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83-565: The Club was founded in 1875 as a result of a series of annual lectures by specialists in their field, funded by the bequest of Miss Mary Ettles. Following an Ettles Lecture on geology given by Professor Young of the University of Glasgow in November 1875 the professor took a group to the Abriachan quarry despite 'a persistent rainfall, with a shroud of mist enveloping the valley and a steady depression of

166-430: A rhomboid flipper, although sceptics have dismissed the images as depicting the bottom of the loch, air bubbles, a rock, or a fish fin. The apparent flipper was photographed in different positions, indicating movement. The first flipper photo is better-known than the second, and both were enhanced and retouched from the original negatives. According to team member Charles Wyckoff , the photos were retouched to superimpose

249-466: A salamander . The best-known article that first attracted a great deal of attention about a creature was published on 2 May 1933 in The Inverness Courier , about a large "beast" or "whale-like fish". The article by Alex Campbell, water bailiff for Loch Ness and a part-time journalist, discussed a sighting by Aldie Mackay of an enormous creature with the body of a whale rolling in the water in

332-452: A seal and exaggerated his sighting over time. The "surgeon's photograph" is reportedly the first photo of the creature's head and neck. Supposedly taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson , a London gynaecologist , it was published in the Daily Mail on 21 April 1934. Wilson's refusal to have his name associated with it led to it being known as the "surgeon's photograph". According to Wilson, he

415-551: A sonar image of a 1.5-metre-wide (4.9 ft), unidentified object that seemed to follow his boat for two minutes at a depth of 23 m (75 ft) and ruled out the possibility of a small fish or seal. In April 2012, a scientist from the National Oceanography Centre said that the image is a bloom of algae and zooplankton . On 3 August 2012, skipper George Edwards claimed that a photo he took on 2 November 2011 shows "Nessie". Edwards claims to have searched for

498-518: A 1966 report analyzing the film, the object was "probably animate". After the film, Dinsdale continued to pursue finding the Loch Ness Monster but while he claimed to have had additional sightings he was unable to produce more photographic evidence. In 1993, Discovery Communications produced a documentary, Loch Ness Discovered , with a digital enhancement of the Dinsdale film. A person who enhanced

581-521: A Well-known Highlander', The Inverness Courier, no. 11943 (20 Jan., 1961), p. 3 Loch Ness monster The Loch Ness Monster ( Scottish Gaelic : Uilebheist Loch Nis ), also known as Nessie , is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands . It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protruding from

664-466: A bibliography of Inverness newspapers and periodicals, by John Noble; bibliography by William MacKay. Published Stirling, Eneas Mackay 1902" . Highlife Highland . Retrieved 28 July 2024 . " The Northern Highlands in the nineteenth century: newspaper index and annals , by James Barron. Published Inverness (Scotland) : R. Carruthees (i.e. Carruthers) & Sons 1913" . Highlife Highland . Retrieved 28 July 2024 . " A Highland newspaper:

747-412: A bird. The photo's scale was controversial; it is often shown cropped (making the creature seem large and the ripples like waves), while the uncropped shot shows the other end of the loch and the monster in the centre. The ripples in the photo were found to fit the size and pattern of small ripples, rather than large waves photographed up close. Analysis of the original image fostered further doubt. In 1993,

830-485: A body that "was fairly big, with a high back, but if there were any feet they must have been of the web kind, and as for a tail I cannot say, as it moved so rapidly, and when we got to the spot it had probably disappeared into the loch." Though he was the first to describe the creature as a plesiosaur -like dinosaur, evidence suggested by researchers at Columbia University in 2013 proved his story to be fake. The university and Daniel Loxton suggested that Spicer's sighting

913-505: A dark hump that left a wake crossing Loch Ness on 23 April 1960. Dinsdale, who reportedly had the sighting on his final day of search, described it as mahogany red with a blotch on its side when viewed through binoculars. He said that when he mounted his camera the object began to move, and he shot 40 ft (12 m) of film. According to the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC) who published

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996-462: A five-minute video of a "mysterious wave" in the loch. According to Elder, the wave was produced by a 4.5 m (15 ft) "solid black object" just under the surface of the water. Elder, 50, from East Kilbride , South Lanarkshire , was taking a picture of a swan at the Fort Augustus pier on the south-western end of the loch, when he captured the movement. He said, "The water was very still at

