Loch Ness: Using drones and webcams, volunteer fishermen unite in a new search for the legendary beast

Mysterious hunters converging on a lake Scotch Look for signs of the legendary Loch Ness monster. The Loch Ness Center said researchers will try to search for evidence of Nessie by using thermal imaging drones, infrared cameras and a hydrophone to detect underwater sounds in the murky lake waters. The two-day event, which began on Saturday, is billed as the largest survey of the lake in 50 years, and involves volunteers surveying water from boats and lake shores, with others from around the world participating via webcams.

Alan McKenna of the Loch Ness Center said the aim was to “inspire a new generation of Loch Ness fans”. The researchers “were looking for gaps in the surface and asking volunteers to record all kinds of natural behavior in the lake,” McKenna told BBC Radio. “Not every ripple or wave is a monster. Some can be explained, but there are some that cannot be explained.”

The center of Loch Ness is the former Drumnadrochit Hotel, where the modern legend of Nessie began.

In 1933 manager Aldi Mackay reported seeing a “water monster” in the loch surrounded by mountains, the largest freshwater loch by volume in the UK and, at 230 metres, one of the deepest.

The story began an enduring worldwide fascination with finding the elusive beast, leading to a raft of rumors and hundreds of eyewitness accounts.

Several theories have been developed over the years, including that this creature may have been prehistoric marine reptiles, giant snakes, sturgeons, or even a runaway circus elephant. Many believe that these sightings are hoaxes or can be explained by floating tree trunks or strong winds, but the legend is considered a boon for tourism in the picturesque Scottish Highlands.

Volunteers like Craig Gallifrey were not deterred by such skepticism.

“I think there is something in the lake,” he said, though he is open about what it is.

“I really think there must be something fueling this speculation.”

Whatever the outcome of the weekend’s search, he said, “the legend will live on.”

He said: “I think this is just a fantasy of something that exists in the largest body of water in the UK… There are so many stories.”

There are still other things, although not proven. There is still something very special about the lake.”