Loch Ness
Plug was not in: Nessie hunters hear noises during search operations, but do not record them
A boat was equipped with a hydrophone system, with which underwater noises can be recorded (symbolic photo)
© Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images
A large-scale search for the Loch Ness monster took place in Scotland over the weekend. The search was carried out using the latest technology – however, one device was not connected.
The Tales and Myths of Nessie the Monster of Loch Ness has been around for centuries. In 565, the monk Saint Columbanus first claimed in a book that a swimmer had been attacked by the monster.
The lake, which is 36 kilometers long and up to 2.7 kilometers wide, has not been systematically searched since 1972. Until now, because the biggest Nessie search for 50 years took place over the weekend, and anyone could register for it. Above all, the question should be clarified: does Nessie exist or not? Many volunteers took part in the search despite the bad weather.
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Device was not connected
The campaign participants came from Germany, France, England, America and many other countries. In addition to drones, infrared cameras and normal webcams that were aimed at the water and took pictures, hundreds of observers positioned themselves at vantage points around the lake. In addition, people with boats were also on the water. Among them was a vehicle belonging to the research group “Loch Ness Exploration”, which was equipped with a hydrophone system – a microphone that can be lowered into the lake and used to record underwater sounds.
Alan McKenna, leader and initiator of the expedition, reports four unidentified “gloops” heard while testing the system on board the boat. “We were all very excited and immediately ran to find that the recorder was on but not plugged in,” admitted the expedition leader, embarrassed. The error ultimately meant that the sounds could not be analyzed. This is how the British BBC reports. Now an audio library is to be set up in which all recorded tones and noises from the lake will be stored. In addition, a lot of other data that was generated there over the weekend must now be evaluated.
Whether Nessie is a plesiosaur, a tree branch, a very large fish or just a pipe dream will probably remain a myth.