1079-583: A frequency of 200 kHz and anchored at a depth of 11 metres (36 ft), identified a moving target (or targets) estimated by echo strength at 6 to 9 metres (20 to 30 ft) in length. Specialists from Raytheon, Simrad (now Kongsberg Maritime ), Hydroacoustics, Marty Klein of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Klein Associates (a side-scan sonar producer) and Ira Dyer of MIT's Department of Ocean Engineering were on hand to examine

1162-400: A hoaxer, his susceptibility to confirmation bias and trusting dubious sources as evidence has been criticized. On 21 May 1977, Anthony "Doc" Shiels , camping next to Urquhart Castle, took what were alleged to be the clearest picture of the monster then available. Shiels, a magician, claimed to have summoned the animal out of the water. He later described it as an "elephant squid", claiming

1245-411: A letter to Rupert Gould shortly after popular interest in the monster increased. In 1888, mason Alexander Macdonald of Abriachan sighted "a large stubby-legged animal" surfacing from the loch and propelling itself within 50 yd (46 m) of the shore where Macdonald stood. Macdonald reported his sighting to Loch Ness water bailiff Alex Campbell, and described the creature as looking like

1328-446: A local landmark. According to skeptics, Adomnán's story may be independent of the modern Loch Ness Monster legend and became attached to it by proximity and by believers seeking to bolster their claims. Ronald Binns considers that this is the most serious of various alleged early sightings of the monster, but all other claimed sightings before 1933 are dubious and do not prove a monster tradition before that date. Christopher Cairney uses

1411-435: A massive amount of public interest and an uptick in alleged sightings, leading to the solidification of the actual name "Loch Ness Monster." It has been claimed that sightings of the monster increased after a road was built along the loch in early 1933, bringing workers and tourists to the formerly isolated area. However, Binns has described this as "the myth of the lonely loch", as it was far from isolated before then, due to

1494-452: A minute, its body resembling that of a whale, and the water cascading and churning like a simmering cauldron. 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

1577-559: A monster in the vicinity of Loch Ness appears in the Life of St. Columba by Adomnán , written in the 7th century AD. According to Adomnán, writing about a century after the events described, Irish monk Saint Columba was staying in the land of the Picts with his companions when he encountered local residents burying a man by the River Ness . They explained that the man was swimming in the river when he

1660-435: A motorcyclist, Arthur Grant, claimed to have nearly hit the creature while approaching Abriachan (near the north-eastern end of the loch) at about 1 a.m. on a moonlit night. According to Grant, it had a small head attached to a long neck; the creature saw him, and crossed the road back to the loch. Grant, a veterinary student, described it as a cross between a seal and a plesiosaur. He said he dismounted and followed it to

1743-415: A passing steamer." According to a 2013 article, Mackay said that she had yelled, "Stop! The Beast!" when viewing the spectacle. In the late 1980s, a naturalist interviewed Aldie Mackay and she admitted to knowing that there had been an oral tradition of a "beast" in the loch well before her claimed sighting. Alex Campbell's 1933 article also stated that "Loch Ness has for generations been credited with being

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1826-648: A photograph in 1986 that he claimed was genuine in the National Geographic documentary. Although Edwards admitted in October 2013 that his 2011 photograph was a hoax, he insisted that the 1986 photograph was genuine. A survey of the literature about other supposed sightings, including photographs, published in The Scientific American blog network on 10 July 2013, indicates none of them are actual sightings. On 27 August 2013, tourist David Elder presented

1909-543: A photograph that depicted two long black humps in the water. The photograph was not made public until it appeared in Constance Whyte's 1957 book on the subject. On 23 October 1958 it was published by the Weekly Scotsman . Author Ronald Binns wrote that the "phenomenon which MacNab photographed could easily be a wave effect resulting from three trawlers travelling closely together up the loch." Other researchers consider

1992-425: A specific historical and cultural analysis of Adomnán to separate Adomnán's story about St. Columba from the modern myth of the Loch Ness Monster, but finds an earlier and culturally significant use of Celtic "water beast" folklore along the way. In doing so he also discredits any strong connection between kelpies or water-horses and the modern "media-augmented" creation of the Loch Ness Monster. He also concludes that

2075-596: Is no current editor since David Bourn left to edit an English regional daily. A content editor serves several HNM Group titles, including the Courier. The Rev. Alexander Stewart (1829–1901), Minister of Ballachulish & Corran of Ardgour Parish contributed for more than four decades, under the pen-name Nether Lochaber, a more-or-less fortnightly column to the Inverness Courier . This resulted in two publications: Nether Lochaber: The Natural History, Legends and Folk-lore of

