Hundreds of volunteers made the trek to Scotland’s famous Loch Ness to search for the legendary Loch Ness monster, or “Nessie” over the weekend, with thousands more watching the water online via live-feed for signs of a surface breach from the monster.

In what was described as the largest organised search for Nessie since 1972, the expedition employed new-age technology in pursuit of the ancient, mythical monster. 

The elusive mythical beast’s history spans over 1,500 years, and allegedly still roams the waters of Loch Ness. By using state-of-the-art technology, researchers looked to find out if Nessie was real once and for all. 

Researchers employed the use of thermal drones, which hovered over the water to capture images using infrared cameras. Infrared imaging picks up infrared radiation, which humans feel in the form of heat. This – according to the Loch Ness Centre’s partner team Loch Ness Exploration – is a crucial tool in detecting mysterious anomalies in Loch Ness’ deep, murky waters. 

The drones had difficulty picking up quality images due to their inability to fly in poor weather, which the Loch Ness area experienced for the duration of the search, but the researchers had other methods to find Nessie. 

Employing a hydrophone, an underwater device used to record acoustic signals, researchers caught their most remarkable evidence which were “four distinctive ‘gloops’,” according to Alan McKenna, the search leader. Unfortunately when the researchers excitedly rushed over to see if the recorder had picked up the sounds, they noticed it wasn’t plugged in. 

This search is not the first time modern technology has been utilised in search of the Loch Ness Monster. An environmental DNA survey was conducted in 2018 which found no evidence of any large reptiles or aquatic dinosaurs. This study did, however, identify lots of eels, pointing to the possibility that Nessie sightings are no more than overgrown eels. 

Recommended

• Edinburgh Council Sued by “Limbs in the Loch Killer”
• Electric Salmon Tagging Project to Start in Moray Firth
• ‘Data Loch’ | Privacy Concerns Raised over Medical Research Database

Despite blunders in recording and poor flying conditions ending the weekend with no immediate conclusive evidence, there were multiple reports of irregularities loch-side, and from those monitoring the webcams. This gives the researchers more data points to sift through in the future, and a new generation of Nessie hunters hope that the legend may still be true. 

The first recorded encounter with Nessie stems back to an ancient text from the 6th century AD when the Irish monk Saint Columba found the beast in the River Ness and banished it to Loch Ness. 

The legend grew in popularity once again in the 1930s when multiple sightings were recorded and picked up by newspapers. Since then, the Loch Ness Centre has recorded more than 1,140 official sightings.