Adrian Shine believes people have been getting Nessie confused with another long-necked creature After spending five decades trying to hunt down the Loch Ness Monster, this expert reckons he has finally got to the bottom of what it really is.
Adrian Shine – who has been studying the elusive mythical creature that supposedly stalks in the Scottish Highlands since 1973 – has some bad news for fellow enthusiasts.
The naturalist led a major sonar exploration in Loch Ness dubbed ‘Operation Deepscan’ back in 1987, but even with £1 million worth of equipment, he was unable to find anything concrete.
He’s published several scientific papers on the phenomenon as well as a few books, so he certainly knows his stuff when it comes to Nessie.
But according to Shine, the legendary monster doesn’t actually exist – and people who claim to have seen it were actually getting confused with another long-necked creature.
And seen as though he has dedicated the majority of his life to tracking the Loch Ness Monster down, his latest hypothesis has come as quite a disappointment to him too.
Adrian Shine reckons he has an explanation for supposed sightings of the mythical creature (Keystone/Getty Images)
Shine believes that supposed sightings of mysterious humps, loops in the water or an elongated neck were likely just swans, which are more visible in clear conditions, and boat wakes.
He reckons that vessels were behind alleged disturbances in the water, which many people have assumed the elusive creature was responsible for.
Describing himself as a ‘sympathetic sceptic’ when it comes to the Loch Ness Monster, Shine broke down what he thinks people have really witnessed while visiting Loch Ness.
The founder of the Loch Ness Project said: “Boat wakes are probably the number one cause of monsters sightings, and waterbirds are the long-necked ones.
“Of course, there are long-necked creatures on Loch Ness – we call them swans.
“And in calm conditions you can lose your ability to judge distance, and if you can’t judge distance, you can’t judge size.”
The Loch Ness Monster hunter thinks people are likely just seeing swans and boat wakes (Getty Stock Image)
According to Shine, waterbirds such as cormorants and mergansers could also be confused with the monster that supposedly lives in the freshwater loch.
Expanding on his theory about boat wakes being misinterpreted as Nessie’s ‘humps’ poking out of the water, the expert said they can create a ‘fascinating illusion’.
Shine went on: “When a vessel is coming towards you, it is obvious what the wake is – you see it spreading out from the sides of the vessel approaching you, or indeed going away from you.
“But if it’s going across your front, it’s quite different – you see the individual wave train, the individual wavelengths, as solid black humps.
“They will be short and many for a vessel moving slowly, and they will be longer and fewer as the vessel gathers speed.
“The wave lines can be almost continuous, and it is a fascinating illusion. It is very compelling.”
However compelling it may be to witness, it isn’t enough to convince Shine that Nessie is no more than a ‘nautical lore reborn in Loch Ness’ which stems from the mythical sea serpents.
The Loch Ness Monster expert believes people’s eyes have been playing tricks on them (PEN News)
The author, who has just published a book titled A Natural History of Sea Serpents, said: “The way that it is perceived… the two forms – the multi-humper and the long necker – are exactly where the 19th century debate got to with sea serpents. We know what sea serpents look like, you do, I do, everybody else does – and the things people see now in Loch Ness will confirm that.
“People will continue to come forward having seen things unrecognised by them, and which will inevitably confirm the stereotypes that society has – it is called confirmation bias.”
According to Shine, even if there was some sort of mythical monster living in the loch, it wouldn’t have enough food to sustain itself anyway.
Referring to the 10 percent rule, which stipulates that only a tenth of the energy in any level of the food chain will be passed to the next, the Nessie expert continued: “We’ve measured the population of open-water fish acoustically, and we reckon it’s about 20 tonnes.
“And so if you’ve got 20 metric tonnes of fish, then you could only have two tons of monster. That’d be about half the weight of a basking shark.