2158-591: Is published by Scottish Provincial Press , which publishes several weekly newspapers in the Highland council area of Scotland . In 2014, The Inverness Courier was named the Highlands and Islands newspaper of the year. Due to a massive drop in circulation, this newspaper has had to move from its Longman headquarters, downsize and relocate to offices in Bank Street, Inverness. " Miscellanea Invernessiana : with

2241-446: Is suspected that the photograph depicts his dog fetching a stick from the loch. Others have suggested that the photograph depicts an otter or a swan . The original negative was lost. However, in 1963, Maurice Burton came into "possession of two lantern slides, contact positives from th[e] original negative" and when projected onto a screen they revealed an "otter rolling at the surface in characteristic fashion." On 5 January 1934

2324-557: The Mail , Wetherell perpetrated his hoax with co-conspirators Spurling (sculpture specialist), Ian Colin Marmaduke Wetherell (his son, himself a future actor, who bought the material for the fake), and Maurice Chambers (an insurance agent). The toy submarine was bought from F. W. Woolworth , and its head and neck were made from wood putty . After testing it in a local pond the group went to Loch Ness, where Ian Marmaduke Wetherell took

2407-510: The University of Birmingham , volunteered his services as a sonar developer and expert at Loch Ness in 1968. His gesture, part of a larger effort led by the LNPIB from 1967 to 1968, involved collaboration between volunteers and professionals in a number of fields. Tucker had chosen Loch Ness as the test site for a prototype sonar transducer with a maximum range of 800 m (2,600 ft). The device

2490-428: The wake of a boat (with the boat itself lost in image stitching or low contrast), seal -caused ripples, or floating wood. In September 2021, it was reported that a 20 ft (6.1 m) creature was captured on a live-stream near the loch. After reading Rupert Gould 's The Loch Ness Monster and Others , Edward Mountain financed a search. Twenty men with binoculars and cameras positioned themselves around

2573-434: The 10–12-foot (3–4 m) width of the road. They saw no limbs. It lurched across the road toward the loch 20 yards (18 m) away, leaving a trail of broken undergrowth in its wake. Spicer described it as "the nearest approach to a dragon or pre-historic animal that I have ever seen in my life," and as having "a long neck, which moved up and down in the manner of a scenic railway." It had "an animal" in its mouth and had

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2656-520: The Academy of Applied Science led by Robert H. Rines conducted a search for the monster involving sonar examination of the loch depths for unusual activity. Rines took precautions to avoid murky water with floating wood and peat. A submersible camera with a floodlight was deployed to record images below the surface. If Rines detected anything on the sonar, he turned the light on and took pictures. On 8 August, Rines' Raytheon DE-725C sonar unit, operating at

2739-777: The Club are held by the Inverness Public Library which itself (together with Inverness Museum ) is largely the result of the encouragement of the Club, which used to meet there yearly to inspect the latest gifts and loans. The Inverness Field Club is registered as a Charity with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator. Inverness Field Club Bursary Inverness Field Club offers an annual Bursary to people living in Scotland for original research into any subject pertaining to

2822-555: The Highlands and Islands of Scotland within the traditional fields of interest of the Club. Recipients of recent Bursary Awards, with the topics of their research, are listed on the Field Club's website. The Inverness Courier The Inverness Courier is a local, bi-weekly newspaper, published each Tuesday and Friday in Inverness , Scotland. It reports on issues in Inverness and

2905-519: The Highlands and Islands of Scotland. It is the longest, continually running local newspaper covering the area. The first issue of The Inverness Courier and General Advertiser for the Counties of Inverness, Ross, Moray, Nairn, Cromarty, Sutherland and Caithness appeared on 4 Dec 1817. The first editors were Mr. John and Mrs. Johnstone until 1824. Mrs. Christian Isobel Johnstone produced the widely acclaimed Meg Dod’s Cookery Book . Dr. Robert Carruthers

2988-525: The Picts gave thanks for what they perceived as a miracle. Believers in the monster point to this story, set in the River Ness rather than the loch itself, as evidence for the creature's existence as early as the 6th century. Skeptics question the narrative's reliability, noting that water-beast stories were extremely common in medieval hagiographies , and Adomnán's tale probably recycles a common motif attached to

