[ Ominous music plays ] NARRATOR:
In 2013, vacationer Rick Nelson set out to explore Lake Iliamna
in southern Alaska. He had been doing his own
adventure tour of the state and decided he wanted to kayak the circumference
of this massive body of water. He headed off alone
with a small cache of supplies. Four days later,
his kayak was found upside down and empty in an alcove. His belongings were nearby,
intact. What maritime accident could have separated him
from his kayak? And if he reached land, why would he leave
his belongings behind? The mysterious circumstances
of his disappearance have led many to invoke
the legend of Iliamna Lake that an enormous creature
haunts its depths and attacks with impunity. Whatever happened,
Rick has never been seen again. Inside the vast frontier
of Alaska is a mysterious triangle where, each year, 5 out of
every 1,000 people go missing. [ Animal growls ] [ Animal roars ] Three investigators look
for answers -- Jax, a former police officer... Ken, a specialist
in strange phenomena... and Tommy,
an expert on Alaskan legends. Together, they uncover
mysterious sightings and ancient legends, exploring the possibilities
of those who go... --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF">
www.vitac.com</font> Captioning provided by
A+E Networks The team heads across
Iliamna Lake, at the southwest corner
of the Triangle, toward the alcove where
Rick's kayak was discovered. It's a secluded spot,
far away from any towns. [ Exhales sharply ] So we got
about 45 minutes, guys. Right on. Look how huge this lake is. What are
the dimensions here? 77 at the longest,
22 by the widest. How many? 1,000 --
1,000 square miles. 1,000 square miles, yeah. I just can't imagine
that this guy was actually trying to kayak
the whole lake. That's a long ways. You'd be out here
for a long time trying to paddle
the circumference of it. So, Rick Nelson
comes from Missouri. He's been out here for about
three months, exploring Alaska. From what I gather,
he didn't ever seem really prepared
with food and gear or any kind of planning. And it sounds like maybe
that caught up to him. So, I mean, what -- what do you
think happened to him? I mean,
the normal things -- you know, we're in
a large body of water. Did he drown? Even experienced boaters
and fishermen go missing
and die every year. So, you're talking about
an inexperienced guy with a gung-ho attitude
not preparing very well for the elements. That's all a recipe
for disaster. NARRATOR: According to those
who encountered Rick, he seemed very cavalier
in his adventures. Could he have
simply underestimated this huge and challenging lake? I think
there's one "X" factor here that we can't rule out -- the Lake Iliamna monster --
Illie. NARRATOR:
The Iliamna Lake monster is a legend
that dates back centuries to the native Tlingits. It's said to be fishlike
in its anatomy, but much larger
than any local aquatic species. Witness descriptions vary,
but a composite image suggests a 30-foot-long animal
with a blunt head for ramming and a row of piercing teeth
for tearing prey. Modern sightings
of this creature date to the 1940s,
with dozens of reports from a wide variety
of witnesses. I mean, I think we have to
consider the possibility that that may have played
a factor in this disappearance. From what I've heard about
this lake is it's not really like a lake.
It's like a small sea. This is the largest freshwater
lake we have in Alaska. It's not like a normal lake
to go partying on, you know? It's really rough
and dangerous to be out here. Every year, people go missing
in the Alaska Triangle, searching for adventure
without being prepared. But I've grown up
with Illie stories, so I'm curious to find out
if there's any truth to them. NARRATOR: Iliamna Lake
stretches 77 miles long and nearly 22 miles wide, approximately the size
of Rhode Island. It also achieves depths
of almost 1,000 feet. Its waters drain
to the southwest through the Kvichak River, which connects the lake
to Bristol Bay and the Bering Sea. I mean, this lake
is connected to the ocean. Right. So, I mean, there is a potential
for sea marine animals -- -Oh. Holy cow. What is that?
-Look at that. Hey, Captain,
can you swing around? Got it!
That was huge! -What the hell was that?
-I don't know. NARRATOR: A large splash
has caught the team's attention. It could be just a fish,
but in the Alaska Triangle, anything unexpected
could be a lead. How deep is it, Captain? CAPTAIN:
It's almost 400 feet here. I'm gonna get
the fish-finder. All right. NARRATOR: Tommy retrieves
the team's fish-finder, which uses sonar to detect
any marine life swimming below. Here, Ken. You want to monitor,
and I'll operate? We got 150 feet here
of cable. You ready? Yeah. ♪ Looks good. Still got pretty decent
visibility here. How many feet we got left there,
Tommy? -That is it.
