The Beast of Loch Ness

On an April afternoon in 1933, Aldie and John Mackay were driving along the shores of one of Scotland’s largest lakes, Loch Ness. (In Scotland, lakes are called “lochs,” pronounced locks.) The road—the A82—was brand new, and Aldie was enjoying the view from the car window.

The Scottish Highlands are often rainy, but this day was bright. The trees were vivid green, and even the murky waters of the loch seemed to sparkle.

Then Aldie saw something she would never forget. The water rippled. A giant creature seemed to rise out of the loch. It appeared to be black, with a humped back. Trembling with fright, Aldie grabbed her husband’s arm and pointed.

“Stop!” she gasped. “The beast!”

John screeched the car to a halt. For several minutes, the stunned couple stared as the creature seemed to be “rolling and plunging.” It disappeared and then reemerged in another part of the loch. And then—it was gone.

For a few days, Aldie and John kept quiet about what they had seen. After all, who would believe them? A monster in Loch Ness? It sounded preposterous.

Ultimately, though, the couple couldn’t resist sharing their remarkable story, and the news soon spread. As the Mackays had predicted, some people rolled their eyes and laughed. But many others listened with fascination. There had always been something mysterious about Loch Ness, something spooky. For centuries, people from nearby towns had whispered stories of a creature, a huge and terrifying beast that, according to some tales, lured children to their deaths. Another story, dating back to the sixth century, told of a water monster that sought to devour farmers working nearby. Because of these tales, to many locals, the Mackays’ story was completely plausible.

Over the next few weeks, more people claimed to have seen the creature.

“It was big as an elephant,” said one farmer.

“It was horrible,” reported a schoolteacher. “It had a head like a cobra.”

But . . . what was it?

On an April afternoon in 1933, Aldie and John Mackay were driving along the shores of one of Scotland’s largest lakes, Loch Ness. (In Scotland, lakes are called “lochs,” pronounced locks.) The road—the A82—was brand new. Aldie was enjoying the view from the car window.

The Scottish Highlands are often rainy, but this day was bright. The trees were vivid green. Even the murky waters of the loch seemed to sparkle.

Then Aldie saw something she would never forget. The water rippled. A giant creature seemed to rise from the loch. It appeared to be black, with a humped back. Aldie trembled with fright. She grabbed her husband’s arm and pointed.

“Stop! The beast!” she gasped.

John stopped the car. For several minutes, the couple stared. The creature seemed to be “rolling and plunging.” It disappeared and then appeared in another part of the loch. And then it was gone.

For a few days, Aldie and John kept quiet about what they had seen. After all, who would believe them? A monster in Loch Ness? It sounded preposterous.

Ultimately, though, the couple couldn’t resist sharing their unbelievable story. Soon the news spread. As the Mackays had predicted, some people rolled their eyes and laughed. But many others were fascinated. There had always been something mysterious and spooky about Loch Ness. For centuries, people from nearby towns had told stories of a huge and terrifying beast. According to some tales, the beast lured children to their deaths. Another story told of a water monster that tried to eat farmers worked nearby. Because of these tales, to many locals, the Mackays’ story was completely plausible.

Over the next few weeks, more people claimed to have seen the creature.

“It was big as an elephant,” said one farmer.

“It was horrible,” reported a schoolteacher. “It had a head like a cobra.”

But . . . what was it?

Over the decades, several theories about the beast of Loch Ness have been proposed. One theory is that the beast is simply an unknown marine mammal or an enormous fish. Another theory is that it’s a prehistoric creature, such as a plesiosaur. These long-necked marine reptiles lived alongside the dinosaurs and died out 65 million years ago. Maybe a few survived, and one of their descendants is now living in the loch.

Or maybe not.

These are just the theories of a few passionate believers, theories that most scientists completely reject. Few plants or fish can survive in the dark and frigid waters of Loch Ness. What would the creature eat? And how could there be just one creature? There would have to be a family that breeds and raises its young. Is it likely that a group of giant animals lives in the loch, invisible to all but a few accidental witnesses?

