An underwater camera dropped in 1970 to hunt for the Loch Ness Monster has finally been recovered—and some eerie pics surfaced along with it.
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The ocean-going robot yellow submarine was undergoing trials when its propeller became entangled in the mooring of a 1970s-era camera system, according to the BBC. This camera is believed to have been lowered 591 feet beneath the surface of Loch Ness by the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, an organization established in the 1960s to investigate the existence of Nessie.
The camera captured no footage of Nessie. However, a submarine engineer managed to develop several images showcasing the loch’s murky waters.
Loch Ness Monster Hunter Calls the Camera Discovery ‘Remarkable’
Adrian Shine, a veteran of the Loch Ness Project who has been searching for Nessie since the 1970s, described the discovery as “remarkable.”
“It is remarkable that the housing has kept the camera dry for the past 55 years,” he told the BBC.
In 1970, Chicago biologist Roy Mackal, part of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau, placed six cameras into the depths of Loch Ness. One of those cameras was this device, according to Popular Mechanics.
The camera remained untouched and forgotten for more than 50 years until it was rediscovered by Boaty McBoatface, an autonomous underwater vehicle operated by the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC).
Shine expressed admiration for the “ingenious camera trap,” designed with a built-in flash cube that allowed it to capture up to four photographs whenever the “bait line” was triggered—possibly by the so-called monster.
He was amazed that such a complex camera had stayed dry in its casing for years at great depths and, even more surprisingly, that the film inside was still usable when found.
Much to the disappointment of monster enthusiasts, the camera failed to capture any images of Nessie. However, the developed photos revealed a compelling visual map of Loch Ness’s mysterious, murky depths.
The film and camera were later entrusted to The Loch Ness Centre in Drumnadrochit, located near the site of their discovery.