-That's it? We got it all reeled out. All right, well, let's just
let it set and see what we get. ♪ NARRATOR:
Whatever made the splash appears
to have fled the area. KEN: Nothing. I think we should keep going
to the spot where Rick's stuff was found
and keep our eyes peeled for any other marine life. Captain, can you take us
to the alcove, please? All right,
I'll fire it up. ♪ NARRATOR: The team docks
close to the location where the kayaker's belongings
were found. They've brought a kayak
of their own, which they'll use
to place an underwater camera out in the alcove. It will monitor the water
for any sign of large animals
swimming nearby. TOMMY: Let's stop here
and look for a minute. Got a nice game trail
through here with signs of wildlife
out here. Maybe this guy --
maybe he rode ashore, left his kayak on the shore,
and a bear got him, everything floated away. What do you think? Easy explanation. I mean,
I just got to ask myself, I mean, why was his kayak
overturned? It kind of leads you to believe
this happened on the water. True. You guys ready to keep moving
and get to the alcove? Yeah. ♪ So, guys, I'm pretty sure
this is the exact area where they dredged the water
for the body. Of course they didn't find
anything at all. Oh, look at this --
The wind's kicking up, and the current's blowing
right into the alcove here. Lake Iliamna has a pretty good
current to it, right? You've got feeder rivers
on the north and east end, and then the drainage is on
the Kvichak River on the bottom. Right. So it's pushing everything
in this direction, leaving the possibility
that, you know, the refuge or if there
was anything left, it would push it
and deposit it right here where we are,
which makes sense that this is where they found the kayak. The fact that all of this stuff
ended up here but he didn't
is the heart of the mystery. And one of
the prevailing theories is that he was out deeper
in the water and, you know, capsized out there and his stuff
got pushed this direction. Well, would it make sense
that he would kayak out towards
the deeper water? I mean, his goal was to --
to kayak the circumference of the lake and stay towards
the shallows, right? I mean, I-I agree.
It doesn't make any sense. But maybe he just decided,
"Oh, I'm gonna go right across," and wasn't prepared for it. There are a lot of aspects
of this mystery that just don't add up. If he fell out
and drowned near this alcove, his body
should have been recovered. If it happened out
in deeper water, his gear should have been
more dispersed. Well, could there be
any other animal out here that could have
pulled his body away? I guess it's possible. I mean, we're in Alaska. There's all kinds of animals
on the coast here and we're -- you know,
we're connected to the ocean and this is a massive lake. Who knows
what's out there? Well, guys, the only way
for us to really tell is get out there
and drop this camera down there. ♪ NARRATOR: The team prepares
to anchor an underwater camera in the alcove where the missing
kayaker's gear was found. The camera is equipped
with a battery pack that will give it up to
50 hours of life. The weighted rig will be
suspended from a floater, allowing it to scan the waters. It'll send a feed
to the team's computer, which will save the footage
for examination. All right, well,
now the cameras are all set. Once he gets back, let's get
back out to open water. ♪ NARRATOR:
The team heads out toward
the deeper water of the lake, going against the current
from the alcove. If the kayaker met his fate
on the open water, it would have likely happened
along this path. They'll keep an eye on the sonar
for any signs of life, especially any predators
that might feed on the salmon, trout,
or other sport fish known to inhabit the lake. Yeah,
it's as smooth as glass. You know, it's worth noting
that most of the sightings of the Loch Ness Monster,
for example, in Scotland have occurred in conditions
just like this. Many people usually say that
the water is very flat and calm, very smooth like this. I mean, whatever is here
in Iliamna is different than
