Nessie Sightings
Posted by: Loren Coleman on March 29th, 2012
A new resource has been announced for Nessie researchers. The author of The Water Horses of Loch Ness, Roland Watson has just scanned ten years of the 37-year-old Loch Ness Monster collection, the Rip Hepple Nessletter, and placed them online. The archives are a great resource on Loch Ness, its Monster and the hunters. It may be found by clicking here.
During 2012, there have been no reported Loch Ness Monster sightings from any Scottish organization or any encounters that have risen to the level of media attention.
While we wait for that first sighting, I have asked Gary Campbell, President of The Official Loch Ness Fan Club, if he would share the top Loch Ness Monster sightings for the last five years.
Here is his list:
7 September 2011
Jon Rowe, a fish farm worker from Lewiston photographed a large dark shape in the water near Dores Fish Farm at 8.30am
24th August 2011
Marcus Atkinson, a local boat skipper with 18 years’ experience on the loch, captured an image of a 1.5m wide creature some 23m below the surface on his boat’s sonar system. The contact took place in Urquhart Bay.
15th June 2011
Mr & Mrs Hargreaves of Foyers reported seeing a creature with a long neck which appeared for 30-40 seconds near the village of Foyers
24th May 2011
William & Joan Jobes photographed a creature in the loch while walking along a path beside the loch at Fort Augustus
20th November 2010
Richard Preston of Yorkshire took pictures of mysterious humps near Aldourie Castle, where he was working as a landscape architect.
6th June 2009
Douglas MacDougall spotted a hump in the water near the Clansman Hotel.
22nd May 2008
Gordon Holmes from Yorkshire was undertaking his new expedition (Net Nessie 2008) when he recorded an unexplained sonar contact 60 feet down in the Loch. During his stay he went on to record a further two contacts at various points in the loch.
8 February 2008
Brenda Ellis from Foyers took four snaps on her mobile phone of a creature moving north in the water near Inverfarigaig on the south side of the loch. She said the creature was black/brown in colour and was spotted moving in the water for 10-15 minutes.
26 May 2007
Gordon Holmes of Shipley, Yorkshire, took a video of an unknown creature at 9.50pm from a layby at the north end of the loch. He described the creature as 4-6ft long , swimming at around 6mph.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Guess I’ve been slow on the draw on the latest NEssie footage…I haven’t seen these (I’ll blame the bigfoot crowd, which I seem to have gotten sidetracked with).
All interesting pics–have to check into them and see what is what…
I take that back–I do remember discussing the Nov 20, 2010 pic. We definitely scoured over that one here…
My own take on the recent five listed above is that the Rowe, Hargreaves and Atkinson stories are credible.
I am neutral on the Jobes photo and I think the Preston pictures are reflections (and I don’t think Nessie is white).
Roland
Of those listed only the Holmes video is of any real interest, and I was (respectfully) surprised to hear Loren Coleman commenting “well I definitely see an animate object under the water…”. It may be that he no longer holds that view, but I invite him to perform a little experiment – to walk down Park St to Wright’s Wharf, armed with a camera, and take some photos of the propellers on the boats there. I predict that if the boat is more than a few yards away there will be no propellers, rudders or anything else under the water surface that can be seen or photographed, and for the same reasons that the object in the Holmes video is not under the surface.
The best explanation for the video that I have read is that it – actually “they” because there is another similar disturbance further away in the video – is the preliminary “dark spot”, stage one, of a small waterspout which never developed further. There is no divergent “vee” wave which a surface object would have to leave.
Just my 3c. W
Quotations are funny things.
One of the primary sources for that quote of mine is via Dick Raynor (Mon, Jun 4 2007) who wrote this: “Loren Coleman’s comments are interesting. He got on to the story really quickly with his publication of stabilised versions of Mr Holmes’ video, commenting ‘I definitely see an animate object under the water – it’s bobbing up ….and then this head comes out… a long neck…’.”
Of course, I did say that, on CNN, but only in the context that it seemed to look that way before the video was analyzed and stabilized, and before the background of Holmes was vetted. I was clear I did not think just because I thought the video might show something in the water it was proof of Nessies. Indeed, I was being careful, then Joe Nickell rushed in and said it was an otter.
W is right, however, about what I said. And that I have changed my mind about this being a worthwhile piece of video, cryptozoologically.
Is there even any room for reasonable doubt (or rather, I suppose, reasonable credence) in the case of Nessie? At least in the case of Yeti, there are miles of rugged and inaccessible mountain in which it could live. But Loch Ness is a lake. A big lake, but still just a lake. Finding a huge creature (let alone a breeding population of huge creatures) in Loch Ness ought to be like shooting fish in a barrel.
The world may be full of wonderful undiscovered creatures, but Loch Ness isn’t the place to look for them.
I have my doubts about Raynor’s opinion on things.
