The largest “Nessie” hunt in more than 50 years kicked off this weekend in the Scottish Highlands, and involved hundreds of volunteers who hoped to finally catch - or better understand, the mystery of the Loch Ness monster.
The “hunters” included those from the Loch Ness Centre who paired up with the independent research team Loch Ness Exploration. In their hunt, officials used surveying equipment they say has not been previously used at the site of Loch Ness, including thermal drones, boats with infrared cameras and underwater hydrophones.
"There's not a corner of the globe you can go to where people haven't heard of 'Nessie,' but it is still one of our biggest questions – what is the Loch Ness Monster," Paul Nixon, general manager of the Loch Ness Centre, said.
"I don't know what it is. All I know is that there is a big something in Loch Ness. I have seen sonar scans of objects the size of transit vans underneath the water moving."
However, debunking one photo has not diminished the monster’s legend. In 1972, the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau pursued the largest search in Loch Ness history (until this weekend), however they found nothing. Then in 1987, Operation Deepscan used sonar equipment to scan the lake, and claimed they found an “unidentified object of unusual size and strength.”
There have also been more than 1,100 “officially” recorded 'Nessie' sightings, according to the Loch Ness Centre.
Alan McKenna, the head of the Loch Ness Exploration, said the group did manage to find evidence during this weekend’s search while using hydrophones.
"We did hear something. We heard four distinctive 'gloops'," said McKenna. "We all got a bit excited, ran to go make sure the recorder was on and it wasn’t plugged in."
“It may well be gas escaping from the bottom of the loch,” he added. “It could be an animal... Of course it could be the elusive Loch Ness Monster."
“It’s about inspiration,” said McKenna. “For very selfish reasons I don’t want the Loch Ness mystery or interest in Loch Ness itself to diminish in any way whatsoever at all.”
'Nessie,' which is most often described as a dragon, or a plesiosaur, now brings in as much as 41 million pounds ($52 million) each year to Scotland’s economy.
“I think there’s always going to be a small part of me that wants to believe,” said Craig Whitefield, 29, a medical administrator from Scotland who spent the weekend watching the surface of Loch Ness, waiting for something to appear.
“It’s the same with every legend out there,” he said. “It just takes one person to believe and it just continues.”