By Tim Binnall
A set of newly installed webcams around Loch Ness may have already paid off as a diligent online 'monster hunter' has captured footage of two anomalous forms that he spotted at the iconic site. Launched late last month by the tourism organization Visit Inverness Loch Ness, the five livestreams are located at various hotels around the massive landmark. The installation of five new webcams understandably caught the attention of Ireland's Eoin O'Faodhagain, who has amassed a staggering 14 reports since 2017 by way of the lone 'Nessie on the Net' livestream and, in turn, carved out something of a niche for himself as the preeminent online Nessie spotter.
With the eagle-eyed webcam watcher's view of the Loch now increased exponentially, it should come as no surprise that O'Faodhagain reportedly spotted something strange on some of the livestreams just a few days after they had gone live. The first potential Nessie sighting (seen above) occurred on September 6th via a camera placed at the Loch Ness Clansman Hotel and consisted of what the 'monster hunter' described as a "long dark shape which was recorded for 4 minutes, and was the only darkened water visible in the recording of the loch in that time."
Then, on September 15th, O'Faodhagain caught sight on another oddity on a different webcam. This anomaly, seen below, was spotted on the Shoreland Lodges and features what O'Faodhagain observed to be a black, eel-like creature that he estimated to be 6 to 8 feet long. The object "visibly appears on the left near the shore and moves steadily to the right of the screen and out of webcam coverage," he noted, while pointing out that the animal seems to occasionally surface as it moves along the water.
As was feared when the five new webcams were launched, O'Faodhagain's two potential sightings may serve to exacerbate a simmering controversy surrounding such reports which has simmered in the Nessie community all year with one camp insisting that they hold no evidentiary value, while others argue that they are 'on par' with the nebulous accounts provided by witnesses who are physically at the site. So far in 2022, not a single webcam report has been accepted by the Gary Campbell at the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register after dozens had made the proverbial grade in years past. It remains to be seen if O'Faodhagain will be able to break that drought with the two September livestream sightings as they are currently in a weird liminal state.
According to the webcam watcher, he had initially submitted them to the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, but was told that they had to pass through Visit Inverness Loch Ness before they would be considered. However, when he contacted the organization, they seemed to indicate that they would rather not get roped into judging the material, saying that their role was simply to open "windows to the wonderful Loch' for people to see from afar." As such, they directed a frustrated O'Faodhagain back to Campbell's sightings group with the hopes that some formal method of reporting can be established since he will, undoubtedly, have many more sightings to come thanks to the five new webcams.