>> male narrator: THE LOCH NESS MONSTER, ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST INFAMOUS CREATURES. >> THERE IS SOMETHING VERY STRANGE GOING ON HERE. >> narrator: COULD CLAIMS THAT THERE IS A MONSTER SEA CREATURE LURKING BENEATH THESE WATERS BE TRUE? >> IT SEEMS VERY PLAUSIBLE THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING HERE. >> narrator: NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE MONSTER DID INDEED LIVE DURING OUR LIFETIME AND ONLY NOW HAS FOUND ITS FINAL RESTING PLACE DEEP BELOW THESE WATERS. >> INDEED, THERE MIGHT BE A SKELETON OR CARCASS. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SETS OUT TO FIND THE TRUTH. DOES THE MONSTER KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD AS "NESSIE" LIE BURIED AT THE BOTTOM OF LOCH NESS? >> THIS COULD WELL BE AN UNKNOWN SPECIES AND EVEN THE LOCH NESS MONSTER. >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS. ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> Captioning by<font color="#00FF00"> CaptionMax</font> www.captionmax.com SCOTLAND'S LOCH NESS. A LARGE DEEP BODY OF WATER NESTLED IN THE HIGHLANDS 155 MILES FROM EDINBURGH. AT 23 MILES LONG AND NEARLY 800 FEET DEEP, IT IS NOT ONLY ONE OF THE LARGEST LAKES IN THE REGION BUT THE MOST NOTORIOUS, NOT FOR THE BROWN TROUT AND SALMON THAT INHABIT THE MURKY WATERS, BUT FOR SOMETHING MUCH, MUCH LARGER... THE LOCH NESS MONSTER. >> I NOTICED THIS BLACK HUMP SHOOT OUT FROM BEHIND THE TREES. >> WE SAW THIS GREAT NECK EMERGE FROM THE WATER, DISTANTLY, ABOUT 5 FEET. >> A SILVERY FIGURE JUST STICKING OUT OF THE WATER, AND IT WAS ABOUT PROBABLY 8 FEET OUT OF THE WATER. >> IT WAS HUGE. >> narrator: EYEWITNESSES REPORT AN ANIMAL 25 TO 30 FEET IN LENGTH, NEARLY THE LENGTH OF A TRACTOR TRAILER, WITH A LONG NECK, A BARREL-SHAPED BODY, AND FLIPPERS. [waves crash] JUNE 1972. INVENTOR AND SCHOLAR BOB RINES WAS VISITING A FRIEND WHO LIVED ON LOCH NESS, WHEN HE WITNESSED SOMETHING THAT WOULD FOREVER CHANGE HIS LIFE. >> THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BAY, WE SAW A GIANT HUMP, LIKE THE BACK OF AN ELEPHANT THAT WAS SOMEWHAT TRIANGULAR IN SHAPE, ABOUT 4 TO 5 FEET OUT OF THE WATER AT THE APEX. THE HAIR ON THE BACK OF MY NECK CRAWLED UP, I FELT A SHIVER, AND THERE I COULD SEE THE GRAY TEXTURE OF THIS ANIMAL, LIKE AN ELEPHANT, A CROSS BETWEEN ELEPHANT AND WHALE-TYPE OF TEXTURE. IT MOVED OUT AGAINST THE WIND CURRENTS INTO THE BAY. IT TURNED AROUND AND VERY POLITELY CAME BACK IN FRONT OF US TO CONTINUE VIEWING THIS. AND THEN IN FRONT OF US, PLOP! IT SUBMERGED. >> narrator: RINES COMPARED THE BEAST TO A NEARBY FISHING BOAT TO ESTIMATE THE PORTION OF THE CREATURE ABOVE THE WATER TO BE MORE THAN 25 FEET. >> WE JUST WERE SPEECHLESS THAT ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE'D READ ABOUT HAD COME TRUE, AND FROM THAT POINT ON, I KNEW THERE WAS A LOCH NESS MONSTER. >> narrator: BOB RINES IS A WORLD-RENOWNED INVENTOR AND HOLDS MORE THAN 80 OF THE PATENTS IN SONAR TECHNOLOGY. FOR THE LAST 36 YEARS, HE HAS PUT THAT EXPERTISE TO WORK SEARCHING THE DEPTHS OF LOCH NESS. >> WELL, I'M IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION