No one has been able to catch the famous sea monster Nessie that legend has it lives in Loch Ness. Now, a huge search operation with state-of-the-art technology is on.
Come August 26 and 27, 2023, researchers will try to solve the mystery of the Loch Ness sea monster by using infrared cameras.
Drones will observe the surface of Loch Ness and record even the slightest movement. A hydrophone will detect unusual underwater sounds, while scores of volunteers will stand on the shore to immediately report possible signs of life.
“It’s an organized observation of Loch Ness, which is great,” Nessie searcher Steve Feltham told the dpa news agency. “The more eyes on the water, the better.” The man has been searching for the monster for more than 30 years — arguably longer than anyone else.
An ancient monster
The large-scale operation is organized by the Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit, a town on the western shore of the lake, and a volunteer research team called Loch Ness Exploration.
“Loch” is the Irish, Scottish Gaelic and Scots word for a lake or sea inlet, while “Nessie” is the now iconic nickname of the mythical, serpent-like creature that’s believed to have roamed the depths of the freshwater lake named Ness, located in the Scottish Highlands, for centuries.
As early as the year 565, the Irish abbot, missionary and scholar St. Columba of Iona is said to have encountered the “water monster” on the River Ness. In the 7th century biographer St. Adamnan’s book, “The Life of Saint Columba,” it is reported that the saint saved a man who had been attacked by the creature. “Columba made the sign of the cross in the air and invoked the name of God, while commanding the wild beast, ‘You will go no further! Do not touch the man! Leave at once!’ At the saint’s words, the monster fled in fear, as if it were being pulled back with ropes, even though it had only been a short distance away from the man.”
1,000 years later, Nessie was said to have slain three men, but otherwise the sea monster has been surprisingly peaceful. What is certain from these sightings, however, is that Nessie has many years under its belt. This also means that it has enough experience to shake off hunters in the up to 230-meter-(750-feet)-deep lake. And they have been on its trail several times — at least since it finally became a celebrity in the media age.
Nessie, the media sensation
In 1933, hotel manager Aldie Mackay stormed into a bar and announced to the astonished patrons that she had just seen a “monster” in Loch Ness, and that the waters of the lake had been very churned up. The Scottish regional newspaper Inverness Courier picked up the story of the mysterious creature — and it spread like wildfire. Reporters came from London, and a circus offered 20,000 English pounds to capture the monster. The following year, a motorcyclist described how the creature had crossed the road. It reportedly moved forward on flippers and had a sheep in its mouth. As soon as it reached the lake, it submerged into the waters. Now, there was no stopping the Nessie fans from coming from all over the world.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/loch-ness-monster-search-in-scotland-where-is-nessie/a-66620033