1996 Loch Ness underwater large thing Urquhart Castle Inverness

[Blue136]

Hello everyone
I wanted to share a video I recently recovered from my parents'house. When I was a child (I am 36), I used to go on holiday to Scotland with my parents.
They would film our trips using a VHS camera (I don't remember the model, but I can find it if needed). It was recorded in July 1996, and we were visiting Urquhart Castle.
My mother filmed the lake from one of the castle's windows.
At the time, she didn't notice anything unusual in the footage, but when we looked at it later, we saw something (fairly large) moving under the water. I'm not really into paranormal stuff or legends, but I have to admit, it kind of reminds me of Nessie I'm not sure what to make of it, so I'm reaching out to see if anyone can help explain what this might be.
I've done some research, and the largest fish in the lake aren't nearly the size of a person. I also learned that the deepest part of the lake is right in front of the castle. Could it be an optical illusion? It doesn't seem to be caused by wind or underwater currents.
My parents recently ripped all our holiday vhs movies so I was able to get it back and share it. Thanks a lot to everyone for reading me and help me to explain this ! (I'm French sorry if the English is wrong)

Here is the video :
Source: https://youtu.be/uvpeRnu_vfo?si=9_7EWaTXdpVjWy6J

The interesting part is at 0:22

 

[MonkeeSage]

Hello and welcome! Your English is good

I have seen wind gusts on lakes and rivers create a similar localized line of ripples. I had a hard time finding good videos showing it as most of them are showing wide gusts heading towards the camera, or far off, or several gusts going in different directions (apparently called "cat's paws").

I did find one video showing it. At 0:07 seconds starting from the bottom center and moving up to the left.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l33TMu5AUhA


Other examples with wind gusts blowing in multiple directions.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3YbdDbbyHo



Source: https://vimeo.com/898288517/17f6899a57



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dLK6pYEiDA


Boat wakes can also apparently travel for miles in the loch, and there are also standing waves, as seen in the following examples, but to me your video looks more like a wind gust.


Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCi95o9aJX8



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Td3CHu88HM



Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl2wHRJmWpg

 

[NorCal Dave]

but to me your video looks more like a wind gust.

Agreed. Note that to right of the scene there are clearly wind ripples reflecting the sun and to the left are ripples not reflecting the sun. An isolated gust is certainly possible. If one scrubs back and forth (pause the video and use the< and> keys to work the video frame by frame) when the anomaly appears, there seems to be a lot of artificing. VHS was, by modern standard a fairly low-resolution format that has now been converted and uploaded. The artifacts around the ripples help enforce the unusual appearance:

 

[Ann K]

At the time, she didn't notice anything unusual in the footage, but when we looked at it later, we saw something (fairly large) moving under the water.

Loch Ness is home to a population of freshwater seals (in the size range of humans), and that might be a good candidate for your sighting. There are also eels in the loch which can get over a meter in length, but of course they are slender, not as bulky as seals.

I can't really tell what size that might be from your video.

 

[Scaramanga]

Hello everyone
I wanted to share a video I recently recovered from my parents'house. When I was a child (I am 36), I used to go on holiday to Scotland with my parents.
They would film our trips using a VHS camera (I don't remember the model, but I can find it if needed). It was recorded in July 1996, and we were visiting Urquhart Castle.
My mother filmed the lake from one of the castle's windows.
At the time, she didn't notice anything unusual in the footage, but when we looked at it later, we saw something (fairly large) moving under the water. I'm not really into paranormal stuff or legends, but I have to admit, it kind of reminds me of Nessie I'm not sure what to make of it, so I'm reaching out to see if anyone can help explain what this might be.
I've done some research, and the largest fish in the lake aren't nearly the size of a person. I also learned that the deepest part of the lake is right in front of the castle. Could it be an optical illusion? It doesn't seem to be caused by wind or underwater currents.
My parents recently ripped all our holiday vhs movies so I was able to get it back and share it. Thanks a lot to everyone for reading me and help me to explain this ! (I'm French sorry if the English is wrong)

Here is the video :
Source: https://youtu.be/uvpeRnu_vfo?si=9_7EWaTXdpVjWy6J

The interesting part is at 0:22

I agree that it's not the wind...it has too sharp an edge. But neither do I think it is internal camera lens flare, or indeed anything actually 'in' the water. Which doesn't leave a lot left !

I watched the relevant section over and over, and finally an answer dawned on me and this I am almost certain is the right answer....