THAN ANYBODY IN THE WORLD, I WOULD THINK, TO HAVE A CONVICTION. >> narrator: OVER THE LAST FOUR DECADES, THAT CONVICTION HAS LED TO HUNDREDS OF SONAR CONTACTS ON LOCH NESS, A NUMBER THAT HAS DECREASED DRAMATICALLY IN RECENT YEARS. IN 2005, RINES SCANNED THE ENTIRE BOTTOM OF LOCH NESS WITH SONAR. >> SO THAT ENABLED US TO GET ECHOES BACK FROM ANYTHING LYING ON THE LOCH, BOTTOM OR THE SIDEWALLS, AND ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE IN THE MID-WATER COLUMN. >> narrator: THE MID-WATER COLUMN INCLUDES ANYTHING BETWEEN THE SURFACE AND THE SEDIMENTS ON ITS BOTTOM. THE RESULTS OF THEIR SCANS WOULD LEAD TO A REMARKABLE CONCLUSION. >> WE INTERPRETED THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T FIND ANY MID-WATER TARGETS HERE ANYMORE, AND WE DIDN'T ON THAT SONAR SCAN OF THE WHOLE LOCK, TO MEAN THAT THEY MUST HAVE DIED AND THEIR CARCASSES ARE PROBABLY GELLED AND WELL PRESERVED IN THE 5-DEGREE TEMPERATURE OF THE WATER HERE. >> narrator: RINES' SONAR SEARCH REVEALED 105 POSSIBLE TARGETED SEARCH LOCATIONS. AN INITIAL SEARCH FOR THE CREATURE'S REMAINS RESULTED IN THESE IMAGES TAKEN FROM A REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE, OR ROV, WHICH RINES BELIEVES SHOWS THE CARCASS OF THE MONSTER LYING DEAD ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. >> THEY WERE GOING ONE-BY-ONE TO THE INTERESTING ONES AND SEEING, INDEED, IF WE HAD FOUND A DEAD CARCASS OF A NESSIE. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS LAUNCHING AN EXPEDITION LED BY RINES, WHO WILL PICK UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF IN 2005. RINES' TEAM WILL SEARCH THE DEPTHS OF LOCH NESS IN AN EFFORT TO BRING BACK PROOF OF THE MONSTER, DEAD OR ALIVE. THIS WILL BE RINES' LAST EXPEDITION. HIS MISSION WILL TAKE HIM ON A 12-DAY SEARCH SCOURING THE LAKE BOTTOM FOR THE MONSTER'S REMAINS. EQUIPPED WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART SONAR, TWO BOATS WILL TRAVERSE LOCH NESS AND INVESTIGATE ALL THE TARGETS THAT COULD BE NESSIE'S RESTING PLACE. >> WE HAVE GOT POSITIONS THAT WERE GIVEN TO US BY SONAR, GPS POINTS FROM PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS, AND ALSO JUST SONAR TARGETS THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND INTERESTING THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AND PUTTING THE GPS POINTS, AND THAT ALLOWS US TO USE OUR GPS TO SUPERIMPOSE OUR POSITION. >> narrator: TEAM MEMBER MIKE O'BRIEN IS A SUPERVISOR WITH SEATREPID, AN UNDERWATER ROBOTICS COMPANY, AND WILL BE COORDINATING THE OPERATION ON THE FIRST BOAT. >> THESE ALL THE DIFFERENT POINTS THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL TARGETS. THE<i> HIGHLAND PARK</i> IS THE VESSEL WE'RE ON RIGHT NOW, AND THAT'S WHAT THIS LITTLE BOX WITH AN "X" SHOWS. >> narrator: TO SEARCH THE TARGETED LOCATIONS, THEY WILL UTILIZE TWO REMOTE OPERATING VEHICLES, OR ROVs, TO PINPOINT THE EXACT LOCATIONS. >> WE HAVE A SONAR BUILT IN TO THE ROV, WHICH IS JUST A FORWARD-LOOKING SONAR, AND WE'RE JUST GONNA GET OUR DEPTH ACCORDING TO THE DEPTH FINDER HERE ON THE BOAT AND GO DOWN TO BOTTOM AND BASICALLY NAVIGATE ACROSS THE BOTTOM USING THE FORWARD-LOOKING