'I saw the Loch Ness Monster – and it's the size of a double-decker bus'

30 October 2023 , 15:53

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Nessie is 'as big as a bus' according to a man who claims to have seen the beast (Image: Jam Press / The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings)

A man was left stunned during a visit to world-famous Loch Ness when, as he was admiring the gorgeous vista, he saw a huge black hump in the water the size of a double-decker bus.

Sash Lake, of Box, Wiltshire said he froze when he got a brief five-second sighting of the monster's hump before it vanished back into the murky depths and it made him "jump out of my skin". It is the eighth credible sighting of the legendary beast this year in the loch near Inverness, Scotland, and he was just leaving the area when he saw it.

He said: "I was leaving Drumnadrochit on a coach, admiring the view while the coach was driving past the loch. It started to rain and a light fog rolled in. My view and vision was partly limited due to the trees alongside the loch. But something caught my eye for approximately five seconds and made me jump out of my skin.

Sasha Lake’s drawing of the glimpse of the Loch Ness Monster he got from a bus (Jam Press / The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings)

"I saw a huge black mass or hump in the middle of the loch, roughly the size of a double-decker bus. I would say it was around 75 to 100 yards away from me. I was confused and in disbelief. I jumped to my feet to get a better look, trees completely blocked my view for about five to eight seconds. There was a clearing in the trees, and when I looked back to where I saw the black mass or hump, there was nothing there."

He was unable to take a photo but quickly sketched what he saw while it was fresh in his memory. This sighting of Nessie was on October 7 at 12.20 pm but has only just been reported to The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register. It is compiled by expert Gary Campbell who has been doing it since 1996. The previous sighting was made by nurse Fiona Wade on August 31. The 60-year-old said she saw three humps in the water. Three days earlier local Siobhan Janaway saw ripples in the water.

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Fellow Nessie spotter Alastair Gray said he saw the Loch Ness Monster on August 26, while dad-of-four Steve Valentine said he spotted a "black shape" with "a hump" on August 17. On June 15, Etienne Camel and his wife Eliane, from Lyon, France were visiting Loch Ness and claimed to have spotted a 65ft long, dark shape moving just beneath the surface of the water for several minutes.

Another tourist, Ceci, from the USA, said she also saw something mysterious for a number of minutes on May 31 and on April 5 Francesca McGarvey, of Paisley, was visiting with her mum and dad when she claims she spotted humps in the water. A huge search for Nessie took place in August where sonar and drones were used.

Paul Donald