Gordon Holmes Video of Loch Ness Monster (2007)

On May 26, 2007, Gordon Holmes, a fifty-five-year-old laboratory technician from Yorkshire, England, videotaped what he described as a large, jet-black object moving through the waters of Loch Ness at considerable speed. Holmes had traveled to the loch specifically to search for the monster, stationing himself on a hillside above the water with video equipment. His footage, shot from an elevated vantage point, shows a long, dark object creating a strong wake as it moves through the water in a straight line. Holmes estimated the object at roughly fourteen meters (forty-six feet) in length, moving faster than any known animal typically seen in the loch. Marine biologist Adrian Shine of the Loch Ness Project reviewed the footage and called it among the best he had seen, though he cautioned it could potentially show an otter, a seal, or a large fish viewed under unusual conditions. The video received widespread coverage from the BBC and other media outlets. Skeptics noted that wave patterns and light conditions on Loch Ness can create optical illusions regarding the size and speed of objects on the water's surface. The Holmes video nevertheless reinvigorated public interest in the Loch Ness mystery during a period when sighting reports had declined significantly from their peak in the 1970s and 1980s.