SONAR ON THE ROV TO FIND DIFFERENT POINTS. >> narrator: THE TEAM HAS ADAPTED THE ROVs WITH ADDITIONAL CAMERAS, LIGHTS, SONAR, AND A GRABBING CLAW THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO RETRIEVE ANY EVIDENCE FOUND ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. >> WE HAD A MODIFIED GRABBER ARM THAT WE HAVE ON THE FRONT OF IT, AND WE HAVE THE TWO BATTERY-OPERATED H.I.D. LIGHTS ON THE SIDE THAT ARE ADDED. SO WE HAVE ADDED A LOT OF EQUIPMENT, BUT IT STILL TENDS TO BE VERY MANEUVERABLE. >> JOHN NAIL, ANOTHER TEAM MEMBER, IS ALSO A SUPERVISOR FOR SEATREPID AND WILL BE OPERATING THE ROV FROM THE SECOND BOAT. >> INSIDE WE HAVE TWO CAMERAS. THE SMALL CAMERA ON THE RIGHT IS A COLOR CAMERA, AND THE ONE ON THE LEFT IS BLACK-AND-WHITE. THE COLOR CAMERA PICKS UP MOST OF ALL THE COLOR SPECTRUM UNDERWATER WITH THE LIGHTS, BUT WHEN WE GET INTO SOME MURKY AREAS, SOMETIMES IT'S EASIER TO SWITCH TO A LOW-LUX BLACK-AND-WHITE CAMERA TO ACTUALLY MAKE OUT BETTER DETAIL. >> narrator: THE FIRST SONAR TARGET OF THEIR MISSION TAKES THEM TO THE WEST SIDE OF LOCH NESS NEAR URQUHART CASTLE. IT'S A LOCATION WHERE MANY OF THE SIGHTINGS HAVE TAKEN PLACE. >> WELL, WE'RE GOING TO THE MOUTH OF URQUHART BAY, AND WE'RE GONNA DROP DOWN SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 250 AND TRY TO STAY ON THE 250-TO-300-FOOT GAP AND JUST RUNNING SOME TRANSECTS NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, WEST THROUGH THERE AND TRYING TO FIND JUST ANY SOFT OR HARD TARGETS WE CAN COME ACROSS WITH THE RADAR--OUR SONAR THAT WE HAVE. >> narrator: THE TEAM LAUNCHES THE ROV, AND THEY BEGIN THE SEARCH FOR NEW EVIDENCE. THEY HAVE TWO WAYS OF LOCATING TARGETS. THE SCREEN ON THE LEFT IS THE IMAGE FROM THE ROV CAMERA. THE ONE ON THE RIGHT SHOWS THE SONAR IMAGE, WHICH ISN'T AFFECTED BY POOR VISIBILITY. >> IT SCANS ALL THE TIME. IT'S A FULL-SCANNING SONAR, SO ANYTHING WITHIN THE SWATH OUT TO--I HAD IT SET FOR ABOUT 50 FEET OUT IN FRONT OF THE ROV RIGHT NOW. ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE FEATURELESS BOTTOM WILL SHOW UP ON HERE AS A REFLECTION, AND WE CAN ACTUALLY TURN THE ROV AND JUST FLY RIGHT TO IT USING THIS. EVEN IF WE HAD NO LIGHTS, WE COULD DRIVE RIGHT TO IT. AND IT SHOULD COME INTO THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW. IT LOOKS LIKE A CAN OR A BOTTLE OF SOME SORT, BUT YOU CAN SEE HOW SENSITIVE THE SONAR IS. WE SAW THAT LITTLE END OF THE BOTTLE STICKING UP 36 FEET AWAY. IF THERE'S ANYTHING, IT'S GONNA BE ON THE BOTTOM, AND THAT'S WHERE HE HAS US LOOKING, SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN-- WE CAN FIND SOMETHING. >> narrator: BUT SOME SAY THE PLACE TO FIND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IS NOT BURIED ON THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE BUT SWIMMING IN ITS WATERS. [waves crash] AMATEUR RESEARCHER GORDON HOLMES SAYS HE HAS RECENT EVIDENCE THAT NOT ONLY IS THE LOCH NESS MONSTER ALIVE, BUT THRIVING. >> [growls] >> narrator: ON MAY 24, 2007, HOLMES SAT IN HIS CAR OVERLOOKING LOCH NESS WHEN SOMETHING IN THE WATER CAUGHT HIS EYE. >> THERE'S SOME OBJECT MOVING TOWARDS MY DIRECTION ON THE LOCH, SO I