“You see the orders of magnitude that we’ve got to, and they’re very low.”Featured Image Credit: PEN News/Keystone/Getty Images
Topics: Conspiracy Theory, UK News, Loch Ness Monster, Weird, Animals
Olivia Burke
Advert
Advert
Advert
Updated 09:07 19 Apr 2024 GMT+1Published 16:25 18 Apr 2024 GMT+1
‘Compelling new evidence’ of Loch Ness Monster ‘spotted’ by family in new photo
Parry and Hannah Malm were sceptics until they saw this at the infamous Scottish Loch…
While there’s plenty of characters and mystical creatures that we’re told stories of growing up, there’s one in particular that people truly believe is actually real.
And no, I’m not talking about Santa (because obviously he’s not fictional) or the Boogeyman being under your bed.
Loch Ness Monster North Carolina
Credit: Chasin Tails Outdoors Bait and Tackle/ Facebook
0 seconds of 42 secondsVolume 90%
It’s the Loch Ness Monster that really has people on a hill defending its existence.
Adding to their case, there’s apparently been ‘compelling new evidence’ of Nessie ‘spotted’ by a family in a new photo.
It’s said to be the first sighting of the year, with the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register logging it.
.jpg)
The family reckon they saw Nessie. (Northpix)
The site has 1,157 sightings at Scotland’s Loch Ness recorded to date, despite a lot of ‘evidence’ of its existence having previously been discredited.
It is widely thought that the monster in the Loch is a myth and the first written account of it appears in a 7th-century biography of St. Columbia. But a lot of the alleged encounters are said to have been inspired by Scottish folklore.
Yet, no matter what, people are faithful that the mysterious monster exists in those Scottish waters. And hey, some people just like having something to believe in and I guess this ‘monster’ is supposedly harmless.
There’s been various explorations, hunts, and research projects into finding the Loch Ness Monster – and none have been successful.
.jpg)
He’s now convinced something’s in there. (Northpix)
But Parry and Hannah Malm reckon they saw it on 4 April.
Visiting Urquhart Castle with their kids, they snapped a picture of what they think is Nessie itself.
“Shannon spotted the black head of an animal bobbing up and down. I was a total sceptic before but now I think there must be something there,” Parry said to the Daily Star.
Photos taken by the family show something dark popping out above the surface of the loch.
.jpg)
What do you reckon? (Northpix)
He added to the Official Register: “At first thought was driftwood, but slowly but surely made its way north towards the castle. Looked like a head above the waves. Was difficult to determine with naked eye.”
Marking 90 years since the first organised search for Nessie, NASA is getting involved in looking for the monster.
From 30 May to 2 June, the space agency will lend their expertise for the Loch Ness Monster search.
Aimee Todd, marketing manager of the Loch Ness Centre told the Daily Star: “We are hoping that experts from NASA might have some advanced imaging technology to scan the loch.
“We would have to sit down and talk to them about how to get it here.”Featured Image Credit: Northpix
Topics: Loch Ness Monster, UK News, Conspiracy Theory
Jess Battison
Advert
Advert
Advert
Updated 08:25 29 Nov 2024 GMTPublished 20:41 28 Nov 2024 GMT
Loch Ness Monster mystery could finally be solved as expert makes bombshell discovery
Alan McKenna reckons he might have an explanation for all of the so-called sightings of Nessie
There’s nothing like a breakthrough in the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster to get you ready for the weekend, is there?
The earliest written record of the elusive creature in the Scottish Highlands is from the 7th century AD, but we still haven’t got to the bottom of it in big old 2024.
Millions of people have flocked to the freshwater loch over the years in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the mythical creature – but according to this expert, visitors were probably looking at something else entirely.
Alan McKenna is quite the pundit when it comes to Loch Ness Monster trivia, as he’s been obsessed with the idea of ‘Nessie’ since he was a small child.
In December 2021, he decided to put all his knowledge on the long-necked beast to good use and launched his firm Loch Ness Exploration (LNE).
The voluntary research group – based in Scotland, of course – was created to ‘observe, record and study the natural behaviour of Loch Ness and rare phenomena that may be more challenging to explain’.
Like many of those who have gone before them, this team has an arsenal of gadgets to aid their investigation.
