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On February 2nd, 2021, a Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) stranded on Île de Ré island (Northeast Atlantic, France). Preliminary analyses revealed that the whale’s death was probably caused by anthropogenic noise. The accident occurred within the limits of a marine protected area in the immediate vicinity of an area where military tests were being carried out by a vessel. This event, which triggered an investigation aiming to trace its origin, served as a basis for a broader collaborative work as part of the interdisciplinary research program ‘Esprit de Velox, Destination Ocean’. Our reflections, set at the confluence of several disciplines, highlight, through the lens of human-induced noise impacts on cetaceans, the complexity of the relationships between oceanic life and anthropic activities. To better understand and protect the ocean, we advocate for changes in the practices of ocean-related knowledge production, improvement of the legal norms governing the use and protection of the marine environment, and a transformation of our own anthropological relationship to the ocean.