the global archetype of the traditional
lake monster. Mysterious monsters
have been reported in northern lakes
around the world. In British Columbia's
Okanagan Lake, the Ogopogo monster dates back
to Indian legends that claim it requires an animal
sacrifice to grant safe passage. In Norway's Lake Seljord,
Selma is known as a serpentine Goliath
that will knock over boats. The most famous is Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster
of Scotland. Like most of its brethren, it's described as either
snakelike or dinosaur-like, with a long neck
that can rise from the water. Illie, however,
seems to defy the mold. Sightings liken it
more to a gigantic fish than its fellow lake monsters. Vacationer Heidi Baker
saw a glimpse of this creature back in 1998 while hiking. BAKER: I took a vacation
to Lake Iliamna. I had heard
it's a great spot for boating, for really good hiking. And one day I was hiking along
a path that overlooked the lake, and I stopped
to admire the view. I noticed a V-shaped ripple
in the water that was moving
against the waves, and it's strange, but I couldn't
see what was causing it. So I looked closer
and saw sort of a fin-like shape in the water,
and it was just a -- a glimpse. It was almost ghostlike
in appearance. And as I was watching, it eventually disappeared
and didn't come back up. Being an outdoorsy person
most of my life, I've seen many different types
of fish, but I've never seen
anything like that before. I know it sounds crazy, but I think it was
the Iliamna monster. ♪ Here in Iliamna,
it seems like we're just dealing with a giant, monstrous fish
of some kind, something that's grown
to a monstrous size. You guys see anything? No. What about you? Couple of markings
on the sonar there. What do you think we're dealing
with out here, fish-wise? Well, I know --
I know there's king salmon, sockeye,
and rainbow trouts out here. At least
we're seeing evidence that there's a viable
food source here. CAPTAIN: There's something big
going under the boat. You should check it out.
I just saw the shadow. -It's under the boat?
-I'll check it out. KEN: What direction, Tommy?
Do you got a bearing? ♪ NARRATOR: Coming up
on "Missing in Alaska"... NARRATOR: Alaska has long been
a destination for those who like to live
on the edge. The vast acreage
of the Alaska Triangle is a place where people
can explore new worlds and shed old ones. But this area also
has the highest rate of missing persons
in the country. Are people simply unprepared
to blaze new trails here? Or are there dangers lurking that even skilled survivalists
can't anticipate? An adventurer goes missing
on Lake Iliamna, the reputed home of
an enormous underwater monster. The team wants to see
if there's evidence this creature might be real. CAPTAIN: There's something big
going under the boat. You should check it out.
I just saw the shadow. -It's under the boat?
-I'll check it out. What direction, Tommy?
Do you got a bearing? JAX: Tommy, check the sonar. How big was it, Captain? CAPTAIN: I'd guess 10 feet,
but I didn't get a good look. ♪ -It's gone.
-Gone? -Gone.
-Did you go too deep? I went to the side
to get deeper. I still should have seen
something. Well, if this thing was as big
as you said, it was probably -- probably a very powerful
swimmer. So, you know, obviously it could
have swum away really fast, as fast as it came into view. JAX: I'm not sure that
the captain saw anything at all. Maybe the shadow
was just a cloud overhead. Either way, trying to find
an animal in a lake this size by chance is a classic
needle-in-a-haystack scenario. I think we need to go
talk to some experts. KEN: Maybe dig up
an eyewitness or two. Yeah. That would be good. Hey, Cap,
can you take us back? CAPTAIN: Will do.
Heading back. All right, thanks. NARRATOR: With their initial
outing not providing any leads, Ken and Tommy travel
to Anchorage to meet with marine biologist
John Parlier. They hope his expertise
on Iliamna marine life can help direct their search. Hi, John. -Hello.
-Hi. I'm Tommy. -Tommy, nice to meet you.
-Hey, John. Ken Gerhard. -Ken. Nice to meet you, Ken.