A strange phenomenon might be to blame for all the supposed Loch Ness Monster sightings (Keystone/Getty Images)
McKenna explained that he uses drones and hydrophone equipment, which records and detects sounds underwater, to cover all bases at the loch.
And during his extensive research, the LNE founder has come across something which he believes could explain supposed sightings of the Loch Ness Monster.
Debunking the Loch Ness Monster
He claims that Nessie enthusiasts might have been duped into thinking they had ran into the humpbacked creature due to ‘standing waves’ in the water.
“A standing wave occurs when two boat wakes of the exact same frequency and amplitude are moving in opposite directions on the loch surface,” McKenna told the Daily Mail.
“When the two boat wakes finally meet and interfere with one another the results have the potential to create a standing wave.”
The Nessie hunter explained that when these emerge in calm waters, it would be easy for an untrained eye to mistake them for ‘humps’ protruding above the surface.
He captured footage of the strange phenomenon taking place at a point on its southern shore where a river meets the legendary loch.
But getting video evidence of a boat wake causing a standing wave further out isn’t as simple, according to McKenna.
Researcher Alan McKenna believes ‘standing waves’ are to blame (Lochness.com)
“The waves and the boat wake need to be identical,” he continued. “So with all that in mind, there’s now a lot more to consider here such as the boat itself, its size, the direction of travel and its current speed.
“A small boat with a smaller engine will most definitely produce a wake different from a much larger boat.
“It’s a complex procedure, especially in open water, but it can happen.”
Gathering the evidence
Still, McKenna is optimistic that he will eventually gain the evidence of the standing waves he needs even while venturing further into the loch.
“We know that standing waves exist and they have been reported, but what we don’t have is the footage showing a natural standing wave in motion,” the expert said.
McKenna added that he had hoped to ‘capture as much natural phenomena’ as he could after launching LNE, to aid his ‘process of elimination’ and find out what the craic really is with Nessie.
However, he only takes heed of tip offs from expert locals who are familiar with Loch Ness as they see it ‘everyday’.
McKenna went on: “If you are unfamiliar with Loch Ness and its natural behaviour then I do believe that many people will be fooled by the water and certain illusions – it’s easily done!
“We’ve had many potential candidates over the years for ‘Nessie’ such as giant eels, long-necked seals, Greenland shark, large sturgeon, catfish and many others.
“But truth be told, none of us have the correct answer and that’s what keeps this mystery going.”Featured Image Credit: Keystone/Getty Images/Lochness.com/Alan McKenna
Topics: UK News, Weird, Loch Ness Monster, Conspiracy Theory
Olivia Burke
Advert
Advert
Advert
Updated 20:42 31 May 2024 GMT+1Published 20:43 31 May 2024 GMT+1
‘Biggest ever’ search for Loch Ness Monster underway as proof ‘could be worth millions’
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say they probably won’t find Nessie
Efforts to find the Loch Ness Monster have thus far proved unsuccessful, but that’s not going to stop people from searching for the truth – with the ‘biggest ever’ hunt for the creature taking place this weekend.
While nobody’s ever got definitive evidence the cryptid exists, to date there have been a grand total of 1,157 sightings of something that could be Nessie.
People keep snapping photos of the Scottish body of water where beasties may or may not lurk, and perhaps the real Loch Ness Monster is the friends we made along the way.
On the other hand it’d be pretty damn awesome of the monster existed and actually made some sort of definitive appearance.
Occasionally there’s what passes for a clear photo among monster hunters, though sometimes people will say they’ve already found and buried the monster.
Nessie is notoriously shy. Either that or non-existent. (Getty Stock Image)
While technology has played a part in people’s desires to catch a glimpse of the beast, sometimes there’s just nothing like good old fashioned teamwork.
That’s why a renewed search effort for the Loch Ness Monster is going on right now, and it reportedly might even eclipse the previous largest search effort launched last summer.
They said they had some sightings, but this time around there could be even more.
