Source : Perth Now news
Loch Ness Monster sightings have surged with more people claiming to have spotted Nessie in 2026 than in the whole of 2025.
The Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register has recorded nine in-person sightings of the fabled beast in the Scottish waters throughout the year as well as two more potential spots via webcam footage of the loch – meaning this year has already eclipsed 2025’s total of six in-person sightings while there were only three recorded in 2024.
However, 2026 has yet to top the total of 10 sightings which were recorded throughout 2023, which included a tourist who claimed to have spotted a “black mass” or “hump” in the water which was “roughly the size of a double decker bus”.
The sighting was recorded on October 7, 2023 with Sash Lake from Wiltshire telling the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register: “I was leaving Drumnadrochit on a coach, admiring the view while the coach was driving past the Loch.
“It started to rain and a light fog rolled in, my view/ vision was partly limited due to the trees alongside the Loch, but something caught my eye for approximately five seconds and made me jump out of my skin, I saw a huge black mass/ hump in the middle of the Loch, roughly the size of a double decker bus.
“I would say it was around 75-100 yards away from me. I was confused, and in disbelief. I jumped to my feet to get a better look, trees completely blocked my view for about five to eight seconds, there was a clearing in the trees, and when I looked back to where I saw the black mass/ hump, there was nothing there.”
The surge in sightings for 2026 comes after experts previously warned a lack of reports could mean Nessie may have met her death.
According to the Daily Star newspaper, Rob Long, from the Loch Ness Exploration [LNE] team said: “There is a real fear for her as it normally is not this long that we go without a single glimpse.
“Normally people from our team will see her but so far, none of us have. Others have claimed to but we have not seen waters this quiet.
“The viewings have gotten less over the years, but never this scarce for us. Despite the lack of viewings, 2024 was the year we got the most definitive proof that Nessie exists – with the sonar recordings among the best we have ever got.”
He went on to add: “So although the viewings were scarce, they were of better quality. Now there’s nothing.
“Nessie has been there, we all know it, but she is clearly getting wise to people looking for her. We also think she is being put off from additional activity in the loch, such as people wanting to try cold water swimming.”
