What if it were finally confirmed that a monster might be lurking in the murky waters of Loch Ness? Researchers and enthusiasts on the subject launched this Saturday (26) the largest operation to find the Scottish mystical creature in 50 years.

Investigators have spared no resources, including drones equipped with thermal imaging scanners, boats with infrared cameras and a hydrophone, to try to solve the mystery.

An expedition to Loch Ness in Scotland kicked off this Saturday (26) to try and unravel the mystery of the monster’s existence – Photo: Andy Buchanan/AFP

“Our goal has always been to record, study and analyze all kinds of behavior and natural phenomena that are difficult to explain,” said Alan McKenna of the Loch Ness Exploration, a volunteer hunting agency. this Saturday.

“I don’t know what it is. All I know is that there’s something big in Loch Ness. I’ve seen sonar images of van-sized objects moving underwater,” Paul Nixon, CEO, told AFP Loch Ness Centre.

“It could be a myth, it could be reality… I like to think it’s somewhere in between,” said Tatiana Yeboa, a 21-year-old French tourist whose visit to the lake coincided with the search.

The researchers believe that thermal scanners will be able to detect any anomalies, and the hydrophone will detect any unusual screams in the waters of the lake, which is 56 km2 in area and 240 meters deep.

A Thousand Stories of the Loch Ness Monster

The Loch Ness monster is a legend dating back to ancient times. There are carved stones made by the Picts (Celtic tribes) who lived in the region at that time, which depict a mysterious creature with fins.

The first written account dates back to 565 AD and is found in the biography of the Irish monk St. Columba, the sixth century evangelist of Scotland, who explained that he ordered the monster to leave these waters.

The first modern sighting dates back to May 1933, when a local newspaper published a report that a local merchant and his wife saw a “huge wave” while walking along the lakeshore.

In December of that year, the British newspaper The Daily Mail hired South African hunter Marmaduke Weatherell to hunt down the creature. The man then stated that he found large footprints, but they turned out to be fake.

In 1934, English physician Robert Wilson took what later became known as the “surgeon’s photograph”, an image that showed the monster’s long neck and head emerging from the water.

Although the photograph is a montage, it has increased the popularity of Loch Ness around the world.

According to the Loch Ness Centre, there have so far been more than 1,100 reported sightings of “Nessie,” the mystical creature that contributes millions of pounds annually to the Scottish economy through tourism.