Over the decades, several theories about the beast of Loch Ness have been suggested. Some say the beast is simply an unknown water mammal or a giant fish. Another theory is that it’s a prehistoric creature, such as a plesiosaur. Plesiosaurs were marine reptiles with long necks that lived alongside the dinosaurs. They died out 65 million years ago. But maybe a few survived, and one of their descendants now lives in the loch.

Or maybe not.

These are just the theories of a few intense believers. Most scientists completely reject these ideas. Few plants or fish can survive in the dark and cold waters of Loch Ness. What would the creature eat? And how could there be just one creature? There would have to be a family that breeds and raises its young. Could a group of giant animals really be living in the loch, seen only by a few people?

Perhaps no one has been as interested in these questions as Tim Dinsdale, a British engineer. Dinsdale led 57 Loch Ness expeditions between 1960 and 1987. In 1960, he saw a “long oval shape” in the water and captured it on film for 60 seconds. The image was blurry, but Dinsdale was convinced it was the creature.

He gave the film to experts from the British government. After scrutinizing the footage, they concluded that the object was probably alive and that it was between 12 and 16 feet long. Believers in the Loch Ness monster—or Nessie, as the creature came to be known—cheered. But skeptics were unimpressed with the footage of a blurry blob moving slowly through the water.

Another respected Loch Ness investigator was an American lawyer named Robert Rines. In the 1970s, Rines captured an image that seemed to show the flipper of a large underwater creature. But as with Dinsdale’s film, the image was too blurry to provide clear answers.

In 2003, scientists studied the loch using sonar and satellites. They were hoping to prove the plesiosaur theory. They investigated the 22.5-mile-long loch “shoreline to shoreline, top to bottom,” said scientist Ian Florence. “We have covered everything in this loch, and we saw no signs of any large living animal.”

Florence’s colleague Hugh MacKay added, “We got some good clear data of the loch . . . nothing unusual I’m afraid.”

Perhaps no one has been as interested in these questions as a British engineer named Tim Dinsdale. Dinsdale led 57 Loch Ness expeditions between 1960 and 1987. In 1960, he saw a “long oval shape” in the water. He caught it on film for 60 seconds. The image was blurry, but Dinsdale was sure it was the creature.

He gave the film to experts from the British government. After scrutinizing the footage, they said that the object was probably alive and that it was between 12 and 16 feet long. Believers in the Loch Ness monster—or Nessie, as the creature came to be known—cheered. But skeptics were not impressed with the footage of a blurry blob moving slowly through the water.

Another respected Loch Ness investigator was an American lawyer named Robert Rines. In the 1970s, Rines captured an image that seemed to show the flipper of a large underwater creature. But like Dinsdale’s film, the image was too blurry to provide clear answers.

In 2003, scientists studied the loch using sonar and satellites. They were hoping to prove the plesiosaur theory. They studied the loch “shoreline to shoreline, top to bottom,” said scientist Ian Florence. “We have covered everything in this loch, and we saw no signs of any large living animal.”

Florence’s colleague Hugh MacKay added, “We got some good clear data of the loch . . . nothing unusual I’m afraid.”

Despite the lack of scientific evidence, there are still those who believe that the Loch Ness monster exists. Why? One reason could be that new species are being discovered all the time. In fact, scientists agree there are likely millions of plants and animals on Earth that have yet to be identified. They are hidden away in rainforests, fluttering or slinking behind curtains of trees. They thrive in the pitch blackness of the deep ocean, far from human eyes.

There have also been animals from legends and myths that turned out to be real—such as the giant squid. For centuries, sailors returned home telling wild tales of a sea monster with a single dinner-plate-sized eye and strangling tentacles. They called it the kraken. Few believed that this sea monster existed beyond the imaginations of sunstruck sailors—until the late 1800s, when a giant tentacle washed up on a beach. Today, we know that giant squid dwell in the deep ocean.

Another example is the okapi, a beautiful donkey-sized animal with velvety striped fur. The okapi is a close relative of the giraffe and was well known among the people who lived in the forested regions of Central Africa. But it wasn’t until 1901 that outsiders—many of whom thought the okapi was a myth—accepted that the animal was real.

