Loch Ness Monster ‘spotted’ for first time in almost nine months ending fears beast had gone missing
The Loch Ness Monster's official recorder had admitted he was "worried" that there had been no sightings of her
THIS is the moment the fabled Loch Ness Monster was "officially" spotted for the first time this year - bringing more than eight months of uncertainty to an end.
Nessie's official recorder admitted he had been "worried" after a dry spell of sightings meant not one person had claimed to see the beast since August last year.
A 28-year-old tourist captured what she thinks is Nessie after she saw a something that looked like a neck sticking out of the water
Enthusiasts were so concerned about Nessie, Gary Campbell, the official recorder, revealed he had fielded calls from as far afield as Adelaide and Moscow.
But tourist, Hayley Johnson from Manchester saw a strange and dark shape at dusk in the loch's Urquhart Bay yesterday - said to be a favourite haunt of Nessie.
The 28-year-old, a care assistant from Abbey Hey, Manchester, said:"I couldn't believe my eyes.
"I am a really sceptical person. I have never even been to Loch Ness before, but I decided to come up for the Bank Holiday.
"I had stayed in a backpackers' hotel and on my last night decided to go for a walk through the woods and ended up on the banks of the loch. It was lovely and at dusk.
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"Then about half a mile away I saw this dark shape sticking up - like a neck. I thought at first it was a tree, but it was very strange. I took a picture. It was there for a couple of seconds, but when I looked back it was gone. I was shocked.
"I was really excited about Nessie as a child but to be honest I thought Nessie had probably died in the 1930s. I didn't think she was alive any more. I know now that she is very much alive. I'm just so excited - it's unbelievable what's happened."
Gary said: "There have been sightings of Nessie there before. This a credible sighting but is obviously unexplained.
"I was quite worried that there had been an eight month gap since the last sighting and so was the whole world it seemed. I fielded calls from around the world - from Moscow, Adelaide and California, everywhere, asking what had happened to Nessie?
"I am relieved and delighted with this sighting - and so will the planet!
"Last year was a record year for the 21st Century with eight sightings and then she seemed to have disappeared.
"Nessie is seen in the winter but she's much more common in the summer - this is why it was unusual that nothing was seen."
"The reason for the summer sightings is twofold - there are more people around in the summer but more importantly, there are much longer daylight hours and the weather tends to be better."
He said 2016 was a "fantastic" year for Nessie sightings - which he put down to the growth of smartphones and webcams.
He added two of the sightings were by webcam, including one from an online watcher in America.
Gary said: "It means that there are more people than ever before are looking for Nessie - which would explain the rise in last year's sightings.
"In fact, you have to go back to 2000 when there were 11 sightings, for more appearances of Nessie."
The last previous sighting was on August 21 when Ian Campbell, a government worker from Argyll, was cycling along the west side of the loch near Drumnadrochit with his son and a family friend when he pictured two creatures in the loch about 33 feet in length just out from the shore.
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