It's the smearing of a drop of rain from a shower, across the camera lens...blown by the wind. You can even see the drop get smeared out. The initial curved shape of the drop on the lens reflects the sunlight on the waves. It's like a little mini lens in itself...creating a secondary image of the scene that gets smeared across the frame as the wind blows the drop.

 

[RTM]

Looks like the dreaded East wind. Always terrible for fishing lakes, that reminds me of the sudden gusts I used to see where it looks like any waves are flattened.

 

[deirdre]

It's the smearing of a drop of rain from a shower, across the camera lens...blown by the wind. You can even see the drop get smeared out. The initial curved shape of the drop on the lens reflects the sunlight on the waves. It's like a little mini lens in itself...creating a secondary image of the scene that gets smeared across the frame as the wind blows the drop.

i took this scene shot of the very end, and was gonna say "why does the lens look wet and blurry?" (more on left hand side) but i thought everyone would think im nuts since the footage of the land looked clean and clear.

 

[NoParty]

Welcome. Thanks for bringing this in.
Ah, the days of 640x480... ;P

Given the lore of the place, I can imagine how excited y'all were when you saw the...uh...anomaly.

Wind? Possibly, I've never seen it quite do that, but hey, I don't have a lot of good explanations.

It's clearly not the smearing of a drop of rain from a shower, across the camera lens!
(jk, inside joke...but that's actually as plausible as anything else I can come up with so far.)

 

[Hougenai]

I agree that it's not the wind...it has too sharp an edge. But neither do I think it is internal camera lens flare, or indeed anything actually 'in' the water. Which doesn't leave a lot left !

I watched the relevant section over and over, and finally an answer dawned on me and this I am almost certain is the right answer....

It's the smearing of a drop of rain from a shower, across the camera lens...blown by the wind. You can even see the drop get smeared out. The initial curved shape of the drop on the lens reflects the sunlight on the waves. It's like a little mini lens in itself...creating a secondary image of the scene that gets smeared across the frame as the wind blows the drop.

When there is not a cloud in the sky, a 'drop of rain' is a stretch (even for Scotland's often variable weather).

As a former dinghy sailor gusts of wind producing disturbance across the water surface were a familiar sight. In this case the visibility of the phenomena, from the observer's position, is enhanced by the refelction of the sunlight.
Faint yet similar events are noted on the rough patch of water to the right, slightly prior and during the one in question.

 

[Ann K]

It's the smearing of a drop of rain from a shower, across the camera lens...blown by the wind.

Except the sky is clear blue, and the video was taken in brilliant sunshine. The image of the castle walkways shows no trace of wet ground. In spite of Scotland's well-earned reputation for rainy weather, it seems improbable in this case.

 

[JMartJr]

An isolated gust is certainly possible.

It's in a great spot for one adjacent to the drop-off to the water and the structure of Urquhart Castle turbulent wind would be very very likely, leading to little puffs going this way or that.

Loch Ness is home to a population of freshwater seals (in the size range of humans), and that might be a good candidate for your sighting.

Maybe, and seals have accounted for a number of sightings in the Loch. Seen from this angle, though, I'd expect yo be able to see the body of the seal pretty clearly, and whatever it is does not leave a wake that I can see nor any sign of creating turbulence as it move through the water ("boils" or up-welling on the surface, etc.) It really looks exactly like a little puff of wind moving across the water.

 

[Scaramanga]

When there is not a cloud in the sky, a 'drop of rain' is a stretch (even for Scotland's often variable weather).

There isn't 'not a cloud in the sky'.

You can clearly see clouds both at the start and end of the video. Seems to be some quite hefty shower clouds over in the distance on the left in this frame....and as we never actually see overhead in the video we don't know that one such is not passing over at the time. Which is actually quite typical for Scotland, where it can be sunshine one minute and showering the next....

 

[Hougenai]

There isn't 'not a cloud in the sky'.

You can clearly see clouds both at the start and end of the video. Seems to be some quite hefty shower clouds over in the distance on the left in this frame....and as we never actually see overhead in the video we don't know that one such is not passing over at the time. Which is actually quite typical for Scotland, where it can be sunshine one minute and showering the next....

View attachment 76648

Ok, my bad, let's go for 'hardly a cloud in the sky' or 'no observable rainclouds'. Of course i'd add that there is not a sign of a passing shower as wet paths, walls or vegetation of Urquhart Castle in the rest of the video. (though freely admit this alleged droplet could've been from a bottle).

My cloud ID isn't what it once was, but those 'Hefty shower clouds' look more like Cumulus -a fair weather cloud.