3071-526: The West Highlands (1883) and ' Twixt Ben Nevis and Glencoe: The Natural History, Legends, and Folk-lore of the West Highlands (1885). In May 1933, The Inverness Courier published the first report of the Loch Ness monster . A Courier correspondent, Alexander Campbell, had told of the strange sighting to then editor Evan Barron, who is said to have replied that it must be a monster. The Inverness Courier

3154-413: The angle of the camera and cuts in the film, and overlaying multiple frames seems to show a pale blob towards the rear end of the object, which appears in multiple frames and matches with the position of the helmsman of a boat as demonstrated in Dinsdale's boat comparison. It has also been noted that the object in his film does not actually submerge as often perceived but blends into the greyer reflections on

3237-468: The barometer.' The Inverness Courier subsequently published a letter from Dr Thomas Aitken, medical superintendent of the District Asylum, suggesting that a local society be formed, devoted to science and 'the chief natural phenomena of the neighbourhood'. Meetings and lectures, he said, could be held in winter, and the society could be run in conjunction with a field club which would arrange excursions in

3320-469: The construction of the Caledonian Canal . In the 1930s, the existing road by the side of the loch was given a serious upgrade. Hugh Gray's photograph taken near Foyers on 12 November 1933 was the first photograph alleged to depict the monster. It was slightly blurred, and it has been noted that if one looks closely the head of a dog can be seen. Gray had taken his Labrador for a walk that day and it

3403-529: The creature's scientific name would be Nessiteras rhombopteryx (Greek for "Ness inhabitant with diamond-shaped fin"). Scott intended that the name would enable the creature to be added to the British register of protected wildlife. Scottish politician Nicholas Fairbairn called the name an anagram for "Monster hoax by Sir Peter S". However, Rines countered that when rearranged, the letters could also spell "Yes, both pix are monsters – R." Another sonar contact

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3486-505: The creature. In August 1933, the Courier published the account of George Spicer's alleged sighting. Public interest skyrocketed, with countless letters being sent in detailing different sightings describing a "monster fish," "sea serpent," or "dragon," with the final name ultimately settling on " Loch Ness monster ." Since the 1940s, the creature has been affectionately called Nessie ( Scottish Gaelic : Niseag ). The earliest report of

3569-429: The data. P. Skitzki of Raytheon suggested that the data indicated a 3-metre (10 ft) protuberance projecting from one of the echoes. According to author Roy Mackal, the shape was a "highly flexible laterally flattened tail" or the misinterpreted return from two animals swimming together. Concurrent with the sonar readings, the floodlit camera obtained a pair of underwater photographs. Both depicted what appeared to be

3652-402: The film noticed a shadow in the negative that was not obvious in the developed film. By enhancing and overlaying frames, he found what appeared to be the rear body of a creature underwater: "Before I saw the film, I thought the Loch Ness Monster was a load of rubbish. Having done the enhancement, I'm not so sure." However, additional analyses of the Dinsdale film have indicated that his sighting

3735-802: The first fifty years nine volumes of Transactions were published recording the talks given, sometimes several short ones in an evening, and the expeditions to interesting places, but rising costs seem to have checked publication in the 1920s. In the preface to the first volume of the Transactions, it was noted that "the Members of the Society were at first mainly amateurs, devoting to scientific pursuits only so much of their time as they could spare from their ordinary vocations. They did not therefore profess to state scientific questions in strict technical phraseology, or to be familiar with every phase of discovery or speculation. In

3818-522: The first hundred and fifty years of the Inverness Courier, 1817-1967 , by Robert Carruthers. Published Inverness (Scotland) : Robert Carruthers 1969" . Highlife Highland . Retrieved 28 July 2024 . The Hub of the Highlands: The Book of Inverness and District. The Centenary Volume of Inverness Field Club 1875–1975 , Inverness Field Club 1975. Ross, Donald, 'Nether Lochaber: Memories of

3901-464: The first photo to the Daily Mail , who then announced that the monster had been photographed. Little is known of the second photo; it is often ignored by researchers, who believe its quality too poor and its differences from the first photo too great to warrant analysis. It shows a head similar to the first photo, with a more turbulent wave pattern, and possibly taken at a different time and location in

3984-462: The flipper; the original enhancement showed a considerably less-distinct object. No one is sure how the originals were altered. During a meeting with Tony Harmsworth and Adrian Shine at the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition, Rines admitted that the flipper photo may have been retouched by a magazine editor. British naturalist Peter Scott announced in 1975, on the basis of the photographs, that