QUICKLY SWITCHED ON THE CAMCORDER. >> narrator: HOLMES FOUND THE IMAGE IN THE VIEWFINDER AND WAS STUNNED BY WHAT HE SAW. >> IT WAS SO, SO MESMERIZING. THE WAY THIS THING WAS SWIMMING THROUGH THE WATER SO EFFICIENTLY, IT LOOKED TO BE ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. IT TOOK SOMETHING LIKE TWO MINUTES BEFORE IT GOT OUT OF VIEW OF MY VIEWFINDER. AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER I STOPPED RECORDING, I-I BEGAN SHAKING. I KNEW THIS WAS GONNA BE PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST SIGHTINGS EVER OF THE SO-CALLED LOCH NESS MONSTER. >> narrator: WHEN HOLMES REVIEWED THE FOOTAGE, HE FOUND HE HAD MADE AN EVEN MORE STUNNING DISCOVERY. >> DURING THE ACTUAL TWO MINUTES, I HAD PANNED OUT, AND THEN WHEN I WENT AND ZOOMED BACK IN AGAIN, I ACTUALLY PICKED UP ON THE SECOND OBJECT. NOW, THE OTHER OBJECT WAS SOMETHING LIKE 50 YARDS AWAY SWIMMING FAIRLY WELL PARALLEL TO THE FIRST OBJECT. >> narrator: THE IMAGE APPEARS TO SHOW TWO STRANGE SHAPES MOVING THROUGH THE WATER. >> [growls] >> narrator: COULD THERE BE AN ENTIRE COLONY OF MONSTERS LIVING IN LOCH NESS? <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> WILL INVESTIGATE THE LAKE TO FIND OUT. HOLMES WILL ATTEMPT TO APPEAL TO THE CREATURE'S CURIOSITY BY USING A SMALL RADIO-CONTROLLED VESSEL TO LOCATE AND CAPTURE IMAGES OF THE CREATURE WHILE CRAIG FRACKNEL, A PART-TIME CRYPTOZOOLOGIST, WILL RELY ON ONE OF THE MOST BASIC ANIMAL INSTINCTS TO CAPTURE PROOF. HE WILL EMPLOY A METHOD NEVER BEFORE TRIED IN THE LOCH IN SEARCH FOR THE CREATURE. >> SOME PEOPLE SEEM TO THINK THAT NESSIE'S A PREDATOR, SO OBVIOUSLY THE ONLY THING THAT HE COULD EAT IN THERE IS SALMON, EELS, AND THE OCCASIONAL TROUT. SO THAT'S WHERE WE COME UP WITH THE IDEA OF THE FISH-CAM. >> narrator: THE FISH-CAM FOLLOWS THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF A FISHING LURE. IT LOOKS AND MOVES JUST LIKE BAIT AND WILL BE PULLED BEHIND A BOAT IN ORDER TO ELICIT A RESPONSE FROM THE CREATURE. >> THERE'S A CAMERA ON THE END ROUGHLY 2 FEET IN LENGTH. WE TRIED TO MAKE IT LOOK AS SALMON- AND TROUT-LIKE AS POSSIBLE. >> WE TROLL LURES ABOUT 180 FEET BEHIND THE BOAT AT A VERY SLOW SPEED. >> narrator: JOHN NORTHCOATE WILL PILOT THIS SEARCH BOAT. HE HAS BEEN A BOAT CAPTAIN ON THE LOCK FOR 14 YEARS. >> I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE HEAD, THE NECK, OR THE HUMPS, BUT I SAW A RATHER LARGE CREATURE JUST SWIMMING BELOW THE SURFACE, AND IT WAS CERTAINLY BIGGER THAN MY BOAT. >> narrator: THERE IS NO SPECIES OF THAT SIZE KNOWN TO CURRENTLY LIVE IN THE LAKE. THEIR PLAN IS TO DROP THE LURE AT SAINT AUGUSTUS AND TROLL UP THE LOCH TO URQUHART CASTLE, TRAVERSING THE LAKE IN AN ATTEMPT TO COVER A WIDE AREA. >> AND I DON'T THINK IT'S EVER BEEN DONE BEFORE, BUT THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING. OKAY, JOHN, LET'S GET THIS SET UP. OKAY. LET'S DO IT. THERE WE GO. THAT'S A LOT BETTER. LET'S HAVE A LOOK. >> >> WELL, YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM OF THE BOAT NOW. IT MUST BE AT LEAST 18 FEET... 20, 21. THERE'S A LOT OF VISIBILITY FROM THE SONAR TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BOAT. >> WHOA. >> OKAY, JOHN, SHOULD WE FIRE UP THE ENGINES AND THEN DO A LITTLE BIT OF TROLLING? [boat engine revs] TAKE IT UP TO MAYBE 3 KNOTS, JOHN. >> narrator: WHILE THE TEAM IS SEARCHING FOR NEW EVIDENCE, THERE IS HOPE THAT MODERN SCIENCE MAY SHED NEW LIGHT ON THIS OLD EVIDENCE. >> BOY, NOW, THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE. [laughs] >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> HAS TRAVELED TO LOCH NESS, SCOTLAND, TO FIND OUT WHETHER THE LEGENDARY MONSTER STILL LIVES OR LIES DEAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. WHILE THE EXPEDITION SEARCHES FOR PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, EXPERTS WILL REEXAMINE PAST REPORTS OF NESSIE'S EXISTENCE USING MODERN TECHNOLOGY. THE FIRST WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE CREATURE DATES BACK TO 565 A.D. AN ANCIENT LATIN MANUSCRIPT TELLS OF AN IRISH MISSIONARY WHO STOOD ON THE SHORE AS ONE OF HIS FOLLOWERS WAS ATTACKED BY A MONSTER. BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL 75 YEARS AGO WHEN A ROAD WAS BUILT AROUND THE ENTIRE LAKE THAT THE SIGHTINGS BECAME MORE NUMEROUS. SINCE THEN, REPORTS HAVE PERSISTED; THE MOST FAMOUS BEING THIS IMAGE PUBLISHED BY LONDON'S<i> DAILY MAIL</i> IN 1933. >> I THINK THE HOAX LASTED SO LONG BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PICTURE. >> narrator: ADRIAN SHINE IS A NATURE HISTORIAN AND EXPERT ON LOCH NESS. HE HAS STUDIED THE LAKE FOR 35 YEARS. SHINE SAYS THAT THE LOCH NESS MYSTERY FIRST GAINED WORLDWIDE ATTENTION WHEN A MAN NAMED MARMADUKE WEATHERELL WAS HIRED BY THE<i> DAILY MAIL</i> TO SEARCH FOR THE CREATURE. >> AND AFTER FAKING SOME FOOTPRINTS WITH A HIPPOPOTAMUS-FOOT ASHTRAY, HE GOT DISMISSED FROM THE INVESTIGATION AND HE SAID, "WELL, IF THEY WANT A MONSTER, WE'LL GIVE 'EM ONE." >> narrator: THE PHOTO'S FAME WAS ONLY ENHANCED WHEN THE HOAX WAS REVEALED. >> HE ASKED HIS STEP-SON, CHRISTIAN SPURLING, WHO WAS AN EXPERT MODEL MAKER, TO MAKE HIM ONE, A LITTLE MONSTER ON A TOY SUBMARINE. >> narrator: A CHILD'S TOY HAD FOOLED THE WORLD FOR OVER 60 YEARS. WEATHERELL'S LIE WOULD LEAD TO A VARIETY OF OTHER PRANKS DURING THE SEARCH FOR THIS ELUSIVE MONSTER. THIS 1951 PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN BY A PRANKSTER NAMED LACHLAN STUART SHOWS A TRIPLE-HUMPED MONSTER BREAKING THE SURFACE OF LOCH NESS. >> 'CAUSE HE HAD ACTUALLY CONTRIVED IT WITH STRAW BALES COVERED WITH TARPAULIN JUST IN THE SHALLOWS OFF THE BEACH. AND THAT DOES--I MEAN THAT ADDS UP, BECAUSE IT'S CLEARY IN THE FAIRLY SHALLOW WATER. >> narrator: NOT EVERY IMAGE OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER HAS BEEN PROVEN A FAKE. THIS UNDERWATER IMAGE TAKEN ON BOB RINES' EXPEDITION IN 1975 WAS MET WITH INITIAL SKEPTICISM. >> I SAW ZERO EVIDENCE THAT ANYBODY HAD TAMPERED WITH THE FILMS THAT WE RECEIVED. >> narrator: DR. ALAN GILLESPIE IS A PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON. GILLESPIE DID THE ORIGINAL ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGE AND CONCLUDED IT WAS NOT A FAKE. >> SO I'VE ALWAYS FELT CONFIDENT THAT THE IMAGES THEMSELVES THAT WERE TAKEN, WHATEVER