 

[Trailblazer]

I do (or used to do) a fair amount of sailing, and I can say that looks exactly like a wind gust causing a localised patch of ripples. My wife used to be a sailing instructor and she taught me to look out for this type of pattern on the water upwind of the boat, as it means you are about to get smacked by a gust and if you are not ready for it you might be about to have a swim.

The ripples have the same reflection signature as the waves to the right. And from the microphone noise, it is clearly a windy day.

 

[JMartJr]

I do (or used to do) a fair amount of sailing, and I can say that looks like exactly like a wind gust causing a localised patch of ripples.

I did too, and I 100% agree.

@Blue136 , you might look through any additnional footage, if there in fact is any, looking at the Loch and see if you spot other puffs...

 

[Scaramanga]

I do (or used to do) a fair amount of sailing, and I can say that looks exactly like a wind gust causing a localised patch of ripples. My wife used to be a sailing instructor and she taught me to look out for this type of pattern on the water upwind of the boat, as it means you are about to get smacked by a gust and if you are not ready for it you might be about to have a swim.

The ripples have the same reflection signature as the waves to the right. And from the microphone noise, it is clearly a windy day.

View attachment 76685

I initially thought it was a wind gust.....but then I noticed the really sharp edges of whatever it is, which simply doesn't happen with a wind gust. Your pic only serves to exemplify those sharp edges. It is way too narrow and confined and sharp edged to be a gust. It just doesn't look right.

That is why I proposed that it is actually a spreading out drop of water on the lens. That would have a sharp edge, and would smear out across the lens in the wind exactly as one sees.

 

[Scaramanga]

Of course i'd add that there is not a sign of a passing shower as wet paths, walls or vegetation of Urquhart Castle in the rest of the video. (though freely admit this alleged droplet could've been from a bottle).

Indeed...but we only need one drop, not a torrential downpour. And I agree it could equally be from a water bottle or some other source. I've never yet filled a water bottle for my rucksack without getting some water on the outside. The water bottle and camera are then shoved into the rucksack....and that could be how one gets water on the camera.

 

[JMartJr]

That is why I proposed that it is actually a spreading out drop of water on the lens.

If that were the case, I'm not sure I understand why it goes away during the video. A puff of wind can peter out or lift off the water, I'd expect to see a water drop either stop moving and remain in place, or run to the edge of the lens.

@Blue136 , if we could see a few seconds more of that shot (if there is more) it might help to see if a droplet makes itself known again!

 

[Scaramanga]

If that were the case, I'm not sure I understand why it goes away during the video. A puff of wind can peter out or lift off the water, I'd expect to see a water drop either stop moving and remain in place, or run to the edge of the lens.

It's a windy day and the drop of water on the lens gets blown across the lens and smeared out. The drop gets smeared out in the direction you'd expect with the wind going from right to left. The drop acts as a mini lens that reflects the sun on the waves. ( which is the brightest part of the image ). The drop 'goes away' because it gets blown across the lens by the wind.

 

[JMartJr]

The drop 'goes away' because it gets blown across the lens by the wind.

But I am not seeing it get blown all the way across and out of sight. It either has to "evit, stage left," or still be on the lens, I'd think.

It also seems to me that as the camera pans up, the mystery thnig does not respond to the camera movement but continues moving across the water at the same pace.

The ripples have the same reflection signature as the waves to the right. And from the microphone noise, it is clearly a windy day.

They also align with the wave(lets) you mention as they round the headland there.

 

[Skalman]

Loch Ness is home to a population of freshwater seals (in the size range of humans), and that might be a good candidate for your sighting. There are also eels in the loch which can get over a meter in length, but of course they are slender, not as bulky as seals.

I can't really tell what size that might be from your video.

I would like to come with a small correction here: there is no population of freshwater seals living in Loch Ness. Occasionally one or even a few seals will visit for some time (according to this paper there were a total of eight seals counted for the years 1972-1986, just above one every other year). Both seal species living in Scotland (harbour seals and grey seals) do relatively often explore rivers and lakes and you can also sometimes find ones on dry land quite far from any body of water, usually pups in bad condition who are lost. A lot more seal pups are found and "rescued" by mistake on shores, though, since people think they are abandoned when they are alone, but the truth is that seal pups are precocial and weaned early and if it isn't in visibly bad condition or far from water you should just let it be.

 

[Ann K]

I would like to come with a small correction here: there is no population of freshwater seals living in Loch Ness.

Thanks for the correction. I was misinformed.