Tuesday (November 12) marks 91 years since an enduring legend was born along the shores of Scotland’s Loch Ness. Scotsman Hugh Gray had set out with his camera on his usual lakeside stroll at noon when he saw an unidentified, massive shape moving near the water’s surface. This image was immortalised in a single, grainy photograph that would spark a global fascination with the ‘Loch Ness Monster’. Gray’s image, taken on a sunny November day in 1933, was soon published in the Scottish Daily Record. This iconic photograph was just the beginning of a lifelong public interest in the mythical creature. Within months, stories of strange sightings began to emerge: locals described mysterious, whale-like creatures and dragon-like figures gliding through the loch’s dark waters. By the photo’s 90th birthday in 2023, Sky News had reported at least 1,155 official sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. All about Hugh Gray’s iconic photograph According to the British Online Archives, Hugh Gray took the first photograph of the Loch Ness Monster on November 12, 1933, near Foyers, a village on the loch’s east shore. “Gray was walking his dog when he allegedly saw the monster and took the photograph. It is suspected that the image is actually of his dog carrying a stick, although it has also been suggested that the photograph could be of an otter or a swan,” Alice Broome wrote in the British Online Archives in 2023. Recounting the incident to The Scottish Daily Record, Gray described the creature as an “object of considerable dimensions” arising from the water. “I immediately got my camera ready and snapped the object which was two or three feet above the surface of the water,” he said. “I did not see any head, for what I took to be the front parts were under the water, but there was considerable movement from what seemed to be the tail, the part furthest from me. The object only appeared for a few minutes, then sank out of sight.” (Roland Watson, Empirical Analysis of the Hugh Gray ‘Nessie’ Photograph, Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2022) Roland Watson, who has authored a few books on the subject, recalled that the newspaper had four experts examine the negative of the photograph and conclude it had not been tampered with. However, the onset of World War II a few years later suppressed general interest in Nessie lore. While a few prints of this iconic photo have survived over the years, the original negative seems to have been lost for good. The ancient roots of the Loch Ness mystery The earliest report of a strange water monster in Loch Ness dates back to the 6th century AD, in an ancient text detailing an encounter by the Irish monk Saint Columba. He lived near the mouth of the River Ness and had heard tales of a monstrous creature in the waters. According to the legend, he sent one of his companions to test the waters. When the creature appeared, Columba is said to have made the sign of the cross and banished it to Loch Ness, forever connecting the loch to the idea of a mysterious water-dwelling creature. Thus the Loch Ness Monster, or “Nessie” had become part of local legend by the time Gray captured his now-iconic image in 1933. Months before his sighting, The Inverness Courier published a report of a monster sighting detailing an encounter by a water bailiff who claimed to have witnessed a strange creature in Loch Ness. This had marked the beginning of a renewed interest in the loch and the mystery surrounding it. Gray's photograph, alongside other early photos, such as the famous “Surgeon’s Photograph” taken by gynaecologist Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson in 1934, contributed to the growing legend. However, in 1994, it was revealed that Wilson’s iconic 1934 “Surgeon’s Photograph” of the Loch Ness Monster was a hoax. The “monster” was revealed to be a fake head attached to a toy submarine. Modern-day sightings reignite interest On Monday (November 11), a day before the 91st anniversary of Gray’s famous photograph, new footage emerged, further fueling the debate. The footage was captured on October 25 by Nessie hunter Eoin O’Faodhagain, who was reportedly watching Loch Ness through a live webcam feed when he spotted two mysterious humps prowling the shallows of the loch. O’Faodhagain was captivated by the sighting, describing it as “one for the record books.” The creature, estimated to be 25 feet long—bigger than four average men laid end to end—was unlike any of Loch Ness's known residents, The Daily Mail reported, adding that the humps, visible in the dark waters, moved at a steady pace, with one larger hump trailing behind a smaller one. While some may remain sceptical, O'Faodhagain, from County Donegal, Ireland, is convinced of the creature’s identity. He told The Daily Mail that there were no creatures in Loch Ness with such dimensions, pointing out that even the largest known residents such as seals, pale in comparison. The enduring allure of Loch Ness With a depth of 788 feet and a length of about 23 miles (36 km), Loch Ness has the largest volume of freshwater in Great Britain and is an ideal setting for a mystery. Locals often prefer to believe that the elusive monster is simply a master of disguise, slipping through the waters with remarkable stealth. The fascination with Nessie has become an economic powerhouse of its own. In 2018, Gary Campbell, keeper of the Official Loch Ness Monster Register, revealed that the legend now contributes an estimated $54 million annually to Scotland’s economy. Nine decades on, the world may be no closer to uncovering the truth about Loch Ness, but the legend of Nessie remains as compelling as ever—a symbol of our collective desire to believe that there might still be mysteries left to explore.
