It seems that speculation about the existence of the so called Loch Ness Monster, a mythical creature that is said to inhabit the eponymous loch, have recently been fanned by the emergence of yet another photograph which may or may not depict that entity, the Daily Record reports.
According to the newspaper, the photo in question was snapped by Steve Challice, a tourist from Southampton who visited Urquhart Castle – located on the shores of the loch – when he and his brother were in Scotland on a holiday last September.
As Steven explained, he was photographing the opposite shore of the loch when he spotted a "sort of ripple in the water".
Steve Challice insists he caught pictures of a 'big fish' on his camera🤔https://t.co/K6iKEyG2KY
— The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) June 22, 2020
"I started taking a couple of shots and then this big fish came to the surface and then went back down again", he said. "It only appeared in one shot and to be honest that was something of a fluke. I watched for a while as you can see from the last picture but didn't see it again."
Steven himself, however, noted that while some people might speculate that the thing in the photo could be the legendary monster, he does not think so.
"I have to say I don't believe in the Loch Ness Monster and frankly I think if anything is there then there is a logical explanation for most of the sightings", he explained. "My guess would be that what I captured was a catfish or something like that. As seals get in from the sea then I expect thats what it is and that would explain why these sightings are so few and far between."
Several social media users also seemed somewhat skeptical regarding the prospects of the photo being a genuine Nessie sighting.
Annual pre tourist sighting 😉
— James Sellar (@sellar_james) June 22, 2020
Surely she's died by now
— PrussianHamster🏴🇬🇧🇳🇱 (@SovietHamster) June 22, 2020
One digital photography expert also reportedly suggested that the pictures were photoshopped, while author Roland Watson, who runs the Loch Ness Mystery blog, expressed similar concerns.
"If this is a genuine picture of a creature in Loch Ness, it would easily rank in the top three of all time", Watson said. "At this point, I am in an ongoing conversation with Steve as to the objections and concerns I have about this being a photoshop picture. So we will see where that takes us."
