Media- Film
& Interviews

Loch Ness Field Centre

The archive is restricted to expeditions or other studies where authoritative reports or published papers have been produced. Thus, newspaper material is only used where it is authored by the investigators themselves and in one case where a newspaper reporter was himself a principal investigator.

Sometimes it has not been possible, for copyright or other reasons, to include an important item. Books, for example, or some journal publications have simply been referenced. For the same reason most items are reproduced in a PDF secure (read only) form. Where possible the material retains its original appearance but some is rearranged for screen viewing. If necessary, documents have been digitally retouched for legibility. The kind assistance given by the copyright holders is gratefully acknowledged.

Editorial bias: The inclusion of items mostly reflects whether material is considered "diligent" and it is hoped that no injustice has been done. The remaining scope for bias lies within those passages which attempt to link the pages of the archive and to demonstrate interaction or debate within them. These passages may reflect the author's personal opinions.

" Loch Ness"

This new 32 page booklet "Loch Ness", is Adrian Shine's account of everything about Loch Ness from Continental Drift to Loch Ness Monster Hoaxes . As a nauturalist he takes an environmental perspective which sheds unnexpected light into the controversy.

Buy Loch Ness here

Nessie Dead or Alive - Reflections
It was recently announced that Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) was forming a Loch Ness Environment Panel........ with a view to developing a code of practice for visiting Loch Ness monster hunters who might inadvertently cause damage to the loch's habitats, or individual creatures within it. This move was prompted by the proposal of a Swedish monster hunter and ufologist Jan Sundberg, to place a 6m long creel trap in Loch Ness. The SNH area manager Jonathan Stacey, made it clear that they had no
policy on Nessie as such and the prime aim was to "protect the known from those pursuing the unknown".

John Cobb and Crusader

On September 29 1952 John Cobb, the famous Brooklands racing hero, holder of many speed records,  died after his boat Crusader disintegrated after hitting a boat-wake during a world water speed record attempt on Loch Ness. He became the fastest man on water (206.89mph) though did not achieve the record since the accident occurred before he could complete a second run over the measured mile.
At the end of the measured mile Crusader nose-dived into the deep dark waters of Loch Ness. John Cobb's body was swiftly pulled from the water by his support team and the wreckage from crusader sank to depths of over 200m.

The search for Crusader 2002
Skipper, John Minshull and Adrian Shine spent many long nights sweeping the plotted line with sonar and mapping the site.
By June the Loch Ness Project was satisfied they had found the debris field.  At this point the American Academy of Applied Science, on expedition  at the loch,  announced an interest in finding the Cobb wreck during the last 2 days of their visit  and were to be assisted by Gordon Menzies, a resident, owner of Temple Pier and as a child witness of the record attempt.


Loch Ness Pictures - Reality Check
A new development reflecting the popularity of Loch Ness, is the use of webcams, most notably (www.lochness.scotland.net) , making the loch accessible in a way that it has never been before. It may be thought that the combination of a relatively low resolution tool in the hands of unprecedented numbers of people with no experience whatever of the loch's conditions would be a sure recipe for a sightings bonanza. Interestingly, this has not proved to be the case. Less than half a dozen have come to our attention. There is one however, which has come to particular public attention......

A Key to Loch Ness Monster Sightings

It is fair to say that no visitor to Loch Ness passes by without some sense of expectation and many would hold that a predisposition to see monsters is, in itself, a sufficient explanation for the controversy surrounding this enigmatic expanse of water. Indeed, it was the subject's first author, Rupert Gould (1934) who discussed what he called "expectant attention". However, it was to be thirty years before a proper investigation of the monster sightings phenomena was undertaken. In some ways this research was to provide verification for some quite bizarre experiences and to confirm that there was indeed something special about Loch Ness. 

Definition
Bearing the foregoing in mind, perhaps the broadest definition of a monster "sighting" may  be,  "anything  seen at Loch Ness which the observer does not recognise". Some may seek explanation; others find revelation within the experience. For some, a sighting may be a life-altering event.