Mystery hunters flocked to a lake in Scotland on Saturday in search of traces of the legendary Loch Ness Monster. The Loch Ness Center said researchers will try to find evidence of Nessie, using thermal imaging drones, infrared cameras and a hydrophone to detect underwater sounds in the lake’s turbid water. The two-day event is advertised as the largest survey of the last 50 years on the lake, in which volunteers scan the water from boats and the lake shore, and people from all over the world participate via webcams.
Alan McKenna of the Loch Ness Center said his goal is to “inspire the next generation of Loch Ness enthusiasts.” McKenna told BBC radio that the searchers were “looking for gaps in the surface and asked volunteers to record any natural behavior in the lake”.
“Not every surge or wave is a monster. “Some of them can be explained, but there are some that cannot be explained,” he said.
The Loch Ness Center is located in the former Drumnadrochit Hotel, where the modern legend of Nessie began. In 1933, manager Aldie Mackay reported detecting a “water monster” in the mountain-covered lake, which was 750 feet (230 meters) deep, the largest body of freshwater by volume and one of the deepest in the UK.
The story ignited a continuing worldwide fascination with the elusive beast, the fraudulent uncovered, and the testimony of hundreds of eyewitnesses. Many theories have been put forward over the years, including that the creature could be a prehistoric marine reptile, a giant eel, a sturgeon, and even a runaway circus elephant.
Many believe this image is a hoax or can be explained by floating logs or strong winds, but the legend is a boon for tourism in the scenic Scottish Highlands. Such skepticism hasn’t stopped volunteers like Craig Gallifrey.
“I believe there is something in the lake,” he said, but he had no idea what it was. “I really think there must be something fueling speculation.”
He said that “the legend will continue” regardless of the outcome of the weekend search.
“I think it’s a fantasy of finding something in the UK’s largest body of water… There are many more stories,” he said. “There are other things as well, though unproven. There is something special about the lake.”
Source: Port Altele