-Nice to meet you. We are investigating a case
of a missing kayaker up at Lake Iliamna. We're curious as to whether
there might be a tie-in to these legends of
a mysterious creature up there, the Lake Iliamna monster. The Iliamna monster. What could it be? The most exciting possibility
would be a plesiosaur that is know
by the fossil record to have died out
about 70 million years ago. They are reptiles,
so they're air breathers. So they would need to surface
to breathe. And I think a creature
of that size having to surface
on a regular basis would still be
much more visible. Other potential organisms
are the beluga whale. Problems with those --
they're very surface-oriented. A new theory
is this oarfish. NARRATOR: The oarfish is
the best known embodiment of a sea serpent ever found. With rare sightings dating
to the 1700s, this snakelike creature
wasn't observed live until 2001. Oarfish are believed
to get over 50 feet long and weigh 600 pounds. They typically reside
in deep ocean waters, but when seen at the surface, they're undulating swimming
style and lack of scales make them seem less like a fish
and more like a monster. Problem being,
for them to enter freshwater would mean an incredible change
in the physiology, which they cannot do. They would die in the time
it took them to enter the lake. What about
some of the other big fish? Well, I have pictures
of potential big fish. King salmon -- very, very
popular fish in the area. Some of them can reach
100 pounds. Rainbow trout --
much smaller, obviously. The fish
that I am most interested in -- this is a white surgeon. They are native
to all of the Pacific coast. These have been known to reach
well over 1,000 pounds. And, you know,
these are very migratory fish. They've been known to come up
into the Columbia River, leave the Columbia, and migrate
up the Fraser River in Canada. They like to investigate
new habitat, as it were. And then we have
all the seal species that could be
potentially there. And there have been times
when seals will pod up and be on the surface
in a large group, and that's been one case
where a man thought for sure he saw a sea monster
moving away from his boat. The way they were moving
made it look like a serpent in the surface. NARRATOR: Iliamna Lake is one
of only five places in the Northern Hemisphere with a population
of freshwater seals. Little is known about
this reclusive group of animals. It's only been confirmed
in the last couple of years that they are
year-round residents. Could glimpses
of these unexpected animals surging through the water
be the source of many
supposed Illie sightings? So, that would be my guess,
as far as something known. Do you know
of any eyewitnesses that could
possibly help us here? I actually do know somebody.
His name's John Chamberlain. He appears to be
a credible witness. -That would be awesome. Yeah.
-Sounds good. Yes. I'll get you guys
in contact with him. NARRATOR:
After making contact with
the witness, John Chamberlain, Ken and Jax go to his house
to ask him about his experience. -Hello?
-Hey. -Hi.
-Are you John? Hi. Yes. I'm John. -Hi. I'm Ken.
-Good to meet you. This is my partner Jax. -Hey. How you doing, Jax?
-How you doing, bud? So, thanks for agreeing
to talk to us about your
Iliamna experience. You might have some information
that would be useful to us. Sure. Yes, I do. One time in the morning, I was on the north end
of the lake there. All of a sudden,
while I'm kayaking, I see this -- this ripple
of water coming towards me on the left side. And I couldn't see anything
in the ripple. I didn't know
what was in there. And all of a sudden -- bam --
it hit me on my left side. Then I went ahead and used my
paddle to help keep me steady. Mm-hmm. And when I did that,
I felt a jerk on it. And so I lifted it up, and --
and part of it was missing. What part of Iliamna
was this? You said
it was the north side? Yeah.
The north end, mm-hmm. And I-I do still have that
paddle if you wanted to see it. Oh, yeah? Yeah.
We'd love to see that. Okay. I'm curious to see
what this paddle shows because hard evidence trumps
a good story every time. Oh, wow. Yeah, there it is. Wow. Crazy. Look at that.
It's serrated, right? Over to this section -- I mean,
did it break off like that? Was the paddle old
when you were using it? No. That would be the diameter
of the jaw right there. I mean, that's far out of the
range of a salmon or a trout. It's definitely not a sturgeon
'cause they don't have teeth. They have big suckers
on the bottom of their mouth. NARRATOR: The bite mark appears
to rule out both sturgeon
and seals as culprits. Could the team be dealing
with a creature that's never been identified? Still to come
on "Missing in Alaska"... NARRATOR: Lake Iliamna is
the largest lake in Alaska, covering more than
1,000 square miles. This vast habitat
is home to enormous numbers of sport fish, like salmon,
trout, and grayling. It also hosts a rare population
of freshwater seals that thrives on plentiful food. But does it contain
something else -- a monstrous creature
first described centuries ago in Tlingit lore? And could it be adding
to the number of people who go missing
in the Alaska Triangle? A witness's encounter indicates a previously
unidentified creature. But what kind of creature
could it be? The team planted
an underwater camera near the spot where a missing
kayaker's belongings were found. Tommy has been going through
the footage and has found something
the others should see. Check this out. You got something? Watch this. Cool. That's just a seal, though. Yeah. It's a -- a seal just
cruising by, but wait for it. Check it out. That's strange. What is that? Rewind it. That's what I'm talking about.
