Viral Loch Ness Cryptid Drone Footage: A Detailed Analysis UPDATED/hoax confirmation

29/9/21 Moments ago I received notification that this video (now removed by uploader as stated below from earlier update) has been confirmed a deliberate hoax. Details here; Experts debunk latest Loch Ness Monster drone sighting as a ‘hoax’ – Edinburgh Live As is my regular practice, I will leave this post standing for a few days so everyone can see and be informed. Martin

A few seconds of drone footage taken by kayakers, taken from a 29 minute video, shows “something” moving close to the shore that superficially resembles the stereotyped image of what the legendary monsters of Loch Ness looks like. The footage has now hit the usual British tabloids and gone viral online. but is there anything to it?

My initial reaction was to dismiss this, as so many others have, as merely a trick of light and shadow, as it blends with the ripples and waves around the shoreline.

However, this author always takes a second look. And a third. I ignored the countless viral out-takes (most of which are poor quality) and watched the original source video. See for yourself, start watching around the 3:50 minute mark.

GREAT GLEN CANOE CHALLENGE | SCOTTISH WILD CAMPING | CANOE ADVENTURE | – YouTube

UPDATE NOTICE 29/9/21 As the original footage has unfortunately been removed by the uploader (See above, now confirmed hoax) I have replaced it with this (sadly inferior) footage segment:

If this is a hoax, then the uploader went to absurd lengths just to hoax a brief few seconds of ambiguous “monster” imagery. In fact it was viewers of this original video that noticed the apparent monster, and not the uploader. I won’t dismiss the possibility of cleverly planted hoax, but it does seem unlikely.

So is this just light and shadow creating a simulacrum? Since the alleged “monster” appears to follow the arc of the waves, it is easy to dismiss this artefact as a simulacrum (as many critics and YT commenters have) on a cursory glance. But we are questioning and open minded people, are we not? So we are never too hasty to dismiss without deeper examination.

I have watched the relevant portion of footage repeatedly, zoomed in, and at various speed reductions, pausing to select screenshots. These screenshots I present below.

Some notes:

The images have been cropped to focus on the target artefact, but I have been careful to include a boat and a portion of the shoreline within shot for scale and distance reference. Bear in mind the drone was in constant motion so the scale is relative the height of the drone.

The images have been adjusted for colour and contrast to achieve maximum definition. NO other adjustments have been made, ie no modification or “photoshopping”.

So what can we say? The first image shows the moment the object becomes visible, bottom left corner. The rest of the images are in sequence thereafter with last image just before the fadeout.

As the object retains integrity of form throughout the sequence, it becomes increasingly difficult to explain as an optical illusion. The object moves from left to right, heading towards the shallows. Check the sub-surface topography for reference.

The object is difficult to reconcile with any specific lifeform, but does bear a superficial resemblance, and I hate to say this, to a Plesiosaur. There is a thick body, a very slender “neck” (but no obvious head), and other appendages that could be construed as limbs. There is indication of independent movement of these appendages both in the stills and in the footage; particularly noticeable if the video is played at 0.25 speed.

This entity also bears a marked resemblance to a well known and controversial underwater strobe-camera photo taken by the second Rhine Loch Ness expedition in 1975. See below. This is the raw image.

And two cropped and enhanced versions:

Some may remind me that recent DNA sampling of the Loch’s water failed to turn up evidence of unknowns, but I would respond that the same tests failed to find, much to the amusement of the British Press, any evidence of seals or otters, both of which are well documented in the Loch.

So, what do we think? Another Silly Season tabloid-hyped hoax? An optical illusion? Or evidence of a pseudo-Plesiosaur cryptid lurking in the Loch after all?