It is a bird? It’s a fish? Could it even be… the last sighting of Nessie?
A County Donegal monster hunter spotted a dark black shape in the world-famous lake and believes it is the mythical Nessie.
Eoin O’Faodhagain, 59, said his “heart skipped a beat” when he saw a mysterious “18ft” mass rise to the surface of the water.
The Irishman, who regularly goes online to observe the lake through a webcam located near Urquhart Castle, believes he has seen the Loch Ness monster.
“I noticed a spot in the water causing a disturbance on the edge of the webcam screen on the right,” he said.
“My heart skipped a beat because I thought this disruption was not the norm.”
Monster hunter Eoin O’Faodhagain believes he may have seen the Loch Ness Monster via a webcam located on the western shore of the loch (pictured).
The 59-year-old said his “heart skipped a beat” when he saw the dark shape, which he believes is 18ft long, break the surface (pictured: Loch Ness).
Investigating the images further, Eoin explained that the mysterious object in the water only got “bigger and longer.”
Estimating the disturbance on the water surface to be around 18 feet long, the monster hunter added:
‘I have examined the images and am convinced that this is not a surface ship of any kind, because it constantly changes its appearance.
“The sighting of the object in the water is quite clear, because the surrounding water surface is calm.”
“That in itself puts it in the realm of Nessie, but it needs further analysis.”
Describing the find as “unusual”, he continued: “There are no known creatures of that size in Loch Ness. It could be the Loch Ness monster.
The first sighting of the alleged Loch Ness monster was recorded in November 1933.
However, the mystery of Nessie could date back to 565 AD, when the Irish missionary Saint Columba was recorded as encountering a strange aquatic monster in the River Ness, which feeds the famous lake.
According to his centuries-old biography, the water beast had killed one man and attacked another when he fled in terror after St. Columba crossed himself and ordered him to return.
However, these days Mr O’Faodhagain is not too afraid of the rumored beast.
He periodically logs on to a webcam maintained by Mikko Takala of Ness on the Net to carefully observe the lake from his home in Ireland.
Over the years, it has accumulated multiple entries in the Official Record of Loch Ness Monster Sightings.
However, due to recent restrictions on webcam sightings, their most recent findings have been off the record.
Further examining the clip as “unusual”, the Irishman said the dark shape only became longer and larger.
The Irishman will cross the sea to Scottish shores in August in a bid to see the Loch Ness monster in person during The Quest weekend in 2024.
The latter comes shortly after the Loch Ness Center in the Highlands asked NASA to lend its expertise to a new search for the alleged creature.
“We hope that NASA experts will have some advanced imaging technology to scan the lake,” said Aimee Todd, marketing director at the Loch Ness Centre.
“We would have to sit down and talk to them about how to get it here.”
The latest search will take place on the 90th anniversary of the first organized surface survey of Loch Ness: the Sir Edward Mountain expedition, from May 30 to June 2.
Since that first expedition in 1934, the Monster Watchers, there have been more than 1,156 sightings of the beast in the official record of Loch Ness Monster sightings.
Last year, the newly renovated Loch Ness Center partnered with Loch Ness Exploration (LNE), an independent, volunteer research team, along with hundreds of in-person and virtual volunteers to search the famous waters of Loch Ness.
The search concluded with a hydrophone capturing loud underwater noises and several potential sightings.