A volunteer group in Scotland is planning the most extensive search for the Loch Ness monster for decades. The Loch Ness Exploration group will use airborne drones and thermal imaging technology to search the famous lake, as well as hydrophones to observe and record sounds and acoustic signals. It will be the most comprehensive exploration of the lake since 1972.
Tales about the Loch Ness monster date back many centuries. The first noted encounter with the beast was recorded as far back as 565 AD when a local man claimed he was bitten by a mysterious creature while swimming.
In 1933, a new road was built around the lake, allowing for a much clearer view of the water, and subsequently, sightings of “Nessie” increased. The most famous photograph of the creature appeared just a year later, in 1934, causing a worldwide sensation and creating an image that persists today.
Robert Wilson, an English doctor, took the photo when he stopped on the new road saying he could see a strange large gray creature poke its head through the lake’s surface. The image, which is still used to promote Scottish tourism, shows a dark serpent-like head emerging from the calm waters.
More recently, excitement was generated in 2020 with a series of new sightings. A local newspaper, the Inverness Courier, carried a story saying there had been 13 detections of the monster that year.
A special website was established some years ago where people can document their sightings and read about past encounters. The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register contains records of 1,148 meetings with the monster, and the figure for 2023 is three so far.
The most recent record was registered by a French pharmacist who claims to have spotted a 65-foot-long dark shape moving around beneath the surface for several minutes. The last American to contact the site was a tourist named Ceci, who said she saw an unexplained “object” in the famous loch.
