A Fisherman Making $670 A Month Found 220 Pounds Of Whale Vomit Worth Up To $3.2 Million

Pixabay / Lee Sommers

Every time I see a story about someone finding incredibly valuable Ambergris, aka Whale Vomit, I begin to question every rock I’ve ever walked past in my life. How on earth does someone decide to grab what looks like a huge stone and then figure out it’s worth millions of dollars?! Should we all be picking up every rock we walk past on the beach and take it to the Rock Shop™ and demand one of those big checks they pass out to lottery winners?

This fisherman in Thailand was making just $670 a month and described as ‘penniless’ by news reports before finding an estimated 220-pounds of Ambergris (whale vomit), a necessary ingredient in making some of the world’s most expensive and luxurious perfumes like Chanel No. 5. He’s already had an offer for $320K without the Ambergris even being quality-tested but when this is all said and done, it could be worth $3.2 million according to The Sun.

The report states that he was walking along the beach and noticed some strange ‘rock-like lumps’ on a beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat in Thailand. He phoned a relative to help him drag the 220-pounds of ‘rocks’ home where they tested the substance by holding a lighter to them. The Ambergris immediately melted and that’s when they realized he had found something that’s potentially incredibly valuable.

The large ‘rocks’ appeared to resemble highly prized ambergris, a rare secretion from whales.
It is a valuable ingredient used in perfumes such as Chanel No5.
The family tested the surface by burning it with a lighter, causing it to melt instantly.
Naris said the blobs weighed 220lb – or 100kg – potentially making it one of the biggest-ever finds of whale vomit.
He also told local media that he’s been contacted by a keen businessman who is willing to fork out 960,000 Thai baht (£23,740) per kilo if the ambergris is high quality.
That would land Naris a cool 96,000,000 Thai baht – about £2.4 million ($3.2 million USD).
Even a fraction of the sum would far surpass his meagre earnings from fishing of around £500 a month. (via The Sun)

My first reaction upon finding something I suspect is worth millions of dollars is taking a lighter to it and seeing if it melts. It’s nice to see this guy has strong instincts just like I do. I haven’t met a weird pebble that my first instinct was to set it on fire.

I really am rooting for this guy to become a millionaire. I was making jack squat after college for a while before I found my footing. My only concern here is what happens to the mind of a man who was really down on his luck and suddenly finds over $3 million worth of a rare substance on the beach. This seems like the opening of a novel where the protagonist goes on to feel that he was chosen by God for something great but squanders the fortune in a hurry.

For more on this, you can head on over to The Sun’s article.