4067-447: The head, neck, and upper torso of a plesiosaur-like animal, but sceptics argue the object is a log due to the lump on its "chest" area, the mass of sediment in the full photo, and the object's log-like "skin" texture. Another photograph seemed to depict a horned "gargoyle head", consistent with that of some sightings of the monster; however, sceptics point out that a tree stump was later filmed during Operation Deepscan in 1987, which bore

4150-432: The home of a fearsome-looking monster". Modern interest in the monster was sparked by a sighting on 22 July 1933, when George Spicer and his wife saw "a most extraordinary form of animal" cross the road in front of their car. They described the creature as having a large body (about 4 feet (1.2 m) high and 25 feet (7.6 m) long) and a long, wavy, narrow neck, slightly thicker than an elephant's trunk and as long as

4233-411: The loch from 9 am to 6 pm for five weeks, beginning on 13 July 1934. Although 21 photographs were taken, none was considered conclusive. Supervisor James Fraser remained by the loch, filming, on 15 September 1934; the film is now lost. Zoologists and professors of natural history concluded that the film showed a seal, possibly a grey seal. The Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau (LNPIB)

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4316-579: The loch while she and her husband John were driving on the A82 on 15 April 1933. The word "monster" was reportedly applied for the first time in Campbell's article, although some reports claim that it was coined by editor Evan Barron. The Courier in 2017 published excerpts from the Campbell article, which had been titled "Strange Spectacle in Loch Ness". "The creature disported itself, rolling and plunging for fully

4399-439: The loch, but saw only ripples. Grant produced a sketch of the creature that was examined by zoologist Maurice Burton , who stated it was consistent with the appearance and behavior of an otter. Regarding the long size of the creature reported by Grant, it has been suggested that this was a faulty observation due to the poor light conditions. Paleontologist Darren Naish has suggested that Grant may have seen either an otter or

4482-415: The loch. Some believe it to be an earlier, cruder attempt at a hoax, and others (including Roy Mackal and Maurice Burton) consider it a picture of a diving bird or otter that Wilson mistook for the monster. According to Morrison, when the plates were developed, Wilson was uninterested in the second photo; he allowed Morrison to keep the negative, and the photo was rediscovered years later. When asked about

4565-415: The long neck shown in the photograph is the squid's "trunk" and that a white spot at the base of the neck is its eye. Due to the lack of ripples, it has been declared a hoax by many people and received its name because of its staged look. On 26 May 2007, 55-year-old laboratory technician Gordon Holmes videotaped what he said was "this jet black thing, about 14 metres (46 ft) long, moving fairly fast in

4648-487: The makers of the Discovery Communications documentary Loch Ness Discovered analyzed the uncropped image and found a white object visible in every version of the photo (implying that it was on the negative). It was believed to be the cause of the ripples, as if the object was being towed, although the possibility of a blemish on the negative could not be ruled out. An analysis of the full photograph indicated that

4731-444: The monster for 26 years, and reportedly spent 60 hours per week on the loch aboard his boat, Nessie Hunter IV , taking tourists for rides. Edwards said, "In my opinion, it probably looks kind of like a manatee , but not a mammal . When people see three humps , they're probably just seeing three separate monsters." Other researchers have questioned the photograph's authenticity, and Loch Ness researcher Steve Feltham suggested that

4814-567: The monster from the hunters was "very doubtful". The letter was released by the National Archives of Scotland on 27 April 2010. In December 1954, sonar readings were taken by the fishing boat Rival III . Its crew noted a large object keeping pace with the vessel at a depth of 146 metres (479 ft). It was detected for 800 m (2,600 ft) before contact was lost and regained. Previous sonar attempts were inconclusive or negative. Peter MacNab at Urquhart Castle on 29 July 1955 took

4897-472: The object in the water is a fibreglass hump used in a National Geographic Channel documentary in which Edwards had participated. Researcher Dick Raynor has questioned Edwards' claim of discovering a deeper bottom of Loch Ness, which Raynor calls "Edwards Deep". He found inconsistencies between Edwards' claims for the location and conditions of the photograph and the actual location and weather conditions that day. According to Raynor, Edwards told him he had faked

