By Tim Binnall
In a weird turn of events, what had been deemed the first official Loch Ness Monster sighting of 2022 has been unceremoniously rescinded and replaced by an on-site report that is now believed to be the actual first glimpse of the legendary creature this year. The surprising change came about following headlines trumpeting webcam watcher Eoin O'Faodhagain's March 23rd account of spotting something anomalous on the live stream that watches over the iconic Scottish site. By virtue of it being the first sighting of the year after three months without any sign of the creature, the news was understandably cause for celebration among Nessie aficionados, however, it would appear that the report was just the beginning of a somewhat strange saga.
Shortly after word of O'Faodhagain's sighting began to spread online, a pair of paddle boarders stepped forward to lay claim to being the 'two creatures' seen on the live stream. Richie Cameron explained to a British media outlet that he and his friend Stephen Noble just so happened to be at Loch Ness at the time of the sighting and in the location where the anomaly had been seen. Ironically, they even joked during the visit that someone was going to mistake them for Nessie since they were exploring the waters where the legendary cryptid is very often seen. As one might imagine, the duo's account cast considerable doubt on O'Faodhagain's report, which was subsequently removed from the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register webcam report list.
Fortunately, Nessie fans did not have to wait very long for the first sighting of the year to be replaced as documentary filmmaker Jamie Huntley produced a rather vivid report of seeing something unusual at the location during a visit on March 30th. Initially spotting what he thought was a big boulder in the water, the witness was astounded when the oddity began moving. Estimating that the creature was 15 feet long, Huntley likened its glistening skin to that of a whale crossed with a fish and observed that it rose about 7 feet out of the water at one point. By virtue of the detail provided by the filmmaker as well as the presence of a second witness, the case was accepted by the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register as the 'new' first sighting of 2022.
The somewhat embarrassing switch has given rise to a debate in Nessie research circles with regards to the credibility of webcam sightings in general. To that end, longtime researcher Steve Feltham argues that these reports "are of such poor quality that it is pure guesswork to try and identify anything" and mused that they do "far more damage than good" when it comes to proving the existence of a creature in Loch Ness, since very often the creature in question is nothing more than an indiscernible blob. As such Feltham has called for webcam sightings to be stricken from the record until the webcam technology improves. While it's uncertain whether or not that will occur, the idea is sure to be a hot topic of debate at the next meeting of the monster hunters.