Nessie uncovered
Is the Loch Ness Monster real? Nessie sightings, theories and myths
THE Loch Ness monster has inspired decades of myths and stories despite experts never being able to prove the mysterious creature is real.
The entity, known as Nessie, is said to haunt Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands and many have claimed to have "spotted" it over the years.
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What are the origins of the Loch Ness monster story?
Nessie was first "spotted" back in the year 565 when a biography of Irish monk Saint Columba mentioned a giant "water beast" dragging a man to his death in Scotland's River Ness.
But wider interest in the monster was not sparked until much later, in 1933, when a road was built along Loch Ness making it far less isolated.
Several people came forward within months of the road opening, claiming to have seen a "giant beast" lurking near the water.
The following year saw the publication of the now-infamous "surgeon's photograph".
The image is probably the best-known "photograph" of the Loch Ness monster despite it being exposed as a hoax in 1975.
The legend of Nessie has since become the subject of a host of documentaries and films, as well as a popular feature in pop culture.
Actor Ted Danson starred in the 1996 family drama Loch Ness and in 2004 the Scooby Doo gang tried to solve the mystery of the monster's existence.
Many scientists have tried to prove the existence of the monster.
The BBC conducted the largest ever search for Nessie in 2003 using 600 sonar beams and satellite tracking to explore the loch but found nothing.
The story of the Loch Ness monster topped a poll of the UK's greatest unexplained mysteries in 2017.
As of March 2024 there have been over 1100 reported sightings of the creature.
What have been the most famous sightings?
Nobody has yet proved that the Loch Ness Monster is real but that certainly hasn't stopped people trying.
Many pictures claiming to show Nessie have been exposed as pranks, while others have been explained away as a case of mistaken identity.
‘Most compelling footage yet’ reveals a monstrous shape stalking through Loch Ness waters
The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register keeps a record of every possible glimpse of Nessie.
Here are some of the most well-known sightings recorded.
1934 - The "surgeon's photograph"
The "surgeon's photograph" was snapped by a doctor named Robert Kenneth Wilson in 1934.
It is probably the most famous Nessie sighting ever even though it was later exposed to be a faked picture.
Wilson's "photograph" fuelled the curiosity around the Loch Ness Monster and led to a spate of other "sightings".
2012 - Fort Augustus photo
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Boat skipper George Edwards claimed to have seen Nessie in 2012.
He shared a photo taken from Fort Augustus, on the loch's southern tip, alleging to have finally found definitive proof of the giant creature's existence.
Edwards admitted a year later that he had made the whole thing up and said he had even let many of the tourists he ferries around the loch in on his prank.
He revealed how the image was created with a fake fibreglass model of Nessie from a National Geographic documentary
2014 - Apple Maps satellite photo
A satellite photo on the Apple Maps app in 2014 seemingly showed a 100ft shape swimming in the loch.
The mysterious outline sparked renewed interest in Nessie after a lull of several years, with the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club claiming it was "likely" to be the camera-shy monster.
Experts later insisted it was merely a boat and its wake.
2017 - Amateur photographer snap
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In September 2017 amateur photographer Ian Bremner took a photo from the banks of the loch which he believed showed the Loch Ness Monster moving through the water.
His friends claimed it showed three seals playing together but the whisky warehouse worker suggested it "could be Nessie".
Bremner said at the time: "I’m normally a bit of a sceptic when it comes to Nessie and I think it's just something for the tourists but I'm starting to think there is something out there.
"When I saw it on my screen I said what the hell is that?'"
September 29, 2017 - Live feed
American Diana Turner was watching a live feed of the Loch from her home in Michigan when she claims she saw the beast pop its head out of the water.
She reported it to the officials in charge of the Nessie spottings and Gary Campbell, the recorder and keeper of the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, at the time: "The sighting lasted about two minutes and other than a boat in the distance, she saw no other traffic on the loch.
"She saw a wake and it does not appear to be that of a boat. She made the recording on September 29, but has only notified us of it now.
"But we have accepted it and it means the number of sightings [this year] is the most we have had this century."
November 2017 - School boy sighting
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In November 2017 a nine-year-old school boy was convinced he'd seen Nessie and took photographic evidence to prove it.
Sam Knight snapped what he believed was Nessie's fin breaking the surface during a cruise with his mum Jo.