One of the only sources I trust (besides myself lol) is
Loren Coleman, Chad Arment and a few others in the
field of Cryptozoology and Zoology in general. Loren
has always done a great job reporting about Cryptozoology
with an open and honest mind and is careful not to make
conclusions too quickly imo.
I’m sure I’m not the only one that feels this way.
Loch Ness is indeed small compared to state wide forests but if the peat stained waters of Loch Ness ensure things get pretty dark after 10-20 feet below. A bit like looking for Bigfoot at nighttime, in a dense fog whilst heavily raining (can it be foggy and raining at the same time? 🙂 ).
A difficult place to explore.
Roland
But hasn’t the entire loch been swept with sonar? Aren’t more people than ever looking for Nessie, and finding nothing more than the occasional “dark shape?”
GU, what you are probably referring to is Operation Deepscan. In 1987, Operation Deepscan said they successfully swept 60% of the underwater area of Loch Ness. Twenty-four boats equipped with echosounder equipment were deployed across the whole width of the loch and they simultaneously sent out acoustic waves. BBC News reported that the scientists had made sonar contact with a large unidentified object of unusual size and strength. Reports indicated three “unknown” large contacts were recorded, although that part of the record was downplayed. The researchers decided to return to the same spot and re-scan the area. After analyzing the echosounder images, it seemed to point to debris at the bottom of the loch, although three of the pictures were of moving debris. Humm. Adrian Shine speculated that they could be seals that got into the loch, since they would be of about the same magnitude as the objects detected. No one was surprised with his quick debunking of the scans.
Darrell Lowrance, sonar expert and founder of Lowrance Electronics, donated a number of echosounder units used during Operation Deepscan. After examining the echogram data, specifically a sonar return revealing a large moving object near Urquhart Bay at a depth of 600 feet (180 m), Lowrance said: “There’s something here that we don’t understand, and there’s something here that’s larger than a fish, maybe some species that hasn’t been detected before. I don’t know.”
I had a Nessie sighting this morning on Google maps! Go to Loch Ness and zoom in to the loch near Drumnadrochit on the 8-bit version of Google maps and there’s Nessie right in the middle of the loch. I had heard that Google have placed a number of “monsters” on their 8-bit map including a Yeti in the Hymalayas, although I’ve not found it yet. If any one does, do let us know. Don’t know how long the 8 bit maps will be available for, maybe just for April fools day?
I think anyone wishing to read my comments, and then try to move them into a some kind of negative remarks about Dick Raynor are misreading me severely.
Raynor is a gentleman, whom I shall recall and respect forever due to the generous nature of his hosting of my sons on his boat in 1999. Such little favors go a long way in my book, and Dick is one of the good guys. Intellectual debates pale by comparison to the true hearts and kindness shown by men and women to our families and friends.
Theories and media appearances are minor compared to true actions.
Stoosh
I take it you’re from the U.K., right?
I don’t know if I should take your question seriously since
it was written on April Fools Day (also Palm Sunday) but
I will answer it anyway:
Stoosh opines:
“Forthcoming, why would you write “I have my doubts about Raynor’s opinion on things.”?
I am familiar with Dick Raynor (and what he writes about) for years now.
Granted, Raynor may have some good opinions and thoughts regarding the field of Cryptozoology (among other things) but I disagree with his quote of Loren coming to a conclusion too quickly, as that what he was implying as well as trying to discredit him on this issue it seemed like.
“Have you come across examples of him misrepresenting or falsifying evidence?”
Loren, no. Never. Raynor… Again, no. Both are honest men imo.
“Evidently, you’re not too aware of Gordon Holmes’ ‘experiments’ on the loch either.”
Actually I am. Maybe not as familiar as you, However.
“But hasn’t the entire loch been swept with sonar? Aren’t more people than ever looking for Nessie, and finding nothing more than the occasional “dark shape?””
The loch has never been simultaneously swept, rather a curtain slowly makes it way up the loch and the ends and sides of the loch are not scanned. If I was a Nessie, I would not have a problem avoiding the sweep – just stay on the sides where they naturally inhabit.
As for sonar traces, yes, some interesting stuff has been recorded but I am not convinced even the best chart readers can separate the noise from the true “data”.
In summary, Loch Ness is a difficult place to explore.
Roland
It appears to me that some years have a good amount of sightings, while others are clearly terribly lacking. For example, there was 1 in 2006, followed by a slight rise in sightings, in 2007 & 2008. Then, in 2009, there was only 1. In 2010, there were actually NONE, since I am pretty sure that the Richard Preston photo taken on Nov. 20 really shows the reflection of a building, on the water, rather than being a genuine sighting. Therefore, some researchers, such as Rines, began to believe that the Nessies, or Loch Ness Monsters, might now be extinct.
However, in 2011, there were at least 4 good sightings; Jon Rowe; The Jobes; The Hargreaves; and the Marcus Atkinson sonar contact. I really hope that 2012 also turns out to be an awesome year, for lake monster encounters, too! :-D!