Since St. Columba's account in 565 AD, the Loch Ness Monster has been sighted over 1,000 times. The 1934 "Surgeon's Photograph" shocked the world, but was proven a hoax in 1994.
Earliest Account
In 565 AD, Irish missionary St. Columba was reportedly swimming in Loch Ness when a giant water creature attacked him. St. Columba drove it away with the sign of the cross.
This is the earliest written account of the Loch Ness Monster.
20th Century Sightings
1933 · Road Opens
After the A82 road opened along Loch Ness, large numbers of tourists arrived, and sighting reports surged.
1934 · Surgeon's Photograph
London surgeon Robert Kenneth Wilson published a photograph of the monster in the Daily Mail, showing a long-necked creature emerging from the lake.
This photo became known as the "Surgeon's Photograph" and became the most famous "evidence" of the Loch Ness Monster.
1994 · Hoax Confessed
In 1994, Christian Spurling, who participated in the hoax, confessed on his deathbed: the photo was taken with a prop made from a toy submarine.
Scientific Investigations
- 1975: The Academy of Applied Science in Boston used sonar and detected signals of a large creature.
- 1987: Operation Deepscan used 24 boats to sonar-scan the entire lake, finding three large unknown targets.
- 2018: The University of Otago conducted DNA sampling and found no large reptile or unknown creature DNA.
- 2019: Research found large amounts of eel DNA in Loch Ness, proposing the "giant eel theory."
Hypotheses
- Plesiosaur theory: A surviving prehistoric creature.
- Giant eel theory: Eels in Loch Ness growing abnormally large.
- Sturgeon theory: Large sturgeon leaping out of the water.
- Optical illusion theory: Lake surface waves creating illusions.
Sources: Daily Mail archives, Operation Deepscan report, University of Otago 2019 study.