The Perpetual Pursuit of the Loch Ness Cryptid
Ready, Set, Nessie! A Long-Lost Camera Trap Unearthed in Loch Ness
When a whiff of a Loch Ness Monster sighting wafts in April, it's wise to double-check that calendars are correct. But this yarn, spun on the last day of March, is as solid as kelp. Researchers from the UK's National Oceanography Centre took a dunk in Scotland's Loch Ness, piloting underwater robotics. And wouldn't you know it, they stumbled upon a camera trap that'd gone missing since the '70s, left by a band of Nessie-chasers. To top it off, the submarine-on-a-mission happens to be none other than "Boaty McBoatface" - a crowd-sourced name that won the hearts of the Internet but was cruelly denied as a ship title by the British Antarctic Survey.
The Most Extreme Instamatic Ever Known
That ol' Instamatic has managed to survive a half-century under the swirling depths of Loch Ness, all thanks to its sturdy glass housing. It's a simple contraption - a Kodak Instamatic 126 camera with a flash cube, triggered and advanced by a bait-line-powered clockwork mechanism. Four flash bulbs in the cube meant the camera could capture four shots in the pitch-black loch waters. The chill of the deep offered a natural film storage solution, and astonishingly, some photos have been retrieved. Sadly, no photo of the elusive denizen of Loch Ness has surfaced, but it's exciting to imagine what secrets might lie hidden.
Now, we're not cryptozoologists, but the history of Loch Ness Monster hunting is a rich and riveting tale, filled with technologies both amateur and professional. There've been sonar surveys aplenty, a slew of submersibles probe the depths, and no shortage of film reels have been unspooled in the hope of capturing the elusive monster. And of course, the camera snaps have been poured over again and again for any hint of Nessie. The Loch Ness Project catalogs much of this endeavor, with an impressive history of surveys and observed wildlife. Oddly enough, the Instamatic camera trap doesn't seem to have graced their pages, but after this revelation, we suspect that will change soon.
Cryptozoology Tourism: Monsters and Mementos
The legend of the Loch Ness Monster has taken on a new life, drawing in tourists from 'round the globe. A drive from Inverness to Fort Williams reveals a host of Nessie-themed attractions, though sightings have yet to match the excitement. The spirit of the Nessie hunters adds a touch of pseudoscientific intrigue, making the experience all the more captivating.
The Loch Ness Centre in Drumandrochit embraces the spirit of the hunt, even recruiting visitors for their annual Nessie-spotting event. After all, who knows what else sits unseen in the murky depths of the loch, waiting to grace the lens of the next camera trap, be it a relic of the '70s or the latest in underwater technology.
Header image: Bob Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Some parts of this content draw on insights from the enrichment data, particularly regarding the history and technologies used in Loch Ness Monster searches and the connection between the camera trap discovery and the Loch Ness Project.
The Loch Ness Project, an extensive catalog of surveys and wildlife observed in Loch Ness, may now include the Instamatic camera trap found by underwater robotics in March, a device that captivates with its history and durability.
The Loch Ness Centre in Drumandrochit, a tourist attraction dedicated to Nessie-hunting, encourages visitors to participate in its annual Nessie-spotting event, reminding us that the elusive denizen of Loch Ness could be captured by any camera trap, be it a vintage Instamatic or the latest in outdoor-living technology.
