Monster hunter? Search for infamous Loch Ness creature needs volunteers in Scotland
Lurking beneath the murky waters of Scotland’s Loch Ness is a strange, elusive creature with the neck of a brontosaurus and the humps of a camel.
Most of the time, the aquatic beast remains out of sight. But when it breaches the surface, its distinctive silhouette can be glimpsed by those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.
Or so the legend of the Loch Ness monster goes.
Now, researchers are organizing a massive search for the fabled monster, known as Nessie, in the hopes of unraveling a 90-year-old mystery clung to by believers and considered a hoax by others.
The upcoming exploration will be the biggest search of the 23-mile-long loch in a half-century, according to a news release from the Loch Ness Center.
The organization, a visitor center on the loch, is asking “budding monster hunters” to take part in a surface watch on Aug. 26 and 27, which will entail looking for movement on the water.
While the ring of volunteer observers surrounds the loch, keeping their eyes peeled for breaches, a team of researchers will take to the air and water to further the search.
The researchers, part of a team called Loch Ness Exploration (LNE), will unleash drones to capture thermal images of the water. And a hydrophone, an underwater recording device, will be employed to listen for “Nessie-like” acoustic signals.
Neither of these high-tech surveying methods have previously been employed on Loch Ness, a cavernous body of water with a maximum depth of 754 feet, according to the BBC.
“It’s our hope to inspire a new generation of Loch Ness enthusiasts,” Alan McKenna, of Loch Ness Exploration, said in the release. “And by joining this large scale surface watch, you’ll have a real opportunity to personally contribute towards this fascinating mystery that has captivated so many people from around the world.”
The story of Nessie first captured the public imagination in 1933, when a string of news reports detailed sightings of a “monster” in Loch Ness, according to a 2020 study published in the journal Environmental Humanities.
“The phenomenon was swiftly married to the Scottish legend of the “Kelpie” (water horse), and it was subsequently alleged that the monster had been there for centuries,” according to the study.
A year later, a black-and-white photo depicting a prehistoric-looking creature emerging from the loch, circulated in newspapers around the world, seemingly providing proof of Nessie’s existence.
The famous grainy image, known as Surgeon’s photograph, was determined to have been faked, according to the book “The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained.”
Still, the legend lives on, and enthusiasts continue to scour the loch for signs of Nessie.
For just about every alleged sighting in recent decades — which are recorded on an official register — there are nearly as many theories seeking to debunk the creature’s existence.
Those claiming to have seen Nessie may have observed a floating tree branch, an eel or even an erect whale penis, according to theories, some more credible than others.
But with any luck, the August search, which seeks to plumb the depths of the Loch Ness phenomenon, can finally get to the bottom of one of Scotland’s most enduring legends.
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