Camilla Jessen
Loch Ness expert admits Nessie hunt may be over.
For more than half a century, Adrian Shine devoted his life to one of the world’s most enduring mysteries.
Now, after decades on the water, the veteran investigator says the legend that drew him in may never have been real.
A lifelong search
Shine, 76, began investigating reports of the Loch Ness Monster in 1973. A trained naturalist, he later led one of the most ambitious searches ever mounted at the loch.
According to PA, Shine headed a major sonar expedition in 1987 using equipment worth around £1 million. Despite the scale of the effort, the team uncovered no evidence of a large unknown animal.
Doubts take hold
Shine said his doubts sharpened after a personal experience that appeared convincing at first. He believed he had seen one of Nessie’s humps, only to realise it was a rock.
That moment prompted him to reassess hundreds of reported sightings. He now believes many have ordinary explanations rather than anything mythical.
“The sightings are caused by ship wakes,” Shine told The Sun. “Here, they develop this multi-humped form and that’s what people often see.”
Illusions on water
Shine explained that boat movements through the loch, which is connected to the Caledonian Canal, can create visual effects that resemble a creature surfacing.
He also dismissed claims of a long neck rising from the water. According to Shine, such sightings are often caused by “birds [gathering] on a calm surface”.
He added that Loch Ness is too cold to support a large reptile-like animal and does not contain enough fish to sustain it.
Old myths revisited
Shine said discussions with a conjurer who studied classic art further shifted his thinking. Reviewing historic images and claims, he came to believe many were deliberate fabrications.
“They were all fakes and he showed us the explanations,” Shine said.
Despite this verdict, he does not regret his decades-long quest. “I’ve had enormous fun — and any new proof would be wonderful,” he said, leaving the door slightly open to surprise.
