An underwater camera deployed in 1970 to capture images of the Loch Ness Monster was accidentally recovered after being submerged for over half a century. The camera was one of six sent into the Loch by Chicago biologist Roy Mackal in the hopes of capturing definitive footage of the legendary cryptid. While the camera did not capture any images of Nessie, the pictures developed from it provided a visual mapping of the murky depths of Loch Ness.
The camera was identified by Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Project, who has been hunting for Nessie since the 1970s. The camera, equipped with a built-in flash cube, took pictures when the “bait line” was taken, possibly by the monster. The discovery of the camera was made accidentally by an autonomous marine submersible called Boaty McBoatface, operated by the UK’s National Oceanography Centre. The housing of the camera managed to keep it dry for 55 years, which was impressive to Shine.
The camera was found nearly 600 feet down in the lake as Boaty McBoatface was scouring the depths of Loch Ness. While there were no images captured of the Loch Ness Monster by the camera, the photos developed from it offered unique insights into the underwater environment of the Loch. The film and camera are now in the possession of The Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit, close to the location where it was recovered.
Despite the discovery of the camera, the existence of the Loch Ness Monster remains as elusive as ever. Adrian Shine, a die-hard monster hunter who has spent decades searching for Nessie, remains unconvinced of its existence. He dismissed iconic photos of the beast as boat wakes or birds and pointed out that long-necked creatures in Loch Ness are more likely to be swans rather than the mythical monster.
The photos taken by the camera provide researchers with valuable information about the underwater environment of Loch Ness, but they do not provide conclusive evidence of the Loch Ness Monster’s existence. The accidental recovery of the camera after over 50 years shed light on the efforts made in the past to capture images of the legendary cryptid. While Nessie continues to capture the imaginations of many, the mystery of its existence remains unsolved, leaving researchers and monster hunters without concrete evidence of the creature’s presence in Loch Ness.