Check it out. What do you think? That's a -- That's a fin
right there, right? Yeah, that's --
that's definitely a fin. Look how huge that is. Yeah. It's a pectoral fin.
Got the tail there. Yeah? NARRATOR: The team can see
only the tip of the fin. That's got to be huge. But based on
the size of the shadow, it's clearly a large animal. Tommy, do you have
that book John gave us, the marine biologist? Marine biology? Yes. Yeah. Let's do some comparative
analysis here. Check that out. That's a sturgeon. Well, this looks a lot more
round and solid. Yeah.
It's a more rounded fin. This one looks split. Or maybe it's two fins. Potentially, it --
it could be a -- a sturgeon fin. I mean, sometimes fins get
injured when fish are younger -- bitten off. NARRATOR: The largest sturgeon
top out at about 12 feet long. Could the creature captured in
this image fit that description, or is this something
much larger? It's just not
a good enough image, but whatever it is,
it's big. JAX: It is. And appeared to be
chasing that seal. Well, guys, we know that
there's been a seal population at Iliamna for years. And they're rarely seen. We really don't know
much about them, so it's also reasonable
to assume that there could be
something else out there that's also rarely seen, something very large
that's feeding on these seals, and that is
a real mystery. NARRATOR: The possibility that
something could be feeding on the seals here without
decimating the seal population does have
a biological precedent. The Pacific sleeper shark,
a deepwater dweller native to Alaskan ocean waters,
is known to feed on seals when it ventures
toward the surface. But at its preferred depths,
prey is scarce, so it adapted the ability
to keep food stored in its stomach for a long time,
requiring fewer meals. Could an animal in Iliamna Lake
be similarly living off
the modest seal pods here? And could
its infrequent feedings explain why
it's so hard to spot? You know, I-I think, honestly,
we need to get an expert opinion with regard to
the seal population in Iliamna, someone who's familiar
with the seals and what they look like. Well, I'll go with you. Let's do it. NARRATOR: The connection between
the seals of Iliamna Lake and the monster
has been witnessed before. Martin Puck claims to have seen
it firsthand in 1997. PUCK: So, I was up fishing
Lake Iliamna, and this was
a number of years ago. And I found
this really promising spot. There were all these seals
out in the water, and, I mean,
with the seals there, I assume
they've got to be feeding and having a big school of fish
under there. So I cast out my line,
and, I mean, I just let it out there,
waiting for a bite. [ Ominous music playing ] All of a sudden, I looked up,
and the -- the seals were gone. They had just taken off. And I started scanning the water
for them. I saw this big shape
kind of under the water. It just came out of nowhere. It was huge. And I tracked that
for a little while before it kind of disappeared
back under. It was just too big to possibly
be a seal, I mean, way too big. Everyone up here knows about
the Iliamna monster, and I have no doubt
that's what it was. ♪ NARRATOR: Hoping to learn more
about how the seals might play into the Iliamna monster legend, Jax and Ken arrange a meeting
with Steven Pratt, a longtime bush pilot
who works in the Iliamna area. Steven?
You Steven? -Yeah.
-Hey. Ken Gerhard. -Hey, Ken. Good to meet you.
-Nice to meet you. Thanks for meeting us
on short notice. -You're welcome.
-Appreciate it. -I'm Jax.
