Video camera footage taken on Loch Ness by Geoff Mitcheson shows what he believes may be Nessie
A north-east family holidaying in Scotland claim to have caught the famous Loch Ness Monster on camera. Motor mechanic Geoff Mitcheson, of Newcastle, was on a cruise on Loch Ness with his wife Miriam and young son Craig when he spotted something moving in the mysterious waters.The Mitchesons were sailing along the loch near Castle Urquhart on the Nessie Hunter on Saturday afternoon when they made their amazing discovery. Mrs Mitcheson was chatting with the boat's captain when her husband spotted movement in the waters out of the corner of his eye. He quickly swung his video camera into action and trained it on the rippling water. He is convinced what he caught on film is the legendary Loch Ness Monster which has caught the imagination of thousands of enthusiasts from all over the world.
Mr Mitcheson said: "I am convinced there is definitely something there. But what it is I don't know. I have never seen anything like it. I was just looking in the camera to check where it was and then I saw it out of the corner of my eye and I zoomed in on it. We feel very lucky. We weren't even going to come this weekend but we did at the last minute. I would say it was gone within 15 to 20 seconds. It wasn't going very fast, about three or four miles an hour. I could see the waves coming off it, like a boat cruising."
Replying to claims that he may be another in a long line of hoaxers claiming to have seen Nessie he said: "I have got better things to do than fake film, it was just a fluke, a bit of luck." Mrs Mitcheson added: "I didn't see it myself as I was talking to the captain. I did believe there was something in Loch Ness."
But eight-year-old Craig is thrilled at becoming one of the select few to have seen the monster with his own eyes. He said: "It looked like it had a big head. I don't think it eats people, I think it is a friendly monster."
Gary Campbell of the Loch Ness Monster Fan Club backed the Mitcheson's interpretation of the pictures. He said: "We have experts who say it was not a seal. Edinburgh Zoo couldn't say for sure it was a seal and that's good enough for me. This video footage is as good as it gets. The pictures show the head of something moving along in the water which initially looks like a seal. However, the more you look at it the more you realise it is not behaving like a seal and doesn't even look like one. The head is a different shape, there is no evidence of a seal-like body which would be near the surface, and the way it dives down is very uncharacteristic of seals."
But naturalist Chris Packham, an expert on the mysteries of the monster, said he was almost certain the latest sighting is a seal and said the myth of Loch Ness led people to assume they had seen the monster. He said: "The myth of the Loch Ness Monster is terrific. I can't state categorically that it wasn't the monster but I am 98pc sure it was a seal. The pattern of behaviour suggests it was a seal and the way it moved through the water suggests it was a seal. It is my belief that these animals are all Loch Ness monsters when they are seen by people who are not qualified naturalists, because they simply jump to the wrong conclusions."
Director designate of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and director of Edinburgh's Zoo Dr David Waugh said: "We have a very high level of confidence that this was a seal. The next logical option would be an otter, however there is always room for doubt."
Ancient mystery
The first ever recorded sighting of "Nessie" was in AD 565 by St Columba, and since then over 1,000 have been made. There have been seven reported sightings of the Loch Ness Monster this year.
A short piece of video film which may or may not support the claim that a water monster exists in Scotland's Loch Ness was shown early this morning on GMTV here in the UK. About 10 seconds in length the movie was recorded by Geoff Mitcheson who, with his wife and son took a boat ride last weekend on the loch in the vicinity Castle Urquahart, one of the deepest locations and scene of numerous past sightings.The clip shows quite clearly what appears to be a single greyish, flat-topped hump or head of moderate size almost stationary in the water not too far from the camera. It was moving very slowly as the boat passed by and is then seen to slip quickly beneath the surface of the loch. So clear is the movie that any possibility of the form being a wave, a log or even partially submerged vegetation can easily be discounted. Surface conditions at the time appear to have been quite calm.
Gary Campbell, a member of the Loch Ness Monster Fan Club reported that 'experts' from Edinburgh Zoo have viewed the footage and were able to confirm it was not that of a seal, an otter or any other marine creature they are familiar with. As the hump or head retreated from view it submerged in a backwards motion, something a seal is unable to do. However, X-Creatures TV presenter and zoologist Chris Packam said in an interview that he felt 98% confident the images did in fact represent the activities of a seal. He partly based this conclusion on the fact that very low fish stocks within the lake are unlikely to support a monster such as the prehistoric plesiosaur. Loch Ness is linked to the River Ness and the Caledonian Canal so seals can and do in fact enter and exit the loch. Coincidentally, Packham's latest show examines the Loch Ness monster myth and is transmitted this evening on BBC1 at 7pm [Sept 9]. I personally do not agree with Packham's findings. I have viewed seals off Ireland's Atlantic Coast and their actions are very different to the object seen floating on Loch Ness. Even Geoff Mitcheson (his wife and son were not aware at the time of what he was photographing] disagreed with this conclusion. He also denied any hoax factor and so clear is the film I believe it will be possible to greatly enhance the frames and prove conclusively that they do not represent either a seal or otter.