As the world is still not fully explored, legendary creatures like the Loch Ness Monster rise beyond the curious and exist at the brink of impossibility.
Adoringly known as "Nessie," she continues to live in old stories, swim in children's' dreams, and inspire dreams, influencing every culture and even technology.
To commemorate the 81st anniversary of the "Surgeon's Photograph" published on April 21, 1934, one of the best iconic pictures in Loch Ness history and one that has also been noted as a sophisticated hoax, Google has now joined the fray. Users can search for the elusive monster through 360-degree Google Street View along the surface of Loch Ness.
Use the mapping feature to sail through the 23-mile stretch of freshwater lake, made murky by the peat moss suspended in its waters. For the romantics among us, let the misty water, the effects of the Highland light and wandering logs help bring the myth of Nessie to existence.
Adrian Shine, Loch Ness & Morar Project leader, has been involved in exploration in the Scottish Highlands ever since 1973 and was a primary part of the Street View crew. Shine has recorded more than 1,000 Nessie detections and suggests scientific clarifications for why folks claim to have perceived Scotland's mystical cryptid, an animal or plant whose existence has been suggested but has not been discovered or documented by the scientific community.
The deep freshwater lake is composed of chains of interrelated forms of water, with the Bona Narrows to the north and the River Oich to the south. It runs for 23 miles southwest of Inverness. Although it's neither the major Scottish loch by depth nor surface area, it is the biggest by volume, covering more freshwater than all the lakes of Wales and England combined. Being nearly 800 feet deep, there's an entire domain underneath the surface, intensifying the Nessie legend.
Google mapped the lake and collected images by taking one of its Street View "Trekker" cameras around the perimeter of the loch, and attaching it to a boat to collect the overwater imagery. It teamed up with Catlin Seaview Survey for the underwater shots.
Whatever your stand is on the Nessie debate, the legend survives, even in the digital era. There are more Google searches for Loch Ness compared with other U.K. institutions such as the Peak District and Buckingham Palace, Google says, noting it records around 200,000 searches each month for the Loch Ness Monster.
Google used it's Doodle on April 21 to celebrate Nessie and introduce the mapping expedition to the loch on the anniversary of publication of the "Surgeon's Photograph," which apparently was revealed to be a fake by The Sunday Telegraph in 1975.
Next time you're in the mood for breathtaking and history-laden pictures of the Scottish highlands, with a side of mystery, explore Loch Ness via Street View in Google Maps.
Photo: Sebastian Anthony | Flickr