At the moment Loch Ness is hosting an event called Quest 2024, which began yesterday (30 May) and will carry on through to Sunday (2 June).
To mark 90 years since Sir Edward Mountain’s first ever organised search for Nessie, Quest 2024 has invited monster hunters from far and wide to come to Scotland and play their part in the search.
They’ve even asked NASA if they’d like to play along.
Come for the monster, stay for the scenery. (Getty Stock Photo)
Aimee Todd of the Loch Ness Centre said: “We are hoping that Nessie hunters around the world will help us reach the people at NASA.”
They’re hoping the space boffins have some ‘advanced imaging technology’ which could help them scan the Loch for signs of a mythical monster.
Sometimes you don’t want to look too hard, because if you scour Loch Ness and find no trace of a monster then the world will become just a little bit less fun.
Then again, one bloke told The Scottish Sun that finding actual proof of Nessie would be worth a fortune.
Reporter Stuart Patterson said: “I’ve been reliably informed that definitive proof of Nessie could be worth millions.
“So after years of watching the mystery from afar I was determined to solve it once and for all, and make some cash.”
Sadly for his bank balance he wasn’t able to find Nessie, but he did love the surrounding area.
Many people have come for the monster, but they’ll stay for Loch Ness.Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
Topics: UK News, Loch Ness Monster, Weird
Joe Harker
Advert
Advert
Advert
Published 14:53 25 Apr 2024 GMT+1
Man spots ‘distinct’ 18ft long shape while hunting for Loch Ness Monster in new footage
Does this footage capture another glimpse of Nessie?
True believers in the Loch Ness Monster have been thrown another bone in the form of a potential sighting of the legendary beast.
That’s because a camera has caught sight of something emerging from Loch Ness which surely can only be some part of the body of a mythical creature which dwells beneath the waters of the Scottish loch.
Possible sighting of Loch Ness Monster
Credit: lochness.co.uk Pen News
0 seconds of 1 minute, 9 secondsVolume 90%
Over the years there’s been plenty who’ve said they’ve caught sight of the quite possibly non-existent creature, with over 1,000 supposed sightings.
One of the recent entries comes from a family who say they snapped a picture of Nessie poking just above the waterline, but that might just have been a bit of driftwood.
Then there’s the guy who claimed he found the Loch Ness Monster and buried it underneath a school, but that sounds a little difficult to believe.
Can you spot Nessie in this incredibly clear image? (Penn News)
The bread and butter of Loch Ness Monster adorers comes in the form of fresh videos and pictures of Nessie in Loch Ness itself.
The latest in a long line of these is Eoin O’Faodhagain, who said he was watching the water via webcam on Friday (19 April) when his ‘heart jumped’ as he caught sight of a large black shape breaking the water’s surface.
“I noticed a spot in the water causing a disturbance at the edge of the webcam screen to the right,” he said of his Nessie sighting.
“My heart jumped because I thought this disturbance was not the norm.
“The spot of this disturbance gets bigger and longer, and it changes over the course of the sighting.
“The estimated size of the disturbance is 18 feet at its longest. I examined the footage and I am convinced it is not a surface vessel of any kind, because it keeps changing its appearance.”
Look over there, it’s possibly the Loch Ness Monster! (Penn News)
He said the footage ‘needs further analysis’ as ‘there are no known creatures in Loch Ness that size’.
The 59-year-old thinks ‘it could be the Loch Ness Monster’ and said what he saw was ‘into the realm of Nessie’ but it sounds like more work needs to be done to figure out whether we’ve got a bona fide sighting.
Considering that no official proof has been found in the search for the Loch Ness Monster this is the best true believers are going to get for their dedication.
O’Faodhagain made his sighting using a webcam maintained by Mikko Takala of Nessie on the Net which is located near Urquhart Castle on the western shore of Loch Ness.
O’Faodhagain described his potential Loch Ness Monster sighting as ‘quite distinct’ due to the calmness of the water around his picture.
The Nessie on the Net webcams can be seen at www.lochness.co.uk