The Loch Ness Centre has urged space agency Nasa to lend its expertise in a fresh hunt for the legendary creature, while volunteers are being recruited to keep a giant surface watch for the monster.
THE LOCH Ness Centre in Scotland has called on the pioneers of space exploration, Nasa, to aid in the search for the legendary Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie.
This appeal comes as part of a larger initiative to unravel the mysteries of the famous Loch Ness, the large freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands.
Last year, the Loch Ness Centre partnered with Loch Ness Exploration (LNE), an independent and voluntary research team, and hundreds of volunteers, both in-person and virtual, to scour the depths of Loch Ness. The search concluded with a hydrophone capturing “strange underwater noises” from the loch’s depths and yielded “several potential sightings”, fuelling the desire to dig deeper.
This year, the search is set to be even bigger, with the Loch Ness Centre seeking the expertise of scientists, universities and Nasa. The hope is that with advanced equipment and scientific expertise, the mysteries of the Loch and the unexplainable sightings since the legend of Nessie began 90 years ago can finally be uncovered.
The upcoming search, from May 30 to June 2, will mark the 90th anniversary of the first organised search for Nessie, led by Sir Edward Mountain. Since then, there have been over 1,156 sightings of the beast on the Official Loch Ness Monster sightings register.
As part of this year’s quest, Loch Ness Exploration is recruiting volunteers to become modern-day ‘Watchers of the Monster’. These volunteers will participate in a giant surface watch of the Loch, keeping an eye out for breaks in the water.
For those unable to attend the search in person, the Visit Inverness Loch Ness website offers the opportunity to participate virtually. Cameras set up around the Loch will allow people from all over the world to watch for the Loch’s most famous inhabitant, as well as other local wildlife, 365 days a year.
In addition to the search, a number of other activities will take place over the four-day event. This includes a special screening of “Loch Ness: They Created a Monster,” a new documentary that explores the monster-hunting frenzy at Loch Ness in the 1970s and 80s.
“Last year, we captured the world’s attention with one of the biggest ever searches for Nessie, with participants joining us from America, Canada, France, Italy, Japan and more,” said Loch Ness Centre general manager Paul Nixon.
“With unexplained noises heard, alongside possible sightings, this year we are determined to find out more about the elusive Loch Ness Monster.
“As well as asking for the help of budding monster hunters to help us on our quest, we are asking for the help of experts.
“We’re excited to make this search the biggest ever, as we look for new equipment to help us uncover the loch’s biggest mysteries.”
Aimee Todd, the marketing manager for the Loch Ness Centre, outlined how Nasa could be of assistance. “We are hoping that Nessie hunters around the world will help us reach the people at Nasa. We are hoping to reach them through the power of social media. We are just hoping for their expert guidance to help with our ongoing quest to get answers. We have gone to UK universities.
“We are hoping that experts from Nasa might have some advanced imaging technology to scan the Loch.
“We would have to sit down and talk to them about how to get it here.”