THEY ARE AND WHATEVER THEY SHOW, IT WAS SOMETHING UNDER THE WATERS OF THE LOCH. SO THIS PICTURE: WITHIN 45 SECONDS, SOMETHING DRIFTED INTO THE FIELD OF VIEW, HAD ITS PORTRAIT TAKEN, AND THEN WAS GONE IN ANOTHER 45 SECONDS. >> narrator: NOW USING MODERN COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, GILLESPIE IS ABLE TO INCREASE THE CONTRAST OF THE IMAGE WHILE ENHANCING THE DETAIL. >> SO THE NEXT SCENE SHOULD SHOW A BLOWUP OF WHAT EVERYBODY AGREES IS THE INTERESTING PART OF THE IMAGE, AND THERE IT IS. >> narrator: WHILE THE SIZE OF THE OBJECT IS DIFFICULT TO DISCERN FROM THIS IMAGE, IT BEARS A STARTLING RESEMBLANCE TO A CREATURE THOUGHT TO BE LONG EXTINCT, A RESEMBLANCE THAT SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE IS REMARKABLE. >> WELL, I MEAN, YOU COULDN'T HAVE A BETTER REALIZATION OF A RATHER SLENDER-NECKED PLESIOSAUR, COULD YOU REALLY? >> narrator: DR. AUBREY MANNING IS A ZOOLOGIST AND PROFESSOR EMERITUS AT EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY IN SCOTLAND. HE ANALYZES THE PHOTO CLOSELY AND GIVES A FURTHER OPINION. >> THERE'S THE MASSIVE BODY. THERE YOU CAN SEE THE FOUR LIMBS AND THE BEGINNINGS OF A HIND LIMB, REALLY A MASSIVE BODY, A VERY LONG NECK, AND A PARTLY OBSCURED SKULL. I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT IT IS. I MEAN, ON ITS OWN, I JUST-- I, UH... I HAVE NO IDEA AT ALL. >> narrator: THE PLESIOSAUR WAS A CARNIVOROUS AQUATIC REPTILE KNOWN TO HAVE LIVED DURING THE JURASSIC PERIOD 65 MILLION YEARS AGO. >> ALL THE PLESIOSAURS ARE EXTINCT AND BECAME EXTINCT AT THE SAME TIME AS THE DINOSAURS, SO IT WOULD BE A BIT LIKE SAYING YOU'VE SEEN A DINOSAUR WALKING AROUND IN THE FORESTS AROUND LOCH NESS. >> narrator: DR. LESLIE NOE IS THE CURATOR OF NATURAL SCIENCE AT BIRMINGHAM SCIENCE MUSEUM. NOE HAS BEEN A PALEONTOLOGIST FOR OVER 20 YEARS AND IS AN EXPERT ON THE PLESIOSAUR. >> WELL, THE HEAD AND NECK LOOK QUITE CONVINCING, EXCEPT THERE'S NO CONTINUITY BETWEEN WHAT MIGHT BE CALLED THE HEAD AND THE NECK, WHICH IS A SLIGHT PROBLEM. IF WE LOOK AT THE SKELETON OF THE PLESIOSAUR, THE FLIPPER COMES AND JOINS THE BODY VERY CLOSE TO THE NECK, AND I CAN'T SEE ONE ON EITHER SIDE OF THE BODY. THE BACK END APPARENTLY HAS A FLIPPER STICKING OUT, BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT MIRRORED ON THE OTHER SIDE, AND THE AREA THAT MIGHT BE THE TAIL IS A BIT AMORPHOUS AND A BIT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO SEE. >> narrator: THOSE WHO BELIEVE THE RINES IMAGE IS A PLESIOSAUR ARGUE THAT THESE DIFFERENCES COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO EVOLUTION. THE BIGGER QUESTION IS, HOW COULD AN OCEAN-DWELLING CREATURE FIND ITS WAY TO THE LOCH? <i> MONSTER QUEST</i> WILL ANALYZE OLD EVIDENCE AND TEST IF LOCH NESS COULD HAVE BEEN HOME TO A CREATURE THAT SHOULDN'T BE THERE. DR. ADRIAN HALL IS A GLACIOLOGIST AND PROFESSOR AT FETTES COLLEGE IN EDINBURGH AND AN EXPERT ON GEOMORPHOLOGY, OR STUDY OF LAND FORMS. >> THIS SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS WITH THIS GREAT GASH, OR THE GREAT GLEN, RUNNING THROUGH IT, AND THE LOCH NESS BASIN HERE IS THE AREA OF INTEREST. >> narrator: AT THE