New Loch Ness Monster Sighting Makes "Official" Count Larger Than Last Year

There are still just over three months left in 2021 and when it comes to "official" sightings of the legendary Loch Ness Monster, we've already broken last year's number. As of September 6th, there have been 14 "official" sightings of Nessie while 2020 had a total of 13 for the entire year. The number of sightings is tracked by the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register and accounts for both in-person sightings and sightings caught on webcam.

This latest Nessie sighting was noticed by Weiming Jiang of Jiaozhou City, China, who spotted what was described as two black dots that appeared close to shore.

"The dots moved on the water for six minutes," the report noted (via BroBible). "It is the first accepted sighting we have had from China but just shows you can see Nessie from anywhere in the world."

This latest sighting is the ninth sighting in 2021 that has been spotted on the Loch Ness Webcam, which is exactly what it sounds like: a webcam fixed on Loch Ness, a large, deep freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands southwest of Inverness. The camera broadcasts a live stream, allowing people from all over the world to watch for Nessie sightings.

This latest sighting isn't the only notable Nessie sighting in 2021. Last month, Eoin O'Faodhagain released a 38-second clip of a "confirmed" Nessie sighting that may be the largest sighting seen on record with the object in the video estimated to be at least 30 feet long.

"The object in my estimation is at least 30 feet long as shown by solid blackness in the water, rising to at least 4 to 5 feet high. It was amazing to see such a large image caught on video compared to my previous sightings," O'Faodhagain said at the time. "This sighting is also special because there was no boat traffic or wave disturbance in the video and the surface of the loch was calm."

To date, there have been a total of 1144 "official" Loch Ness Monster sightings - both at Loch Ness and on webcam. The earliest report of a monster near Loch Ness was first written in 565, though some dispute whether this was truly a sighting of Nessie. The report that first attracted popular attention to Nessie was published in 1933.

What do you think about the number of Loch Ness Monster sightings we've had for 2021 so far? How many do you think we'll end the year with? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!