Four “clearly distinguishable noises” and, perhaps, a “hump” sticking out of the water, that was the exciting result of the large-scale, two-day search for the world’s most famous summer loch tamper.
In the most beautiful Scottish weather, i.e. pouring rain, around 100 volunteers lined up along the shore of Loch Ness last Saturday morning. The aim of the collaboration, dubbed ‘The Quest’, between the Loch Ness Exploration research team, which studies natural phenomena of the loch, and the newly renovated Loch Ness Center was nothing less than the discovery of the aquatic monster Nessie.
Drones with infrared cameras circled over the lake and took thermal images. Around 300 other Nessie enthusiasts, including in Argentina, New Zealand and Japan, watched online via live stream for the animal that is said to live in these Highland waters.
Undated photo of Nessie, which has long since been exposed as a scam.
(Photo: AP)
Loch Ness, located 37 kilometers south of Inverness, is 36 kilometers long and has a maximum depth of 240 meters, making it the largest lake in Scotland by volume. There have been reports of a monster living here since the sixth century, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that the search for Nessie really got going. The plesiosaurus-like creature, according to (roughly) consistent reports, has since proven to be as shy as it is attractive to tourism. Just a few days ago a tourist from Manchester snapped a new, as usual very out of focus, photo of a black dot in the water, fueling the excitement ahead of the biggest search in half a century.
The water of the lake is very murky and visibility is exceptionally low due to the high peat content in the surrounding soil. But the mud doesn’t seem to affect the hole’s acoustics. Alan McKenna from Edinburgh had already managed to record the noises in question from a boat while testing his so-called hydrophone system on Friday. They sounded like a “glup,” McKenna said.
A lake and a story that attracts tourists.
(Photo: Philipp Brandstätter/dpa-tmn)
A couple from Hull, who had canceled a holiday in the English Lake District specifically for the search, reported a possible sighting: Aga Balinska and Matty Wiles saw loudly DailyMirror reportedly spotted a hump in the distance Saturday morning that stuck out about three feet from the water, “moved to the left,” and then disappeared. According to Matty Wiles, the lake was as smooth as glass, so it couldn’t have been a wave. The couple said it was a “great trip” in any case – although unfortunately Nessie’s existence could not be finally clarified this time either.