-Jax, good to meet you. Steven, we're up here
investigating the case of a missing kayaker
out here on Lake Iliamna. Mm. And we're looking
at a possible connection to the Lake Iliamna monster. So, right now
we're kind of focused on these freshwater seals, trying to get
more information on those. We're hoping you have some
insight. Well, you know, we've been
flying the lake for years. And, you know, we see the seals
somewhat frequently. Well, you know,
only very recently did scientists confirm
that the seals were year-round residents
of the lake. We've been seeing the seals
for years, and there's been some biologists
coming around and investigating this. And it seems like
they're just getting on to what we've been talking about
for years. And we noticed they tend
to head up into the northeast portion
of the lake in the winter months. And then
in the summertime, we see them heading out
along the Kvichak River there on the southwest end
of the lake. You know, I think
they're probably pretty hungry from the winter months. And -- And the salmon
start coming in. And it seems like
they're wanting to fatten up from a long, hard winter. Mm. It makes sense. Ken, this is all starting
to add up. I think the monster sightings
are following the same path. According to Steven, the seals traverse a regular
circuit around the lake, from their winter
resting grounds to their summer feeding grounds,
then back again. John Chamberlain had
his encounter while kayaking in the early spring, and Rick Nelson went missing
in late summer. Factor in additional sightings
by season, and a pattern emerges. So, the sightings of the beast
seem to follow a pattern. Right, following the migration
pattern of the seals. I got you. So, we still don't know
what we're looking for, but maybe we know
where to look for it. True. This pattern could mean
that the Iliamna monster -- whatever it is --
isn't targeting people. Maybe it's going after seals and humans in kayaks are a case
of mistaken identity. You know, Steve, we could use
some help on this investigation. Many of the sightings
of the monster have been
from a floatplane. If we could have
a bird's-eye view of the lake, I think that would help us
see this thing. Let me know
when you'd like to go. I'd be glad to take you out.
-Perfect. That sounds great. We'll get all
our stuff together. We'll let you know as soon as
we're ready. -Okay. Thank you.
-Thank you. -Good to meet you fellas.
-Steve, thanks. NARRATOR: Just ahead
on "Missing in Alaska," NARRATOR: In 2013, a would-be
adventurer disappeared while kayaking on Iliamna Lake. A legendary monster said to
reside here could be to blame. The team has discovered
a correlation between sightings of the beast and the seasonal migration
of the Iliamna seal population. Could a predatory animal
have mistaken the kayaker for its favorite prey? And could that be part
of a recurring pattern of attacking kayaks
in search of a meal? The team wants to test
this theory by taking a life-sized lure --
a dummy in a kayak -- to a waiting boat which
will transport Jax and Tommy to the southwest corner
of the lake. They'll be joined
by a professional diver, who will stand ready to enter
the water and record footage of anything
approaching under the surface. -Hey, Alec.
-Hey, what's up, guys? -How you doing?
-Great. Hey, guys, this is Alec,
our diver. -Ken. Good to meet you.
-Hey, Alec. I'm Tommy. You'll be ready
to jump in there for us? I'm ready. -Hey, Steve.
-Hey, Ken. Good
to see you again. Good to see you.
Thanks for joining us. Ken will join bush pilot Steven
in the skies above, scanning the water for any signs
of unidentified life. [ Engine turns over ] The team heads toward
the lower terminus of the lake, where its waters drains
into the Kvichak River on its way to the Bering Sea. The Iliamna seals are reported
to be active in that area. ♪ All right, guys,
I'm right over your position. I've got eyes on the boat. Looks like
we're sailing up here. JAX: We're doing as much as
we can to lure this creature in. But our theory is that
the animal might go a long time between meals. So, if this mannequin
isn't tempting enough, this could all be for nothing. NARRATOR:
There is another possibility that could prevent Illie
from making an appearance. It might not be an animal
at all. Some have speculated it could be
a military submarine undergoing constant refinement
and testing in this remote body of water. Alaska is home
to nine military bases, seven of which were started
in the 1940s as a response to World War II. A renewed urgency
for military preparedness spawned lots of technology
development at these sites. Some have speculated
that Iliamna's size and location could allow testing
of an underwater craft to go largely unnoticed, and the existence
of the monster legend provides the perfect cover. But would a top-secret
military submarine explain the damage to
John Chamberlain's kayak paddle? And what connection
would it have, if any, to Rick Nelson's disappearance? How about
straight ahead, Tommy? Right up there? That's the mouth
of the Kvichak right there. Tommy, if everything's true
we've been researching, the seals
are gonna be here. It's the right time
of year. So, what do you think
we get up there and turn the boat around? Turn the boat around,
trolling speed. Throw out the kayak and the
mannequin and see what happens. Yeah. We'll put
the fish-finder down, too. You want to tell Alec
to get ready, too? Yeah. Let's do that. ♪ Push him out. We rigged the kayak
so we could tip it over and dump the mannequin
in the water. If some kind of animal
is checking it out, maybe that will encourage it
to strike. All right,
it's trolling pretty good. Think we can drop
the fish-finder in right here? Yeah.
