Bluffton’s ‘Lucky’ rescue: Stranded dolphin saved by firefighters, marine experts
A dolphin named Lucky lived up to her name this weekend as she was saved from a shallow, Bluffton-area lagoon and returned to the May River to swim free. Local officials and marine experts alike said the rescue was like nothing they had ever seen.
Passerby found the approximately 8-foot dolphin stranded around 10:30 a.m. Saturday in a tidal lagoon inside the Hampton Lake private community. In the hours that followed, an eclectic rescue team helped carry the mammal up a steep embankment before she was driven to a private dock and released around 6 p.m. that evening.
Experts believe Lucky swam into the lagoon through a culvert connected to the May River as heavy rainstorms covered Beaufort County on Thursday. As the tide receded, the dolphin became trapped in water that was only a few feet deep.
When Amber Kuehn, a local sea turtle expert and volunteer logistics coordinator with the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network, was called to the scene, it quickly became clear that Lucky had gotten herself into a very unlucky situation. Somehow, the dolphin had navigated through Stoney Creek, through a culvert and into the drainage ditch before getting trapped as the water began to drain out.
Two LMMN employees began driving down from Charleston. But as Kuehn looked around, she realized that getting a dolphin weighing more than 400 lbs up the steep embankment and back to the May River would require more manpower.
She called the Bluffton Fire department and and explained the situation to the man at the end of the line.
“This young kid answers the phone and I was like, ‘Hey, my name is Amber Kuehn. I have a dolphin at Hampton Lakes that I need help removing from one of their water catchment ditches,’” Kuehn said. “And he said, ‘Ma’am, I’m gonna have to call my supervisor.’”
Stephen Combs, a spokesperson for the Bluffton Township Fire District, said this was the department’s first-ever rescue of its type. Kuehn said this is the first time she and the LMMN responded to a situation like this one.
A team made up of Bluffton firefighters, Hampton Lake neighbors and experts with the Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network assembled to capture the dolphin and transport Lucky out of the drainage ditch. The LMMN staff deployed from Charleston are federally authorized to handle marine mammals.
Lucky initially swam further into the lagoon, but rescuers eventually guided her onto a specialized marine rescue tarp attached to stabilizing poles.
They navigated the dolphin to Kuehn’s trailer, where she set up a half-deflated inner tube. With the help of a firefighter escort, they drove down S.C. 46 (May River Road) to a nearby dock, walked the dolphin down the steep ramp and released her into the water.
“It was just such a local effort,” Kuehn said.
The team was able to identify the dolphin as Lucky, a year-round resident of the May River, based on her dorsal fin, Kuehn said. The dolphin has had three calves since researchers at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort first started tracking her. Fortunately, she didn’t have a calf who could have followed her into the drainage ditch this year.
The Bluffton fire department advised residents who see a marine mammal in distress to call 911 and allow authorities to respond. Approaching and attempting to help the animal, even if well-intentioned, “can put both people and the animals at risk.”
How Beaufort County residents can help protect marine mammals
The Lowcountry Marine Mammal Network encourages the public to follow these guidelines to protect dolphins and other marine mammals in our region:
- REPORT stranded or injured marine mammals (alive or deceased) to the SCDNR Wildlife Stranding Hotline: 1-800-922-5431
- DO NOT APPROACH or try to push a stranded dolphin back into the water. These are wild, potentially sick animals.
- DO NOT HARASS marine mammals. Disturbing a dolphin—even unintentionally—can result in federal fines of up to $100,000.
- KEEP YOUR DISTANCE: Stay at least 50 yards away by boat and 15 yards on land.
- NEVER FEED marine mammals. It disrupts natural behaviors and can lead to injury or death.
- CLEAN UP trash and marine debris. Marine mammals can mistake litter for food, leading to illness or death.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 11:12 AM.