END OF THE LAST GREAT ICE AGE, LOCH NESS WAS FORMED BY THE MELTING OF GLACIAL ICE THAT CARVED THE GREAT GLEN. THE SURFACE OF THE LOCH IS CURRENTLY 52 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL, AND FOR THE LAST 10,000 YEARS, THE SURROUNDING SEA LEVELS HAVE BEEN TOO LOW TO HAVE MERGED WITH IT. BUT ACCORDING TO HALL, THIS HAS NOT ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE. >> WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO IS, WE'VE GOT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE INTERVAL WHEN THE ICE IS FIRST MELTING AWAY. >> narrator: FOR HALL, THIS CRITICAL TIME PERIOD WAS 14,000 YEARS AGO. >> WE CAN SEE THAT THE SEA LEVEL WAS MUCH HIGHER, AND SO THERE IS CERTAINLY THE POSSIBILITY THAT AS THE ICE IS FIRST MELTING AND DISAPPEARING, THERE IS A WINDOW, A TIME WINDOW, IN WHICH MARINE LIFE CAN GET INTO LOCH NESS. >> narrator: WHILE HALL'S ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT THE SURROUNDING SEAS MIGHT HAVE MERGED WITH THE WATERS OF THE LOCH, NO EVIDENCE HAS BEEN FOUND TO SUPPORT THIS. BUT NOW A RECENT DISCOVERY MAY CHANGE THAT. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> HAS JOURNEYED TO THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS TO EXAMINE NEW EVIDENCE OF THE NOTORIOUS LOCH NESS MONSTER. A NEW THEORY SUGGESTS THAT THERE WAS A WINDOW OF TIME WHEN THE LOCH MAY HAVE MERGED WITH THE SURROUNDING OCEAN. THIS SUGGESTS THAT AN OCEAN-DWELLING PREHISTORIC PLESIOSAUR COULD HAVE GOTTEN INTO THE LOCH AT SOME POINT IN TIME. >> BOB RINES MADE WHAT I REGARD AS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DISCOVERY THAT I RECOGNIZE IN LOCH NESS. HE BROUGHT UP AN ANCHOR, AND THERE WAS CLAY ON IT, AND ON IT ALSO WAS A SHELL VERY MUCH LIKE THIS ONE, <i> MYA TRUNCUTA,</i> WHICH IS A MARINE SHELL. >> narrator: INITIALLY, THE PROXIMITY TO URQUHART CASTLE MADE LOCH NESS EXPERT ADRIAN SHINE SUSPECT THAT THE SHELLS WERE DISCARDED AFTER SOMEONE HAD CONSUMED THE CONTENTS. HOWEVER, UPON CLOSER INSPECTION, THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. >> THERE WERE FRAGMENTS OF SHELLS BUT ALSO THE SPINES OF SEA URCHINS, FORAMINIFERA, THERE WERE LOTS OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES. IT WAS A--IN OUR VIEW, A GENUINE MARINE DEPOSIT. >> narrator: BUT CAN THESE DEPOSITS SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT A LARGE MARINE ANIMAL LIKE THE PLESIOSAUR MIGHT HAVE MIGRATED INTO A LAKE AND BEEN TRAPPED WHEN THE OCEAN RECEDED? >> WHEN THAT ORGANISM DIES, ITS CLOCK STARTS TICKING, AND YOU CAN DATE THAT ITEM. >> narrator: DR. TOM GUILDERSON IS A SENIOR STAFF SCIENTIST AT THE LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORIES IN CALIFORNIA. IN 2002, GUILDERSON'S LAB PERFORMED A RADIOCARBON DATING TEST TO DETERMINE THE AGE OF THE CLAMSHELL RETRIEVED BY BOB RINES. THE TEST DETERMINES THE AGE OF THE SHELL BY MEASURING THE RATIO OF STABLE ISOTOPES OF CARBON VERSUS THOSE THAT DECAY. