New Hunt Launched for Loch Ness Monster, Biggest in Over 50 Years

'Calling all monster hunters'

A view of what is purported to be the Loch Ness Monster, near Inverness, Scotland, on April 19, 1934. Keystone/Getty Images

The biggest search for the mythical Loch Ness Monster in over 50 years was launched on Saturday at the Scottish lake where purported sightings of a massive creature of unknown type or origin date as far back as the sixth century AD.

Affectionately known as Nessie, the creature has eluded positive identification—much less capture—for many years, perhaps hundreds.

Now organizers from Loch Ness Exploration (LNE), an independent and voluntary research team based in Scotland, hope to change that.

Looking to spot the elusive monster, LNE volunteers have teamed up with the Loch Ness Centre, located at the old Drumnadrochit Hotel where Aldie Mackay reported seeing a “whale-like fish” or “water beast” in the waters of Loch Ness in 1933.

“We are looking for a new generation of monster hunters to help uncover the truth, 90 years after the famous sighting,” the Loch Ness Center said in a statement, joining LNE in calling for volunteers to take part in an Aug. 26–27 surface watch of the lake for signs of the mythical creature using surveillance technology that has never been used at the lake before.

A general view of Loch Ness ahead of what is being described as the biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster since the early 1970s being held this weekend, in Fort Augustus, Scotland, on Aug. 25, 2023. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The search is being billed as the “biggest of its kind since the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (LNIB) studied the Loch in 1972.”

“Our strategy is currently very simple but it requires a great deal of patience and determination,” LNE said on its Facebook page.

“In the true spirit of the original Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (LNIB) our team are placed in specific locations around Loch Ness. Each of these locations will offer a different perspective and by using modern technology such as drones and Hydrophones, we keep a watchful eye on the Loch,” it added.

Alan McKenna, who administers the LNE page on Facebook, said in a post that the team is “excited to see what these next few days will bring.”

Merchandise on sale in a shop next to Loch Ness ahead of what is being described as the biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster since the early 1970s being held this weekend in Drumnadrochit, Scotland, on Aug. 25, 2023. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

‘Like a Simmering Cauldron’

The earliest report of a monster in the area of the Loch Ness (the name of the lake in Scotland where the alleged sightings have taken place) dates back to a description in the book “Life of St. Columba,” which describes a man who was attacked in a nearby river (River Ness) and killed by a “water beast.”

Various other sightings have been reported since, including in a 1933 article by Alex Campbell, a water bailiff for Loch Ness and a part-time journalist, in The Inverness Courier.

In the article, Mr. Campbell discussed a reported sighting by Aldie Mackay of an enormous “whale-like fish” or “beast” rolling in the lake while she and her husband were driving by the lake.

A tourist boat passes Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness, in Drumnadrochit, Scotland, on Sept. 5, 2019. Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty Images

The pair were driving along the lake’s north shore when they were shocked to see “a tremendous upheaval on the loch, which, previously, had been as calm as the proverbial mill-pond,” reads a reprinted excerpt of the original 1933 piece in a 2017 article in The Inverness Courier.

The sighting was less than a mile from shore.

“There, the creature disported itself, rolling and plunging for fully a minute, its body resembling that of a whale, and the water cascading and churning like a simmering cauldron,” Mr. Campbell wrote in the article.

“Soon, however, it disappeared in a boiling mass of foam. Both onlookers confessed that there was something uncanny about the whole thing, for they realised that here was no ordinary denizen of the depths, because, apart from its enormous size, the beast, in taking the final plunge, sent out waves that were big enough to have been caused by a passing steamer,” he wrote.

The article by Mr. Campbell is widely seen as sparking a wave of modern-day interest in the Loch Ness Monster, which remains an enigma to this day—and one that the LNE research team and the Loch Ness Centre hope to finally unravel.

A model is seen near Loch Ness ahead of what is being described as the biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster since the early 1970s being held this weekend in Drumnadrochit, Scotland, on Aug. 25, 2023. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

‘Calling All Monster Hunters’

The Loch Ness Centre said its team will deploy drones equipped with infrared cameras so they can produce thermal images of the water from the air.

“Over the weekend, surveying equipment that has never been used on Loch Ness before will be enlisted to uncover the secrets of the mysterious waters,” the Loch Ness Centre said in a statement.

A hydrophone will also be used to detect acoustic signals under the water, “listening for any Nessie-like calls,” the co-organizers of the weekend monster watch added.

Volunteers will be asked to keep an eye out for any breaks or other movements in the water, with guidance from experts on what to look out for and how to record findings.

“It’s our hope to inspire a new generation of Loch Ness enthusiasts,” Mr. McKenna said.

“By joining this large-scale surface watch, you’ll have a real opportunity to personally contribute towards this fascinating mystery that has captivated so many people from around the world,” he added.

At the end of each day, there will be a debrief to go through the day’s findings.

So far, there have been no reports of any Nessie sightings.