although perfumers still value its earthy scent, limited supplies mean many contemporary fragrances—including Creed’s Aventus cologne—use laboratory-made alternatives.
Kristen Marvin was amazed to discover a sizable piece of “floating gold” on Melbourne Beach in Florida
The beachcomber first assumed the find was melted plastic, only to realize it could be an extremely valuable natural substance
Ambergris is highly prized by the perfume industry and was once used in Chanel No 5, while Creed’s Aventus fragrance uses a synthetic substitute
Marvin brought the waxy find home and carried out a few simple tests. Unlike a rock, it floated in water, and when she pressed a heated needle into it, white smoke emerged—further convincing her that she had found ambergris.
Her first discovery came in 2024, but it was not a one-off. She found another piece later that year and a third just weeks ago.
Despite its potential value, Marvin is technically not permitted to keep the ambergris. Byproducts from sperm whales in the United States are protected under both the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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Marvin has since discovered two additional pieces of the rare substance along Florida’s coastline
“You may not collect, keep, or sell ambergris because it is a part from an endangered marine mammal,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states.
According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the world’s sperm whale population has declined from an estimated 1.1 million to about 300,000, largely because of whaling. Only a small proportion of sperm whales are thought to produce ambergris, adding to the substance’s extreme rarity.
Marvin notified NOAA after each discovery. She said she ultimately handed one piece to a local whale conservation group, which has since been communicating with federal officials.
Jamie E Wright, a Los Angeles-based lawyer, told Our News Outlet: “It may seem strange that something naturally released by an animal could be illegal.
“But wildlife laws cover many aspects of how animals can be hunted, what can be collected, and the possession of particular animal parts.”
Marvin tested the ambergris at home by heating a needle and sticking it in to see if it produced white smoke
In 2012, Charlie Naysmith, an eight-year-old boy from Bournemouth, England, found a lump that was thought to be worth up to £40,000 ($64,000 at the time)
‘These laws make it harder for markets to sell animal by-products or kill those needing extra protection, much like ambergris.’
The law gives a strong incentive for less honest people who find ambergris in the US not to publicize their finds, meaning the substance may be more prevalent here than is widely understood.
In countries such as the UK and Canada it is legal to sell ambergris. In 2012, Charlie Naysmith, an eight-year-old boy from Bournemouth, England, found a lump that was thought to be worth up to £40,000 ($64,000 at the time), according to a report by the BBC.
Back in Florida, Marvin, who runs the nonprofit Turtley Yours Foundation, still has two of the chunks. She keeps them tucked in a cabinet in case federal authorities one day require her to hand them over.
She hopes to one day use the pieces in a workshop for children. ‘Being able to actually see and smell something as rare and unusual as ambergris, rather than simply looking at a photograph, could be an incredible way to capture their attention,’ she told Our News Outlet.
‘I think there’s something particularly powerful about holding something so rare that came from a sperm whale. It makes you realize that its greatest value isn’t measured in dollars, but rather in the story it can tell.’