This is a good speed here. You want to
keep an eye on it? Yeah, yeah. Let me jump
in the corner here. Hey, Captain, can you
maintain this speed for us? CAPTAIN:
I'll stay right here. Thank you, sir. ♪ -All right.
-Got a good view? -We're all set.
-Right on. NARRATOR: The sonar fish finder
beams signals into the depths that reflect
back to the surface, painting a picture
of anything below. If there's an animal between
them and the floor of the lake, they'll see it. Good picture.
All right. Nice and slow, bud. Little bit of a current
right there. ♪ It's a bunch
of darkness, man. [ Plane propellers whirring ] ♪ We got the camera down and the kayak out
with the mannequin in it. Smooth sailing. ♪ You see anything? [ Suspenseful music playing ] There's a huge shadow
on the water. It's headed towards the kayak. Whoa, whoa.
Hey, hey, look. ♪ Hey, call Ken. It's moving directly
toward you. Do you copy? Over. NARRATOR: Up next
on "Missing in Alaska"... NARRATOR: Lake Iliamna
sits at the southwest corner of the Alaska Triangle. This enormous body of water has seen a number of people
go missing. It also has a history
of eyewitnesses reporting what appears to be
a monstrous beast roaming its waters. How could such a large animal
live here while remaining
so elusive? Is it possible it might have
a low metabolism that allows for extended periods
without food, enabling it to remain hidden
in the depths? The animals
that are most notorious for extended fasts
are marine-based. Frogs can go for months
without eating by achieving a state
called torpor, a kind of super sleep
when food is scarce. Some can even survive
being frozen during winter, with their organs protected
by high levels of glucose until they thaw in the spring. Crocodiles can go
even longer without food -- up to three years. These animals gorge
on large mammals, then settle into a sedate state until more food
becomes available. But even more impressive
is the lungfish. Not only can it survive
both in the water and on land. It can live without food
for four years by going into
a hibernation state and slowly digesting
its own muscle tissue. The team doesn't know if
the creature they're pursuing has similar capabilities,
but whatever it is might be approaching them
right now. TOMMY:
You see anything? [ Suspenseful music playing ] There's a huge shadow
on the water. It's headed towards the kayak. Whoa, whoa.
Hey, hey, look. ♪ It's moving
directly toward you. Do you copy? Over. Okay, we're gonna drop
the mannequin, then. ♪ Hey, Ken.
The mannequin's out. All right, Alec,
we need you in the water. NARRATOR: The diver, Alec,
enters the water with a camera, but he'll also have
a spear gun handy. His goal is to document
anything that comes by and only use the weapon
if needed in self-defense. JAX: Got this? ♪ Alec is equipped
with a communication system that will enable him to stay
in verbal contact with the boat. ALEC:
Radio check, radio check. Check. Copy. Loud and clear,
loud and clear. Hey, Ken, we don't see it
anymore. Do you? Guys, I'm not seeing
the shadow anymore. I'm not seeing the shadow. I don't know
where it went. Over. Hey, Ken, we're gonna make
the mannequin move around a little bit, see if we can
give it some lifelike movement. Maybe it'll
attract it back. ♪ Alec, you see anything? ALEC: Nope. Got nothing here. Stay alert, buddy. KEN: This is now the second time
we've seen something big in the water
that disappeared on us. If this is the Iliamna monster,
it might have an instinct, a high sensitivity to danger,
and knows when to back off. We might have missed our chance
to identify it. Hey, Alec, why don't you
reposition further away from the mannequin so you don't
scare this thing off? ALEC: Copy that. Yeah, we don't know
where it went at all. We've got no eyes at all. ♪ I'm seeing the huge shadow.
I'm seeing it. It's -- It's real close
to the boat. To the boat? It's moving
directly toward you. Do you copy? Over. ♪ It's not going after
the mannequin. It's going after
the diver. Jax to diver. I don't see
his bubbles anywhere. Jax to diver -- come in.
