Local Life
July 2, 2025
Story by Amber Kuehn
Editor’s note: When word began to ripple through the Lowcountry about a stranded sperm whale on Hilton Head Island, we turned to the person closest to the situation. Marine biologist and Sea Turtle Patrol HHI director Amber Kuehn was there the evening of Saturday, May 3, and stayed through the quiet hours of May 5, bearing witness to something few ever see. We reached out to her to learn more about the experience and to better understand why it happened. What she offered us was not just a recounting but a reflection, a story shaped by salt, science, instinct and awe. We are grateful she chose to share it just as it happened, in her own voice.