4980-485: The object was small, about 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 ft) long. Since 1994, most agree that the photo was an elaborate hoax . It had been described as fake in a 7 December 1975 Sunday Telegraph article that fell into obscurity. Details of how the photo was taken were published in the 1999 book, Nessie – the Surgeon's Photograph Exposed , which contains a facsimile of the 1975 Sunday Telegraph article. The creature

5063-475: The photograph a hoax. Roy Mackal requested to use the photograph in his 1976 book. He received the original negative from MacNab, but discovered it differed from the photograph that appeared in Whyte's book. The tree at the bottom left in Whyte's was missing from the negative. It is suspected that the photograph was doctored by re-photographing a print. Aeronautical engineer Tim Dinsdale filmed what he believed to be

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5146-461: The photos near the Altsaigh Tea House. When they heard a water bailiff approaching, Wetherell sank the model with his foot and it is "presumably still somewhere in Loch Ness". Chambers gave the photographic plates to Wilson, a friend of his who enjoyed "a good practical joke". Wilson brought the plates to Ogston's, an Inverness chemist, and gave them to George Morrison for development. He sold

5229-575: The purpose of inquiring into its geology, botany, natural history, archaeology &c.' These pursuits continue to this day, with digital projection having taken over from the colour slides which themselves replaced the Magic Lantern. Reflecting that its range of interests includes history and country life as well as science, the club formally changed its title in 1973 to the Inverness Field Club, which had been its accepted name for some time. Over

5312-509: The record of local observations, however, every effort has been made to secure accuracy, and the Council hope that scientific visitors to the district will find the volume useful". The Transactions are still used by researchers into the wide range of subjects covered. Over the years the Inverness Field Club remained active in its promotion of scientific study, for example funding a survey of Lochaneilean Castle in 1935. The original Transactions of

5395-523: The second photo by the Ness Information Service Newsletter , Spurling "... was vague, thought it might have been a piece of wood they were trying out as a monster, but [was] not sure." On 29 May 1938, South African tourist G. E. Taylor filmed something in the loch for three minutes on 16 mm colour film . The film was obtained by popular science writer Maurice Burton , who did not show it to other researchers. A single frame

5478-462: The story of Saint Columba may have been impacted by earlier Irish myths about the Caoránach and an Oilliphéist . In October 1871 (or 1872), D. Mackenzie of Balnain reportedly saw an object resembling a log or an upturned boat "wriggling and churning up the water," moving slowly at first before disappearing at a faster speed. The account was not published until 1934, when Mackenzie sent his story in

5561-410: The summer. The Inverness Scientific Society and Field Club was duly founded on 8 December 1875 with William Jolly as its first President, at a time when 'Science' meant 'Knowledge'. Two co-founders were consecutive editors of The Inverness Courier , Walter Carruthers and James Barron. As constituted, the Club was 'to promote scientific study and investigation, and especially to explore the district for

5644-532: The time and there were no ripples coming off the wave and no other activity on the water." Sceptics suggested that the wave may have been caused by a wind gust. On 19 April 2014, it was reported that a satellite image on Apple Maps showed what appeared to be a large creature (thought by some to be the Loch Ness Monster) just below the surface of Loch Ness. At the loch's far north, the image appeared about 30 metres (98 ft) long. Possible explanations were

5727-489: The water. Additionally, Dick Raynor has noted that Dinsdale's binoculars were actually a wider field of view than his telephoto camera. Additionally, critics consider the dark shape noticed by the Discovery documentary analysis unlikely to be the shadow or a body underwater due to the low angle of view, and it is more likely to be reflections of the shore behind the object. Although most researchers do not believe Dinsdale to be

5810-467: The water. Popular interest and belief in the creature has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal, with a number of disputed photographs and sonar readings. The scientific community explains alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster as hoaxes , wishful thinking , and the misidentification of mundane objects. The pseudoscience and subculture of cryptozoology has placed particular emphasis on

5893-552: The water.", Loch Ness monster watchers described it as among "the best footage ever seen." BBC Scotland broadcast the video on 29 May 2007. STV News North Tonight aired it on 28 May 2007 and interviewed Holmes. Adrian Shine, a marine biologist at the Loch Ness 2000 Centre in Drumnadrochit , suggested that the footage was an otter, seal or water bird. On 24 August 2011, Loch Ness boat captain Marcus Atkinson photographed

5976-495: Was 35 mm movie cameras on mobile units with 20-inch lenses, and one with a 36-inch lens at Achnahannet , near the midpoint of the loch. With the mobile units in laybys about 80% of the loch surface was covered. The society's name was later shortened to the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (LNIB), and it disbanded in 1972. The LNIB had an annual subscription charge, which covered administration. Its main activity

