A holidaymaker has claimed to have spotted the elusive Loch Ness Monster ahead of one of the greatest hunts of all time to track down the famous beast this weekend.
Steve Valentine, 44, was completely stunned after seeing a “black figure” hover over the water as he returned to the dock during a boat trip with his family.
The boatman advised the father, from Urmston, in Greater Manchester, To what he believes is an official sighting – the fourth this year.
Mr Valentine, who had visited the Loch Ness Center before the cruise with his wife Maria and their children, told The Sun: “There was nothing else on the surface of the water.” Suddenly I saw this black figure. “It was a bit further away, about 200 meters, near Urquhart Castle.”
He said he felt he had to take a picture of the black figure, which looked like the “hump of the body and the back of the head.”
Steve Valentine, 44, was stunned to see a “black figure” hovering over the water as he and his family returned to the dock during a boat trip
Mr. Valentine was on the Deepscan ship (pictured), which can take up to 12 people out on the water, to learn more about Nessie
The Nessie hunter, who was on the deepscan ship, which can take up to 12 people out on the water to learn more about the beast, added, “I showed the driver the photo and he was quite taken aback.” “I’m quite open minded and I was really shocked.”
Nessie enthusiasts prepare for the biggest hunt in 50 years this weekend to track down the Lock Ness monster.
The Loch Ness Center and Loch Ness Exploration, an independent research team, will search the waters using drones equipped with infrared cameras and underwater detectors in the largest search since the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau surveyed the loch in 1972.
On weekends, the public is asked to keep a close eye on the lake for any disruption in the water, movement, or even a sighting of its most famous resident. Cameras have been set up along the banks so that people from all over the world can take part.
Meanwhile, drones will use infrared cameras to capture thermal images underwater and a hydrophone will pick up acoustic signals beneath the water’s surface.
Paul Nixon, Managing Director of the Loch Ness Centre, said: “The level of interest over our weekend of activities was fantastic and we saw how fascinated people from all over the world are still with the story of Loch and Nessie.”
Photo by Sturgeon: For 60 years, this famous photo of a long-necked creature helped keep the legend of the Loch Ness Monster alive
The greatest hunt to finally track down the Lock Ness monster is set to begin this weekend. Nessie enthusiasts from around the world are expected to keep an eye on the infamous lake
“We want everyone in the world to be able to help. So we’re looking for aspiring monster hunters from everywhere to log into the Loch’s live stream over the weekend and see if they spot something mysterious.”
“We can’t wait to see what we find.”
There have been four sightings so far this year, with a photo of a little girl of the elusive beast being hailed as the best picture in years.
Charlotte Robinson was staying at Loch Ness Highland Lodges in Invermoriston in 2018 when something appeared in the water 15 meters from shore.
Charlotte grabbed her camera and was able to snap a photo of a blob in the water, which appeared to appear for a minute before disappearing, reports the Mirror.
Charlotte was on vacation with her parents, Kat and Dave, when the incident happened around 7pm one evening.
Describing the moment she faced “Nessie,” Charlotte explained she knew there was “something” there.
She said, “There was something in the water about 15 meters from shore.” I took a picture. It had a neck and a head in the shape of a hook.
“I just took what I saw. It was black – I just don’t know how far out of the water it was. I’m not good at judging distances.
“But after about a minute it disappeared and then reappeared in a different place.” The second time it took less than a minute.
Charlotte Robinson at Loch Ness, where she took a picture of what she believes to be the Loch Ness Monster
The grainy image appears to show an object moving out of the gray water
There have been thousands of “Nessie sightings” at Loch Ness over the years.
“I kind of believed in Nessie, but I wanted to see proof.” I always pictured her with a long neck and flippers. “I saw something, but I’m not sure what.”
The photo was enthusiastically received by the Nessie-watching community, including longtime Loch Recluse Steve Feltham, who has spent the past 27 years observing the waters.
Mr Feltham, 55, who holds the Guinness World Record for the longest uninterrupted monster hunting vigil at Loch Ness, said: “I absolutely love this photo – it’s the best of ‘Nessie’ in years.”
“There’s definitely a solid object in there, and it’s relatively clear.” More research is needed. There might be a trite explanation, say a seal, but I’ve never heard of a seal in the lake this year.
“For my money it’s bigger than a seal or an otter.” “It’s a fantastic picture of Charlotte.”
Charlotte’s picture bears parallels to the “Surgeon’s Photo,” an infamous shot of Nessie that turned out to be a hoax.
In 1934, the Chron published a picture of Lt. Col. Robert Kenneth Wilson which appeared to show a sighting of the Loch Ness Monster.
For 60 years, this famous photo of a long-necked creature helped keep the legend of the Loch Ness Monster alive.
It became known as “the surgeon’s photo” because Lieutenant Wilson was a gynecologist on Harley Street.
However, this photo was actually a converted toy submarine.
It is now claimed that he was part of a conspiracy aimed at perpetuating the myth of the monster, which began as a hoax.
A holidaymaker snapped incredible pictures of what appears to be the Loch Ness Monster from the hotel where he was staying a mile away
Hundreds of Nessie enthusiasts are preparing to take part in the largest organized hunt for the mysterious creature in 50 years
A general view of Loch Ness where drones with infrared cameras and underwater detectors are deployed to track down the elusive monster
Goods for sale in a shop next to Loch Ness in the run-up to what is said to be the biggest search for the Loch Ness Monster since the early 1970s
A June 15 sighting was photographed by a French tourist, Etienne Camel, who said he and his wife Eliane saw a dark shape 15 to 20 meters (49 ft to 65 ft) long on the surface of the lake .
“It was quite strange, I’m a man of science, so I never believed that the Loch Ness Monster was a prehistoric animal,” he said. “But when I took a picture, I saw this long, long shadow. I called my wife and we saw the shadow move.
“It was 15 to 20 meters long and about 150 meters away. It was pretty weird and then it went away.’
In April, father-of-three John Payne, 55, was admiring the scenery from a window of the Foyers Roost guest house in Inverness, next to Loch Ness, when he noticed strange movement by the loch.
He took a picture of the scene and described what he saw as “huge.”
“It must have been something very big because we were about a mile from the lake and I could see it clearly,” he said.
“You couldn’t have seen a bird or anything from that far away – it had to be something big.” It was like a giant neck.
“At first I thought it was a giant fin, but I know there are no dolphins or porpoises in the lake, so I was like, what the hell is that thing?”
According to Britannica, the first written mention of a Loch Ness monster appeared in a 7th-century biography
“It wasn’t like it was tied to anything, like a buoy, because it kept moving further and further away.”
Rumors of a strange creature inhabiting the waters of Loch Ness have circulated over the decades, but little evidence has been found to back these claims.
The first reported sighting of the monster is believed to have been in AD 565 by the Irish missionary St Columba, when he encountered a huge beast in the River Ness.
An online register listing over 1,000 total Nessie sightings, prepared by Mr Campbell, the man behind the official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club, is available at www.lochnesssightings.com.
Many Nessie witnesses mentioned large, crocodile-like grooves sitting on the creature’s backbone, leading some to believe that an escaped amphibian might be responsible.
Native fish sturgeons can also weigh several hundred pounds and have a ridged back that gives them the appearance of a reptile.
Some believe Nessie was a long-necked plesiosaur – similar to an elasmosaur – that somehow survived when all other dinosaurs were wiped out.
Others say the sightings are due to Scots pines dying and falling into the lake before quickly soaking up water and sinking.