Wednesday 22 July 2020

A Recent photo from Loch Ness





I was emailed by someone who was at Loch Ness at the same time as me last week. He had visited the Grant Tower at Urquhart Castle and noticed an object in the water below. This occurred on Sunday, 19th July about noon day. The location where he was standing is shown in this third party photographIn his own words:

This picture was taken from inside the castle walls, looking down into the loch facing south. It was probably about 100-150m away, and the circled area is a 2x digital zoom in photoshop.


Didn't think much of it at the time. Was just happy to see something in the water other than choppy waves we'd seen all day! It was just moving about in the water down below the castle as we were leaving, we were kinda rushing around as obviously we weren't meant to be in the castle having climbed over 2 locked gates. I'd estimate the tip and the section fading into the water was about 2 or 3m long. Thought it was probably just some piping or something, but looked more interesting in shape on my laptop at home. Thought you might want to have a look anyway, could be anything really.

Two photographs were taken, the first with a wider angle lens when the object was first spotted and then when he switched to his 50mm lens. However, I could see nothing in the wider picture suggesting it had temporarily submerged. The white foam lines are like Langmuir circulations which are a common sight on the loch, but likely have nothing to do with the object. Our photographer further adds:


From the exposed tip above the water line, which I'd estimate was about the size of a divers head (my brother guessed the same thing), but you can see something of the same diameter trailing in a slight S shape for perhaps 1 or 2m behind before the water becomes too dark to see where it ends. 

It must have been there for a good 5 minutes as I believe I'd quickly changed lenses to get another snap as we were leaving. Difficult to say on the movement, certainly not ruling out it was just something fairly large/long/flexible gently bobbing about in the water/current though. Wish I'd had some binoculars. I didn't see it submerge in the time I was there.

I got the original SD card file and it checks out as clean on the EXIF data. Actually, I also thought it looked like a diver's head at first glance and here is the best zoomed in shot suggestive of this interpretation. The only issue is, was there a diving team at Loch Ness on the 19th July? I am aware of the recent search for a man who fell into the loch last week at Dores, but that is 10 miles north and searching around the castle would seems futile - unless someone went off for other reasons.

Any extra information will be helpful to include/exclude suspects.




UPDATE:

Jeremy emailed with the photo below which he says was taken from the same spot on the 8th May 2019 and says it is a log. Of course, that implies the object is still there over a year later which is not impossible if the water there is shallow enough. A look at the 1903 bathymetric map suggests it is not shallow enough to hold a log captive, so I am not sure of this one.






The author can be contacted at lochnesskelpie@gmail.com



25 comments:

  1. It does look like a divers head, perhaps it was someone out for a laugh at the tourists expense....pop his/her head up every so often to tray and get a Nessie sighting trending or something?

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  2. It reminds me of Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe or Cyclops from X-Men. And when you turn the image upside down, the shadow looks like a serpent's head.

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  3. If you zoom in the picture in the circle, you can see the rest of the animal's body submerged. It's quite impressive (if this is a genuine pìcture of course).

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    1. Yes, I see what you mean.

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    2. Oh yeah, I see that too. The image quality dips too much to see what the 'rest' of it looks like clearly, but there appears to be something there unless its pareidolia

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    3. I can see it too but what makes you think it’s an animal? (I’d love it to be Nessie of course) Both objects above and below the water are completely different colours and don’t match up at all.

      This might be far fetched but if this turns out to be a person snorkelling, could the shape behind the object be the disturbance through the water as he/she navigates just below the surface?

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  4. I concur with Ferrans comment...I see a long brownish colored body trailing out behind the head!

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    1. Yes indeed I can clearly see a longish, bright coloured object submerged. The head is very symmetrical....like a helmet or a divers suit as has been said.
      Don't know....it's a funny one.

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  5. Why would someone try to have a laugh at the tourists expense if the castle is closed? I think more chance of the diver is a part of the group taking the photos, hence sneaking in unoticed.

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  6. SNORKELER! — Note the dive mask, roundish at top to cover upper-head/forehead and the straight horizontal bottom as not to interfere with either a snorkel or scuba regulator. Probably also wearing a black wetsuit (either half or full) to help out in colder waters. It almost looks like he (she) has raised the mask up on the face and the light dot seen may be his/her nose reflecting light. Also, you can see the snorkel on the right side of his/her face (his/her’s left side), and seems to be of proper length. I think this case is closed! Cheers, Rod

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  7. Very similar image to the one taken by the Locke family from Ontario Canada, on the 17/08/18,at the same location, at 09.40am, in the lochnesssightings website.Eoin O Faodhagain.

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    1. A young girl in 2018 captured the same object. If you visit Urquhart woods and reach the shore you can very easily see this object, it’s definitely part of the old wooden pier.

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  8. I snorkel quite a bit...but I would not want to be snorkeling in that choppy, dark water. Ugh.

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  9. Ok. So I can definitely see an object just under the surface which curves to the right beyond the object that has broken the surface water. It’s very interesting indeed but I’m still not convinced that this is an animal but saying that I also find it hard to believe that a person would risk their life snorkelling in waters which clearly aren’t calm or ideal. If this actually shows someone snorkelling could it be the recent attempts to find the man who is currently missing?

    I’m leaning more towards the idea that this is a person rather than an animal.

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  10. Article updated for another picture taken at this spot.

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    1. GB, I can’t be 100% sure but I think the recent image is nothing more than a section of the old wooden pier.

      Head over to the ‘Official' Loch Ness monster register and locate the August 17th image which was captured by the young girl Charlotte Robinson. Pay attention to the trees in both images.

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    2. Charlotte took her picture further south at Invermoriston.

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    3. What a numpty....I’ve actually looked at the wrong text and picture on the Register. I know that Charolette Robinson’s was staying at the Highland Lodges in Invermoriston but I’m questioning the location, she’s clearly higher up and there’s very little to no brush along the shore at those lodges.

      GB, I think it’s been pointed out already but the 17th August picture from the Locke family is almost the exact same, they are extremely similar.

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  11. Hmmmmm. That brownish-reddish outline of a body below the waves looks uncannily similar to the Rines 1975 photo.

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    1. If it makes you happy, then no, it's more like a tiger shark just off the coast of Hawaii. If you look closely enough, of course.

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  12. OK...I'll settle this once and for all. It's Nessie in scuba gear. There!

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  13. Maybe Nessie got her tail stuck in a diver's head?

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  14. Looks very uniform - as in man-made. Doesn't look organic to me.

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  15. This object is a piece of piping or something similar and has been in that same spot for a long period of time - I noticed it on a visit to the castle in 2016, and have seen it again on visits in subsequent years. Might even have a photo of my own, I will check. But it's definitely the same object, I recognise the flash of turquoisey colour. I think it's piping but whatever it is it isn't animate.

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