Loch Ness Monster experts say 'something's out there' after 8 sightings in year

31 December 2023 , 07:37

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A sighting of an object in Loch Ness made on August 17 this year (Image: Jam Press / The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings)

Loch Ness Monster hunters have claimed to see black humps, a periscope and even a “65-feet dark shape” as Nessie fever has hit this year - all convincing enthusiasts that something unknown is lurking in the depths.

There has been renewed interest in the hunt for the identity of the mysterious and elusive Nessie, 90 years since the first ever picture was taken in 1933 and there have been nine official sightings this year. A special quest in August brought vast numbers with latest technology including infrared cameras and a hydrophone employed.

“There have been some exciting images, simply unexplained and they aren’t made up,” said Paul Nixon, who runs the Loch Ness Centre, that has had a £1.5 million refurbishment and was reopened in May.

Speaking to the Mirror he continued: “This year we have had more than 100 volunteers during the quest weekend (August 26-27). There were TV crews from around the world - Australia, Canada… We’ve sparked new interest, and there has been the new new technology available like the heat-seeking drones.

Richard White's famous photo of "Nessie" in 1997 (Richard White/PA)

“We’ve had unexplained noises and also due to the media interest there have been sightings that have resurfaced such as one from 2019 of an object with unexplained humps. It makes you wonder how many more sightings there have been. I’m not saying there is a big green monster or a dinosaur out there but there is something. We know there is something big in the water, we know that there are eels but how big are they?”

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Nessie hunter Fiona Wade on August 31 told the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register of seeing what “initially looked like a periscope but then two curved areas followed, it was moving and about half way out in the Loch”. Among the other eight sightings in 2023, Sash Lake saw a “huge black mass/hump” that was “roughly the size of a double decker bus” when visiting Loch Ness on October 7, and Etienne Camel and his wife Eliane from Lyon, in France, claim to have spotted a “65 feet long shape” during a trip on June 15.

Asked about the best evidence for Nessie living in the water, Mr Nixon points to several sightings, including from last year when a sonar test of the water picked up a shape like a “croissant” that was the size of a transit van. And looking back, one of his favourite sightings was the famous photo by Richard White from 1997 which he snapped from the side of the lake that transported him to stardom. The 78-year-old also gave a talk at the quest weekend to budding Nessie hunters.

Richard White and his wife Beryl (Supplied)

Richard told The Mirror how he won £500 from William Hill for the most unusual photo of the year and had television interviews from around the world. He was flown to Canada, spent a week in a luxury hotel and appeared on the Dini Petty Show.

“I neither believe or don’t believe, all I can say is that I took a photo of something that no one can explain. Even agencies like NASA have taken the image away but haven’t been able to explain it,” said Richard. On how he came to take the photo he said: “I was delivering dog food at the time, I was self-employed, and driving along a single track road. I saw something bubbling, disturbing the water, it was March and the weather was dark and overcast.

"I stopped and saw something sticking up, so I reached for my camera which I always carried from my days in Germany, I am an ex-serviceman. It was a small Olympus with an auto-function and I pressed the button down which fired off about 10 shots. Anyway I delivered the dog food and told my wife I’d seen something but it was only after the film was developed that the true significance became apparent.”

Nine Loch Ness Monster sightings in 2023

1. Francesca McGarvey, Paisley, April 5

A sighting taken by Francesca McGarvey

Visiting with her parents she said she saw a dark shape emerge from the water that was heading northwards in the direction of Urquhart castle. In her description she said there were “humps” like the “back of a whale" and “about the length of two saloon cars”. The object stayed above the surface for around 30 seconds

2. Ceci, USA, May 31

Ceci saw something in the distance (Ceci/ lochnesssightings)

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On a trip from the United States, Ceci took a photo of an object that she saw around 3.15pm with the sighting lasting for several minutes.

3. Etienne and Eliane Camel, Lyon, France, June 15

Etienne and Eliane Camel saw a large dark shape (Jam Press / The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings)

Etienne Camel, a pharmacist from Lyon and his wife Eliane, claimed to have seen a “65 feet dark shape moving just beneath the surface of the water for several minutes” during a visit. Their sighting was from the western side of the loch.

4. Steve Valentine, Greater Manchester, August 17

An image in the water taken by Steve Valentine (Jam Press / The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings)

Visiting from Urmston, Greater Manchester while on holiday with his family, Steve Valentine saw something from the Deepscan boat as they were returning from a tour at around 1pm. He said "I just saw a black shape in the water. It was when we were returning to the dock near to Urquhart Castle. I lost sight of it when the boat turned, but managed to get a quick photo from a distance."

5. Alastair Gray, August 26

Alistair Gray drew a sketch of what he saw (Alastair Gray/ lochnesssightings)

Alastair Gray was on a Loch Ness Explorer tour when he reported seeing something unexplained in the water at around 3.20pm. He was near Invermoriston when he spotted three odd and “seemingly connected shapes” with “one part sticking out of the water at 45 degrees with two other humps going up and down as if it was moving”.

6. Siobhan Janaway, Scottish Highlands, August 27

Siobhan Janaway took a picture of something that appeared to be moving at speed (Jam Press / The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings)

Siobhan Janaway, who lives locally, said there was “something causing turmoil in the water off Foyers point then it coalesced into a single object moving at speed just under the surface causing at least a 20m white wake". She also confirmed that there were no boats in the water at the time.

7. Fiona Wade, August 31

Fiona Wade’s sighting at 10.45am was similar to that made by Alastair Gray. “It initially looked like a periscope but then two curved areas followed, it was moving and about half way out in the loch,” she said. ”I can only describe it as Nessie as I can't think of any logical thing it could have been. It was large enough to catch my eye and it appeared to leave a slight wake behind it"

8. Richard Story, Wigton, October 3

Richard Story saw an unexplained creature swimming in the water (Richard Story/ lochnesssightings)

On a walk from Fort Augustus to Invergarry, Richard Story reported seeing a creature swim from the bank to the centre of the loch at 10.45am. It then disappeared and then reappeared.

9. Sash Lake, from Wiltshire, October 7

A sketch by Sasha Lake of a black object he size of a double decker bus (Jam Press / The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings)

Sash Lake made a reported sighting at 12.20pm and drew a sketch of what he saw while passing in a coach. “Something caught my eye for approximately five seconds and made me jump out of my skin. I saw a huge black mass/ hump in the middle of the Loch, roughly the size of a double decker bus,” he said.

Tim Hanlon