By Tim Binnall
While it did not definitively solve the mystery of the Loch Ness Monster, this past weekend's sizeable search for the creature yielded an intriguing piece of footage captured by a pair of spotters as well as the detection of some peculiar underwater sounds. Organized by the Loch Ness Centre tourist attraction in conjunction with the group Loch Ness Exploration, the ambitious event is believed to have been the biggest 'hunt' for the elusive creature in over 50 years. Unfortunately, Saturday's efforts were hampered by downpours which grounded infrared drones and undoubtedly led to some wound-be loch watchers to stay at home, however improved weather on Sunday allowed for a more fulsome search.
All told, more than 200 people stationed themselves around Loch Ness during the weekend in the hopes of spotting the creature and, in one case, a couple who reportedly changed their vacation plans to participate in the search may have actually had some success. Citing a shared fascinating with the famed cryptid, Aga Balinska and Matty Wiles actually cancelled a trip to England's popular Lake District and instead journeyed to iconic Scotish site after learning about the weekend's big event. Following a difficult Saturday wherein they and other aspiring Nessie spotters were pounded by rain, the pair woke up to a peaceful Sunday morning which led them to head down to Loch Ness for a swim.
As they were about to take their dip at approximately 6:30 AM, the pair were surprised to see an odd anomaly out on the water. "It looked like the humps which you can get to put on a shelf, in a gift shop," Balinska marveled, "we turned and it had gone to the left, then it disappeared. The loch was like a millpond, there was no mistaking it for a wave. It stood out three or four feet from the water." Fortunately, the couple managed to film the puzzling form that emerged from the water and, as of now, it would appear to be the best piece of possible evidence to come out of the massive search over the weekend.
Beyond their footage, the most tantalizing development over the weekend reportedly came about during a Friday test of the acoustic equipment intended to search for possible Nessie sounds, but ultimately wound up having a rather cruel caveat. Organizers say that the instruments detected "four, very distinctive noises" that they likened to "gloops" emanating from something underwater. However, the peculiar sounds slipped through the proverbial fingers of the group when it was soon discovered that they had not activated the recording device which would have captured the anomalous noises for posterity and a Sunday return to the location where the sounds were heard yielded only silence.
Despite the weather difficulties which befell the search, Loch Ness Exploration's Alan McKenna was enthusiastic about the event, noting that the weekend's festivities drew visitors from Spain, France, Germany, and Finland as well as media outlets from Japan, Australia, and America. He also observed that the "horrific" rainfall actually led to unique comradery among the group of Nessie hunters as "we’ve all kind of banded together. It's been fantastic." It is uncertain if there will be a sequel to the search next year, but considering the publicity and tourist dollars that this year's effort generated, it would not be all that surprising if it became an annual event.