A father of seven thought he stumbled upon a hidden gem but experts burst his bubble by clarifying that it was just sewage waste.
Ronnie Humphreys, a 42-year-old father from Scotland, was ecstatic after he thought he found a rare chunk of whale vomit worth more than $50,000. A bio mess was a treasure in his eyes, but experts were quick to correct him by saying it was just “sewage grease.”
Alfie, his five-year-old son, found the 4.5-pound lump of whale puke while the two of them were strolling on Leven Beach in Fife. The whale vomit is known as ambergris, and it’s a wax-like substance that is created in sperm whales’ intestines.
Although a sea creature’s vomit sounds gross, perfume makers value it greatly since it makes their scents last longer. Genuine ambergris can easily fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“It’s definitely whale vomit. We did everything at home and it passed all the tests,” Humphreys said.
Alfie had stood on top of the chunk while looking for crabs. The young crab hunter ended up squeezing the chunk under his feet. “I picked it up and I kind of knew what it was — but thought there’s no way I could be this lucky,” Humphreys, who is unemployed, said. “I left it and continued our walk but something told me to go back and pick it up.”
Humphreys conducted his own tests at home to see if a hot needle can melt the substance. The revolting smell only strengthened Humphrey’s conviction that the substance was genuine ambergris.
The clumps also had squid beaks in them, making him believe that his boy fetched him a true treasure.
“The dog wouldn’t leave it alone and a guy at Citizens Advice in the labs agreed that it’s whale vomit,” he said. “It ticks all the boxes so I’m confident. I’ve got no problem getting it tested too before I put it up for auction.”
Unfortunately, an expert at Ambergris Europe, a company that specializes in identifying the substance, said that the discovery is just “sewage grease.” “It is degraded oil from wastewater — sewage grease,” said a spokesperson, who reviewed photos of the marine lump.
“This material is a very common human pollution on the beaches of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic,” the spokesperson added.
Humphreys didn’t budge on his belief despite the expert’s take; he’s still trying to sell the chunk at a high-ticket price. Since high-quality ambergris can get up to $25 a gram, Humphreys’ discovery could be worth over $50,000, if it’s the real thing.
“We don’t want to move areas or anything but the money would make sure all my kids are secure. It would change our lives,” he said.