The stunning image shows a dark triangle poking out of the water and sparked an extensive debate over whether it was a wave or an animal.
June 2017 - Aussie tourists
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Australian tourists Peter Jackson and Phillippa Wearne were driving alongside the loch in the Highlands when they saw something big and fast moving through the water.
They took a snap showing a dark figure in the loch.
Peter, from Sydney, said: "I know I saw something and I know it was large so I am keeping an open mind."
June 2018 - Creature 'cavorting'
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In June 2018 footage emerged of a distant object "cavorting" in the famous loch for a full 10 minutes.
Eoin O’Faodhagain was left stunned by the 20ft "creature" diving and surfacing in the loch and his footage was later accepted by the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register.
Eoin, from Co Donegal, Republic of Ireland, said: "I couldn't believe my eyes and started recording it on my phone.
"It was certainly something big. It dived down and up again and dived and disappeared.";
August 2018 - Anonymous video
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In August 2018 footage emerged allegedly showing the beast poking out of the waters of the loch.
The video was posted online by an anonymous visitor to the site who said: "Went to the beach Loch Ness for a day out as the weather was lovely so I thought I'd make the most of it."
July 2019 - Sonar image
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In July 2019 boat skipper Mike Bell claimed to have captured a sonar image of the 25ft-long monster.
The sonar picture - taken while he was taking a group of tourists for a trip on Loch Ness - shows the bottom of the loch, a fish and a long, thin object about 115ft below the surface.
September 2019 - Eel-like creature
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A huge eel-like creature was filmed on the River Ness - near where it flows into Loch Ness - by a camera set up to monitor trout and other fish in September 2019.
The video, shared online by the Ness Fishery Board, captured the outline of a long, slender creature in the Scottish Highlands loch.
Amazing footage from an underwater camera shows the "serpent" slithering through the water from the left and dwarfing fish in its path.
February 2020 - Huge skeleton found
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Locals in Scotland were left baffled after a snap of what looked like a rotten carcass was posted online in February 2020.
The picture was shared on Aberdeen-based community Facebook page Fubar News with the caption: "Came across this weird creature today near Aberdeen. Any ideas what it could be?"
Many suggested it could be a whale, orca or dolphin while others joked the carcass could be the remains of Scotland's very own Loch Ness Monster.
November 2020 - Spotted on sonar
The Loch Ness Monster was once again spotted on sonar after a mysterious shape was detected 600ft below the surface in November 2020.
The image was captured by retired skipper Rod Michie and appears to show a 33ft-long creature.
Naysayers suggested the picture could simply show a large shoal of fish.
March 2021 - Mysterious black shape
Kalynn Wangle, 28, from Oregon, USA, filmed a mysterious black shape via webcam as it moved along the surface of the water in the Scottish Highlands in March 2021.
According to the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, the creature was seen moving for several minutes before disappearing.
May 2023 - "Compelling footage"
Nessie hunter Eoin O'Faodhagain claimed to have filmed the most "compelling footage" of the Loch Ness Monster yet in May 2023.
He said: "If there was ever a sighting that was supposed to be the Loch Ness Monster, this sighting fits the bill."
The footage in question appears to show and enormous presence, estimated to be over 25ft long, on the far side of the loch.
August 2023 - Black shape
Holidaymaker Steve Valentine took a snap of a "black shape" he spotted while on the waters of Loch Ness in August 2023.
Steve then showed the image to the boat's skipper who advised him to register it as an official sighting of Nessie.
Steve said: "All of a sudden I saw this black shape. It was a bit of a distance away, about 200 metres, near Urquhart Castle.
"I thought I needed to get a photo of it, which I did."
What theories are there about the real Nessie?
Many theories suggest that those who claim to have spotted Nessie have simply mistaken other large animals for the creature.
Sightings have often been dismissed as being large eels and catfish, or otters and deer swimming in the water.
TV presenter Jeremy Wade made a special edition of River Monsters devoted to the legend in 2013 and compared Nessie's characteristics with the Greenland shark, which grow to 20 feet in length and survive in the fresh waters of the loch.
It has also been claimed that sightings of Nessie are often caused by misidentifying inanimate objects such as tree trunks or logs.
Optical effects caused by wind conditions have also been suggested.
One scientific theory put forward to support the traditional idea of the monster's huge size and appearance is that it is a plesiosaur – a type of giant long-necked reptile that went extinct over 60 million years ago.
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