A leading Loch Ness Monster hunter is now convinced people have been mistaken all along — and that the legendary beast is nothing more than waves caused by boats passing through the Scottish lake.
“The sightings are caused by ship wakes,” 76-year-old Adrian Shine recently told the Sun.
Shine has been trying to solve the Nessie riddle for over 50 years and is the founder of the Loch Ness Project, a massive archive of research into the age-old legend.
But he has come to believe over the years that monster sightings are caused by the heavy boat traffic running through the lake, which is fueled by the cross-country Caledonian Canal that utilizes the lake for the majority of its passage.
“Here they develop this multi-humped form and that’s what people often see,” he said of wakes from the canal traffic.
Add to that a series of other common explanations — plus local lore — and the legend is fanned on, he said.
“There are other phenomena too — Nessie’s long-necked form is birds on a calm surface,” he said.
And the water of Loch Ness is far too cold and lacking in fish to support a creature of Nessie’s purported monstrous size, he added.
Shine’s skepticism began after he once saw what appeared to be a sea serpent’s hump — which turned out to be nothing more than a rock.
Since then, he’s been able to debunk numerous supposed sightings.
“They were all fakes,” he told the Sun.
Despite finally deciding there was probably no Nessie in the loch, Shine has no regrets about the time he’s spent searching.
“I’ve had enormous fun — and any new proof would be wonderful,” he said.