I'm going up on the bow. Okay. [ Dramatic music plays ] JAX:
Jax to diver -- come in. Ken, we've lost sight
of the diver. It's not going
after the mannequin. It's going after
the diver. Jax to diver. I don't see
his bubbles anywhere. Jax to diver -- come in.
I'm going up on the bow. Okay. ♪ Jax to diver -- come in. Ken, we've lost sight
of the diver. What do you mean, we lost
communication with the diver? Are you serious? Yeah.
He just stopped responding. Can you search for him
from the air? Okay, I'll -- I'll keep an eye
out for him. See anything, Jax? No, nothing.
I can't see bubbles or anything. I don't see anything back here,
no bubbles at all. Jax to diver -- come in. ♪ I got nothing, Tommy. [ Dramatic music playing ] Guys, I'm seeing something
surface about 30 yards from the stern,
right behind you. JAX: Tommy,
I got bubbles over here. Port side! Port side! Ken, I got him
on the port side. You okay? TOMMY: Right on. He's giving the thumbs-up, Ken.
He's all right. ♪ What happened down there? What happened, Alec? Are you hurt at all? Grab my hand. Ohh. You okay, man? Something hit my tank,
spun me around, and my comms went out. It was there one second
and just gone the next. I could never
get a clear look at it. Our mannequin and the kayak
are still out there, so I think whatever was
in the water was after you. JAX: He says something big
was harassing him. I don't know if it was a monster
or an angry seal, but either way, it's not safe
for anyone to be out there. Whatever, though, man. Nobody else
is going in the water. We're done, okay? -Yeah.
-Let's pull that stuff in. I'm gonna contact Ken.
-Get our gear. Hey, Ken, we're all done here.
We got him in. We're gonna pull everything in.
We'll meet you at the dock. Copy that.
I'll meet you at the alcove. Over. NARRATOR: Having acquired
no tangible evidence of the monster, but with
no safe way to draw it in again, the team reluctantly calls
an end to the day's hunt. They reconvene on shore
to discuss what happened. You guys doing all right? -Doing good.
-What was that? There was definitely
something there, something massive
moving by the boat. And how did it seem like it was
invisible to the diver? What do you guys think?
The murky water? I mean,
is that why we couldn't see it? Hmm. Possibly, but, you know,
I've got another theory. Think about this. Nature presents many examples
of remarkable physiological adaptation. You got electric eels. You got deep-sea fish
that are bioluminescent, animals that are able
to change the color and texture of their skin
to hide, right? TOMMY: Mm-hmm. Have you guys ever heard
of aquatic translucency? -I have.
-Like a jellyfish? You have?
Yeah, exactly. Certainly marine animals,
particular invertebrates and juveniles --
you know, larval stages of certain types of fish --
are virtually invisible. They're able to allow
certain amounts of light to pass through their body. NARRATOR:
Translucency in aquatic animals is an evolutionary advantage, typically adopted by prey
species to avoid being eaten. Some species,
like certain squid, only have this characteristic
when they're young and at their most vulnerable. Others, like jellyfish, maintain this feature
throughout their lives. But is it possible
that translucency isn't reserved for marine life
that's lower on the food chain? Could an apex predator
have this design, allowing it to more
successfully stalk its prey? What if the animal here
in Iliamna is something new, something
completely undiscovered, and it's been able to,
you know, basically take on
this adaptation, rendering itself
essentially invisible? -Cloaking itself, huh?
-Exactly. That's really
interesting, Ken. I mean, that would explain
some of the experiences and witness statements
that we've gotten. A lake this big, though -- something to that size
and degree that you're describing --
I mean, it's almost gonna be impossible to find. It's gonna take
a lot more time than we have to be able to find that. -Exactly.
-Huge lake out there. And that's why the Lake Iliamna
monster legend has endured. NARRATOR: With 70% of the world
covered by water, we've only begun
to scratch the surface of the kinds of marine life
that exist. Could a lake be the home of one
of the most significant species still to be discovered
on the planet? It would require
a lake of enormous size and with
a plentiful food supply, both of which Iliamna has
in spades. And if other legends around
the world are any indication... these creatures may be
more common than we think. It could be one more reason people continue to go
Missing in Alaska.