6059-421: Was a UK-based society formed in 1962 by Norman Collins , R. S. R. Fitter , politician David James , Peter Scott and Constance Whyte "to study Loch Ness to identify the creature known as the Loch Ness Monster or determine the causes of reports of it". In 1967 it received a grant of $ 20,000 from World Book Encyclopedia to fund a 2-year programme of daylight watches from May to October. The principal equipment

6142-420: Was a case of mistaken identity and that he likely filmed a boat under poor lighting conditions. Although Dinsdale attempted to rule this out by organizing for a fishing boat to sail a similar route later that morning, this comparison was filmed under different lighting conditions, with a white boat. JARIC's estimates of the size and speed of the object are now believed to be overestimates, due to miscalculations of

6225-419: Was attacked by a "water beast" that mauled him and dragged him underwater despite their attempts to rescue him by boat. Columba sent a follower, Luigne moccu Min, to swim across the river. The beast approached him, but Columba made the sign of the cross and said: "Go no further. Do not touch the man. Go back at once." The creature stopped as if it had been "pulled back with ropes" and fled, and Columba's men and

6308-501: Was editor from April 1828 until his death in 1878, when his son Walter Carruthers took over until his death in 1885. He was succeeded by James Barron. Walter Carruthers and James Barron were co-founders of Inverness Field Club in 1875. In Feb. 1919, Dr. Evan Macleod Barron became editor, who was the author of The Scottish War of Independence . His niece Eveline Barron became deputy editor in 1952, succeeding him as editor in April 1965. There

6391-551: Was encouraging groups of self-funded volunteers to watch the loch from vantage points with film cameras with telescopic lenses. From 1965 to 1972 it had a caravan camp and viewing platform at Achnahannet, and sent observers to other locations up and down the loch. According to the bureau's 1969 annual report it had 1,030 members, of whom 588 were from the UK. D. Gordon Tucker, chair of the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at

6474-487: Was fictionalized and inspired by a long-necked dinosaur that rises out of a lake in King Kong , a film that was extremely popular in theaters in his home city of London during August 1933, when Spicer reported the sighting. Loxton and Donald Prothero later cited King Kong as evidently an influence on the Loch Ness Monster myth. On 4 August 1933 the Courier published a report of Spicer's sighting. This sighting triggered

6557-506: Was fixed underwater at Temple Pier in Urquhart Bay and directed at the opposite shore, drawing an acoustic "net" across the loch through which no moving object could pass undetected. During the two-week trial in August, multiple targets were identified. One was probably a shoal of fish, but others moved in a way not typical of shoals at speeds up to 10 knots. In 1972, a group of researchers from

6640-492: Was looking at the loch when he saw the monster, grabbed his camera and snapped four photos. Only two exposures came out clearly; the first reportedly shows a small head and back, and the second shows a similar head in a diving position. The first photo became well known, and the second attracted little publicity because of its blurriness. For 60 years, the photo was considered evidence of the monster's existence, although skeptics dismissed it as driftwood, an elephant, an otter or

6723-586: Was made, this time with two objects estimated to be about 9 metres (30 ft). The strobe camera photographed two large objects surrounded by a flurry of bubbles. Some interpreted the objects as two plesiosaur -like animals, suggesting several large animals living in Loch Ness. This photograph has rarely been published. A second search was conducted by Rines in 1975. Some of the photographs, despite their obviously murky quality and lack of concurrent sonar readings, did indeed seem to show unknown animals in various positions and lightings. One photograph appeared to show

6806-427: Was published in his 1961 book, The Elusive Monster . His analysis concluded it was a floating object, not an animal. On 15 August 1938, William Fraser, chief constable of Inverness-shire , wrote a letter that the monster existed beyond doubt and expressed concern about a hunting party that had arrived (with a custom-made harpoon gun ) determined to catch the monster "dead or alive". He believed his power to protect

6889-454: Was reportedly a toy submarine built by Christian Spurling, the son-in-law of actor, screenwriter, director, producer, and -- perhaps most saliently -- big-game hunter M. A. Wetherell . Spurling admitted the photograph was a hoax in January 1991. Wetherell had been publicly ridiculed by his employer, the Daily Mail , after he found "Nessie footprints" that turned out to be a hoax. To get revenge on

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