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NESSIE spotters from across the world have been keeping a close watch on Loch Ness resulting in four contenders for the Best Nessie Sighting of The Year for 2015.
They will compete for a £1000 cash prize from sponsors bookmaker William Hill which has again teamed up with The Inverness Courier to run an online vote.
The encounters have been registered with Gary Campbell who keeps the official register of sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. Two entries are accompanied by photographs while two are verbal accounts from local residents.
The winner will also receive a free £100 bet to place on the winner of the William Hill Scottish Cup. The other three entrants will receive a £50 bet.
Mr Campbell said 2015 had been a bumper year for sightings. As well as the four entries, another couple visiting Urquhart Castle in April reported seeing a large dolphin sized shape emerging from the waters several times.
The sighting was confirmed by another unrelated person who saw the same thing but the couple wished to remain anonymous so it had not been entered into the competition.
"This is among the highest number of sightings for a decade," Mr Campbell said. "Three years ago, it seemed Nessie had disappeared. For the first time since 1925, there were no confirmed sightings in 2013. But now we have five recorded sightings."
Mr Campbell speculated that the recent discovery by tour boat skipper Keith Stewart of a new trench in Loch Ness could be responsible for Nessie's temporary disappearance two years ago. Using sonar equipment on his boat, Mr Stewart recorded a new deep point of 889ft in the loch whereas the official maximum depth is 754ft.
Mr Campbell believed that an earthquake measuring 2.4 on the Richter scale could have led to the formation of the trench and provided a new hiding place.
Rupert Adams, PR manager for William Hill, said: "We were nervous that Nessie might go back underground again for a year or so. But last year was such a bumper year and such a brilliant year for sightings. We are pleased with the entries we have seen."
Last year's winner for the best Loch Ness Monster sighting was Swede Bjarne Sjöstrand despite never having visited Scotland.
The systems administrator was sitting at home in Stockholm when he spotted a long thin object in the water on a Google Earth image taken above Horse Shoe Scree on the loch's southern side.
It was chosen from five contenders after topping an online poll on the Courier website, which attracted a total of 92,000 votes, and was confirmed by judges to be the year's most intriguing image.
Sightings:
Dee Bruce, of Elgin, April 25:
In what was the first sighting of the season, Ms Bruce was driving to Skye with her partner Les Stuart when she saw a black creature come about three feet out of the water near the north end of the loch at 12.30pm.
She described as being in the shape of a black swan but much bigger. Ms Bruce maintained it was definitely something living because it was there one minute and gone the next.
Unfortunately, it all happened so quickly, she was unable to get a camera out to take pictures.
Crystal Ardito, of New York, July 1:
Ms Ardito took some photographs during a boat trip on the loch but it was only months later while studying the images, she spotted something grey sticking out of the water.
She was unsure of the precise location but said it would have been some distance from the boat, in the middle of the loch.
The weather conditions were about 10C and it was a little windy. The sighting would have been for just a few seconds.
Linda Bates, of Coniston, East Yorkshire, August 13:
Mrs Bates and her husband were staying at the Loch Ness Holiday Park, when she photographed a "mass" moving in an undulating fashion in the loch at 3.30pm.
Five other people also witnessed the sighting which lasted for five minutes. All watched, transfixed, aware they were seeing something strange before it just vanished.
The photograph was taken on a smartphone.
Conor McKenna, of Inverness, September 15:
Mr McKenna, a lorry driver, was driving along the loch-side on the A82 one mile south of Urquhart Castle about 12.45pm when he saw a dark-coloured 15-20ft long object in the water.
It was about 250m from the shore and he had a clear view for six to seven seconds before it submerged, leaving a small wave in its wake. He looked around for anything which seemed out of place but could only spot a small boat, about one mile from shore which was moving north.
Mr McKenna, who drives the road at least four times a week at different hours of the day, said nothing had ever caught his eye to the point where he could not explain it. He did not get a photograph.
* Go to www.inverness-courier.co.uk/News to cast your vote for this year's winner. The poll is located near the foot of the page, in the right column. Voting will close at midnight on Sunday, February 7. The judges' decision is final.
