[imagesource:twitter/@ianjameslee]

The enigma of the legendary Loch Ness monster continues to captivate the world’s imagination, drawing tourists to the popular lake in the Scottish Highlands every year.

While many visit the Loch to ponder the mysteries it may hold, this past weekend marked a historical occasion as 200 volunteers embarked on an extensive Nessie hunt, the first of its kind in 5 decades.

Loch Ness Centre manager Paul Nixon maintained that this was not your usual mystical-creature fantasy trip, but believed that the crew could truly have a shot at finding the elusive beastie:

“I believe there is something big lurking in the depths of Loch Ness … Now I don’t know whether it’s a monster – I don’t know what it is but I reckon there’s something down there.”

The plot thickens!

So far, one of the boat crews involved in the large-scale hunt detected four unidentified “gloops” underwater, using acoustic sound equipment. However, the Nessie hunters’ excitement was short-lived as they realised that their recording device had not been properly plugged in, rendering their findings inconclusive. Awkward.

The en masse monster-hunting crew drew participants from various corners of the globe, including Spain, France, Germany, Finland, Japan, Australia, and the United States. Despite some skepticism and some classically gloomy Scottish weather over the weekend, the hunt’s supporters emphasised the event’s significance beyond a mere publicity stunt.

Nessie has endured in popular culture for decades and still clearly holds a mystical excitement for believers across the globe.

The origins of the Loch Ness monster trace back to the 7th century, with the first written records describing an Irish monk named St Columba banishing a water creature from the River Ness. The modern legend subsequently took root in 1933 when hotel manageress Aldie Mackay claimed to have spotted a whale-like creature in the loch.

The famous “surgeon’s photo” taken the following year depicted what appeared to be a prehistoric beast in the water, though it was later revealed to be a hoax involving modelling clay and a clockwork submarine. It’s the most famous depiction of the beast, despite its exposure as pure horseshite as far as ‘evidence’ goes, and has helped solidify Nessie as somewhat of a celebrity throughout Scotland.

The weekend’s large-scale hunt at Loch Ness was jointly organised by Loch Ness Centre, fittingly housed in the old hotel building at Drumnadrochit where Aldie Mackay reported her sighting in the 1930’s, and Loch Ness Exploration. The event attracted not only bedraggled volunteers on the shore but also hundreds of participants who monitored the loch through webcams from the comfort of their homes.

I’m hedging my bets on this one because although there has been little concrete evidence to support the existence of ol’ Nessie… I want to believe.

[source:bbc]