The Loch Ness monster - part 1

It has done wonders for the Scottish tourist industry ad thousands of people come to visit the area from all around the world. I am of course referring to Scotland’s Loch Ness monster.

Doing well from the tourists is all well and good but the fact remains, is the Loch Ness monster really real in so far as whatever is in Loch Ness is as yet unrecognised (to science) as a living creature, or are all the sightings of ‘Nessie’ throughout the centuries all misinterpretations?

Well in the following articles we’ll take a look and journey through the mystery that is the Loch Ness monster.

Sightings of ‘Nessie’ go well back into antiquity, indeed the first official recorded observation of a strange creature in the loch was made by St Columba way back in 565AD. St Columba was a Christian missionary who was visiting Scotland from Ireland.

Columba’s biographer, St Adamnan wrote that one of Columba’s followers was attacked as he swam across Loch Ness to collect a boat from the other side of the loch. St Columba formed the sign of the cross in the empty air saying, “Think not to go further nor touch thou that man. Quick! Go back!”

Whereupon the creature disappeared back into the murky depths. Since then thousands of reported sightings of strange creatures have been sighted on the loch’s surface.

Most sightings last only seconds, whilst others have lasted minutes. Because of the short duration of sightings, people have speculated that it is an accidental breaking of the loch’s surface by this creature as it is feeding off fish close to the surface.

There are many theories as to what ‘Nessie’ could be, from swimming elephants! (yes that has been suggested by sceptics!) to otters, boat wakes, submerged tree trunks rising to the surface (due to the release of gas in the decaying tree forcing it to the surface), all of which could be true.

But like I have always said, one should never throw the baby out with the bathwater. In other words, just because something sounds and looks ridiculous, doesn’t necessarily mean to say that it is so. Science must look at everything from all angles as we, certainly don’t know all there is to know about ourselves and the universe we live in, there are many more wonders to discover I’m sure.

As a researcher into most aspects of strange phenomena (and of course being a Scot myself) I have travelled up to Loch Ness on many occasions. I have camped around the loch, and I have also interviewed a good number of ‘Nessie’ witnesses all of whom have had a tale to tell.

Out of all the interviews that I have conducted at Loch Ness, one of the more interesting ones concerned Englishman Frank Searle who came to Loch Ness in 1969 in the hope of capturing ‘Nessie’ on photograph.

Whilst there are indeed quite a number of photographs taken by others claiming to show the moster, Frank literally managed to photograph ‘Nessie’ nearly every time he went out looking for her, and as such, drew the world’s attention not only to his photographs, but to him as a person.

Sadly Frank passed away some years ago but his legacy and photographs remain.

I’d now like to present you with an interview that I conducted with Frank Searle at his base camp near the village of Foyers on the shores of Loch Ness.

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(MR) Malcolm Robinson

(FS) Frank Searle

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INTERVIEW WITH FRANK SEARLE ‘NESSIE HUNTER:

(MR) Firstly Frank what captivated your interest in the Loch Ness monster?

(FS) I came here purely and deliberately to find out for myself, because I was not satisfied about what I was reading about Loch Ness.

(MR) Now during this period of time that you have been at Loch Ness, just over 13 years, how many sightings of Nessie have you catalogued?

(FS) I’ve made 38 sightings myself.

(MR) These sightings, did you have anyone with you at the time of these sightings?