Could the beast of Loch Ness be like the kraken and the okapi—not a fantastical creature but a real one that has simply remained elusive?

Despite the lack of scientific evidence, there are still those who believe that the Loch Ness monster exists. Why? One reason could be that new species are being discovered all the time. In fact, scientists agree there are likely millions of plants and animals on Earth that have yet to be found. They are hidden away in rainforests, concealed behind trees. They live in the pitch blackness of the deep ocean, far from human eyes.

There have also been animals from legends and myths that turned out to be real—such as the giant squid. For centuries, sailors returned home telling wild tales of a sea monster with a single, giant eye and powerful tentacles. They called it the kraken. Few believed that this sea monster existed beyond the imaginations of sunstruck sailors. Then, in the late 1800s, a giant tentacle washed up on a beach. Today, we know that giant squid live in the deep ocean.

Another example is the okapi, a beautiful animal with soft striped fur. The okapi is the size of a donkey and a close relative of the giraffe. The animal was well known among the people who lived in the forested regions of Central Africa. But it wasn’t until 1901 that outsiders—many of whom thought the okapi was a myth—accepted that the animal was real.

Could the beast of Loch Ness be like the kraken and the okapi—not a fantastical creature but a real one that has simply not been found?

In the nearly nine decades since the Mackays took their fateful drive, more than 1,000 people have claimed to have seen some kind of creature in the water or on the shores of Loch Ness. Certainly, many are attention seekers or pranksters. But can they all be making it up?

Even skeptics admit it’s likely the Mackays really did see something that April day. Perhaps a large eel was slithering on the surface. Perhaps a log was caught in the waves or an overturned boat was bobbing up and down. Perhaps the glittering sunlight turned an ordinary object into a fantastic monster. After all, the human imagination is powerful. 

On the other hand, Aldie Mackay managed a nearby hotel, and it’s been suggested that her “sighting” might have been a ploy to attract tourists. In any event, she was far from the only one to benefit from the legend of Nessie. Today, the Loch Ness monster—real or otherwise—attracts thousands of visitors every year who help boost the local economy. Aldie’s old hotel now houses the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition. Visitors can take boat cruises to look for Nessie.

Speaking of his own hunt for Nessie, Rines once said, “If you don’t have an open mind, in my judgment, you’re not a scientist. If you don’t have ideas, if you don’t have adventure, you’ll never make a discovery.” Though Rines never did uncover incontrovertible proof of Nessie’s existence, he believed until his death, in 2009, that a major discovery awaited in the murky waters of Loch Ness.

Who knows? Perhaps one day, he’ll be proven right.

In the many years since the Mackays took that drive in 1933, more than 1,000 people have claimed to have seen some kind of creature in the water or on the shores of Loch Ness. Certainly, some just want attention. Others are pranksters. But can they all be making it up?

Even skeptics say it’s likely the Mackays really did see something that April day. Perhaps a large eel was swimming on the surface. Perhaps a log was caught in the waves or an overturned boat was moving up and down. Perhaps the glittering sunlight turned an ordinary object into a strange monster. After all, the human imagination is powerful.

On the other hand, Aldie Mackay managed a nearby hotel. It’s been suggested that her “sighting” might have been a ploy to attract tourists. In any event, she was not the only one to benefit from the legend of Nessie. Today, the Loch Ness monster—real or not—attracts thousands of visitors every year. These visitors help boost the local economy. Aldie’s old hotel now houses the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition. Visitors can take boat cruises to look for Nessie.

Speaking of his own search for Nessie, Rines once said, “If you don’t have an open mind, in my judgment, you’re not a scientist. If you don’t have ideas, if you don’t have adventure, you’ll never make a discovery.” Rines never did find incontrovertible proof that Nessie is real. But he believed until his death, in 2009, that a major discovery was to be found in the waters of Loch Ness.

Who knows? Maybe one day, he’ll be proven right.

^{This article was originally published in the May 2021 issue.}