August 2023 saw the biggest hunt for the legendary Loch Ness Monster in fifty years. Scores of enthusiasts flooded Inverness in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the long-mythologised Nessie. Stories about the cryptid have circulated for centuries but, to date, nobody has captured an undisputed image of the beast. Nevertheless, fans remained undeterred, hoping that the latest advances in thermal imaging technology would give them the edge.[1]
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- Infrared Investigation Turns Up First Footage of Loch Ness Monster?
- Spotting Monsters with Thermal Imaging
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Infrared Investigation Turns Up First Footage of Loch Ness Monster?
References to a monster purportedly date back to 565 AD when an Irish Monk named Saint Columba allegedly encountered a water beast in the River Ness. However, supposed sightings of the creature only became more frequent in the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the most famous occurred in 1933. Hotel Manager of the Drumnadrochit Hotel, Mrs Aldie Mackay, told The Inverness Courier that she had seen a large “whale-like” creature or beast “churning” in the loch. This was followed by the infamous “Surgeon’s Photograph”, published in The Daily Mail in 1934. The image supposedly showed Nessie popping her head out of the water but has since been debunked as a hoax.[2]
Regardless, committed members of the Loch Ness Centre (formerly the Drumnadrochit Hotel) and a team of volunteer researchers, Loch Ness Exploration, came together over the 26th and 27th of August in the hope of solving this enduring mystery once and for all!
Paul Nixon, general manager of the Loch Ness Centre, said of the search:
“We are guardians of this unique story, and as well as investing in creating an unforgettable experience for visitors, we are committed to helping continue the search and unveil the mysteries that lie underneath the waters of the famous loch.
The weekend gives an opportunity to search the waters in a way that has never been done before, and we can’t wait to see what we find.”[3]
- Paul Nixon, Loch Ness Centre
Dozens of volunteers lined the banks of Scotland’s biggest loch. Standing at seventeen observation points around the water’s edge, these amateur detectives were to write down any strange disturbances. Meanwhile, teams used hydrophones (a microphone that detects sound underwater) and thermal imaging drones to capture footage and audio of Nessie.
Some doubt was cast regarding whether thermal drones could penetrate the loch’s water to a depth sufficient to identify the elusive beastie.[4] Yet some may argue that naysayers need not have worried. Dragonfly Films, a production company that took part in the hunt, reckons they have captured the first-ever video of Scotland’s most famous inhabitant. Recorded at night using thermal imaging technology, the video clearly shows a hot spot in the shape of a large animal on the banks of the lake. Many experts believe this creature could be the Loch Ness Monster![5]
Producer at Dragonfly Films, Tim Whittard, told reporters that
“[…] thermal drones allowed us to see the loch in infrared. With this equipment we were able to see immediately if any animal breaks the water’s surface.
This thermal imaging technology has been available for several years now, and it seems remarkable that no one has yet deployed such equipment in an effort to investigate this mystery.
It did detect an unusual heat signature on one of the thermal imaging drones – a large mass near the shore.”
- Tim Whittard, Dragonfly Films
Footage captured by Dragonfly Films will be released during the finale of TV series Weird Britain.[6]
Whittard and his team were not the only ones who believed they caught sight of the cryptid during the search. UK couple Aga Balinska and Matty Wiles told British tabloid, The Mirror, that they saw a mysterious squiggly line that lurched left and disappeared. Mr Wiles elaborates:
“[…] We aren’t sure it’s Nessie, we can’t be 100 per cent certain. We want to believe it. We went down to the beach at 6:30 am and we saw it before we got in the water.
We wanted to swim out to it but it was too far out. 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.”[7]
- Matty Wiles, Nessie Enthusiast and Witness
Spotting Monsters with Thermal Imaging
Sceptics may question the reliability of eyewitness accounts and might suggest the hot spot in Dragonfly Films’ thermal footage could be indicative of any number of animals, not necessarily the Loch Ness Monster. Nonetheless, The Inverness Courier reports that so far, according to the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register, ten people have spotted Nessie in 2023.[8]
If you’re tempted to join the search for the Loch Ness Monster or any other cryptid, we at PASS Ltd offer a range of handheld, mounted, and smartphone thermal imaging cameras, as well as an extensive collection of thermal monoculars and binoculars. We stock models by leading manufacturers such as Hikmicro, Pulsar, and Teledyne FLIR.
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Further Information
For additional information or advice regarding any of our thermal cameras, monoculars, or binoculars, please don’t hesitate to contact our Sales Team on 01642 931 329 or via our online form.
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We Wish You Luck on Your Cryptid Quest
[1]Sky News, Loch Ness monster: Enthusiasts descend on Scottish lake as new search for mythical creature gets under way, last accessed 31 October 2023.
[2] Wikipedia, Loch Ness Monster, last accessed 31 October 2023.
[3] Jenness Mitchell, ‘Loch Ness Monster hunters join largest search in decades for mythical beast’, Sky News, last accessed 31 October 2023.
[4]Adam Juniper, ’90 years after Loch Ness Monster first spotted, thermal drones survey Scottish lake in giant hunt this weekend’, Digital Camera World, last accessed 31 October 2023.
[5] Paul Andrews and Sophie Buchan, ‘’First ever video’ of Loch Ness Monster using thermal imaging drone captured by researchers’, Glasgow Live, last accessed 31 October 2023.
[6] Paul Andrews and Sophie Buchan, ‘’First ever video’ of Loch Ness Monster using thermal imaging drone captured by researchers’.
[7] Antony Thrower, ‘Loch Ness Monster seen in ‘first ever video’ after thermal imaging drone spotted ‘mass’’, The Mirror, last accessed 31 October 2023.
[8] Andrew Dixon, ‘It was ‘roughly the size of a double decker bus’ as Nessie sighting ‘made me jump out of my skin’’, The Inverness Courier, last accessed 31 October 2023.
