State of the art sonar equipment, a yellow submarine and even a white witch have all been used to try to find the elusive Loch Ness Monster.
But it seems all you really need to track Nessie down is an IPHONE.
Mysterious images taken from space are making waves with Nessie fans – as they appear to show a creature swimming in the world’s most famous loch.
The pictures were captured separately by two amateur hunters, Peter Thain and Andy Dixon, as they used an iPhone satellite map app.
It had been feared the 1,500-year legend was over after 18 months without a recognised sighting, but now enthusiasts’ hopes have been raised again.
Andy, of County Durham, said: “It was by accident I came across it. I could see something big under the water and I saved it to my phone. My first thought was that it was the monster.”
It could only be seen on Apple products but has been probed by the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club. President Gary Campbell said: “It cannot be a boat as there is no hull. It’s just below the surface – the size would make it likely to be Nessie.”
William Hill offers a £1,000 annual prize for the best sighting of Nessie – which has been spotted 1,036 times since 565AD. The award is worth double this year as it went unclaimed in 2013.
Gary said: “After Nessie ‘going missing’ for 18 months, it’s great to see her back.”
Due to the lack of sightings last year, bookmakers William Hill who offers a £1000 annual prize for the best Nessie sighting is doubling this year incentive because it went unclaimed last year.
Nessie was first spotted in 565AD and has been seen 1036 times in the last 1500 years. All the sightings are listed at www.lochnesssightings.com
Three sightings were reported in 2013 but they were discounted as fakes.
One was a wave, another a duck and the third a picture not even taken on Loch Ness.
It was the first time since 1925 that there had been no confirmed reports of the monster.
White Witch Kevin Carlyon, who believes Nessie is a ghost, frequently casts spells on the loch and will return this summer.
Actor Charlie Sheen also plans a return visit with American TV host Jay Leno after revealing last year that he went hunting for Nessie – with a bottle of whisky.