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY DECAY AT A UNIFORM RATE OVER TIME, AN ACCURATE AGE CAN BE DETERMINED. >> IN THE CASE OF THE CLAMSHELL, THE RADIOCARBON AGE OF THAT SAMPLE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,100 YEARS, CALENDAR YEARS, BEFORE PRESENT, SO AT THE TIME OF THE END OF THE LAST GLACIAL CYCLE. >> narrator: THAT DATES THE CLAMSHELL TO THE TIME THE ICE RECEDED FROM THE GLACIER, MEANING THE NORTH SEA MOST LIKELY MERGED WITH THE LAKE. FOR BOB RINES, THE DATING OF THE CLAMSHELL IS FURTHER EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT WHAT EYEWITNESSES ARE SEEING, INCLUDING HIS OWN EXPERIENCE ALMOST 40 YEARS AGO. >> WHAT DID I SEE? WHAT DID WE TAKE PICTURES OF? ARE THESE ALL ILLUSIONS? OF COURSE THEY'RE NOT, AND THEY'RE PROVING TO BE REAL. >> narrator: BUT RINES KNOWS THAT THE ONLY WAY TO SILENCE THE CRITICS PERMANENTLY IS TO FIND THE MONSTER'S REMAINS. AND IT IS AN ENORMOUS TASK. THERE ARE 105 TARGETS ON THE SONOGRAM OF THE LOCH THAT RINES MADE, AND THE TEAM WILL SEARCH ALL OF THEM. TO HELP LOCATE THE TARGETS, THE REMOTE-OPERATING VEHICLES, OR ROVs, ARE OUTFITTED WITH A SONAR SCANNING DEVICE. >> SO YOU KIND OF THINK OF IT AS A RADAR. IT'S THE SAME KIND OF CONCEPT, BUT IT'S UNDERWATER, AND WHAT IT WILL ACTUALLY ALLOW US TO DO IS GET A HIGH-RESOLUTION SCAN OF THE BOTTOM, AND IT IS A VERY SLOW-SCANNING SONAR. SO IT TAKES A COUPLE MINUTES TO GO THROUGH THE FULL SCAN, BUT IT'S EXTREMELY DETAILED, AND YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE-- YOU CAN TELL WHAT SOME THINGS ARE ON THE BOTTOM JUST BY LOOKING AT IT. >> narrator: THE LAKE BED IS COVERED IN A THICK LAYER OF SILT, SO NOT ALL TARGETS CAN BE IDENTIFIED VISUALLY. >> WHENEVER WE COME ACROSS SOMETHING ON THE BOTTOM THAT WE DON'T KNOW QUITE WHAT IT IS, WHETHER IT BE A LEAF OR A STICK OR SOME KIND OF FRAGMENT OF SOMETHING, I TRY AND CLEAR THE DUST OFF THE TOP OF IT AND SEE IF IT'S SOLID OR IF IT'S JUST DIRT THAT'S KIND OF ACCUMULATED INTO DIFFERENT SHAPES. >> narrator: USING THE ROV'S THRUSTERS, TEAM LEADER JAMES LANDRY IS ABLE TO UNCOVER THE TARGETS TO DETERMINE IF THE SPECIMEN IS OF VALUE. AFTER MANY HOURS OF SCANNING THE LAKE BOTTOM, NAIL LOCATES A POSSIBLE TARGET ON THE SIDE OF THE LAKE AT A DEPTH OF 326 FEET. >> IT JUST LOOKS LIKE-- IT LOOKS LIKE WOOD TO ME, BUT I DON'T KNOW. WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS, I'M GONNA LET EDDIE BRING THIS BACK UP TO THE SURFACE. >> narrator: WHEN THE ROV GRASPS THE SPECIMEN WITH ITS CLAW, IT TURNS OUT TO BE MUCH SOFTER THAN EXPECTED, ALMOST LIKE FLESH. >> WE'VE GOT JUST A LITTLE BIT LEFT OF IT. LET ME GO TURN THE LIGHTS OFF. IT'S SOFT AND IT'S SPONGY. I'M JUST GONNA PUT IT IN A CONTAINER, AND THAT'S ALL I CAN DO. IT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER STUFF THAT WE BROUGHT UP. >> narrator: WHEN THE TEAM RETURNS TO SHORE, JOHN NAIL SHOWS BOB RINES THE VIDEO FROM THE ROV. >> WE CAME UP ON THE STRUCTURE ON THE BOTTOM. IT APPEARED TO BE ABOUT 4 METERS WIDE, AND IT'S JUST A BIG HUMP. >> MM-HMM. >> AND IT'S SILTY. IT LOOKS LIKE BOTTOM, BUT YOU CAN SEE THE HUMP GOING UP THIS WAY. >> RIGHT. >> SO WE BROUGHT IT TO THE SURFACE. ALL WE HAD--THIS IS WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH, BUT IT'S A SPONGY TYPE OF MATERIAL. IT'S SOFT AND RUBBERY, BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS. >> LISTEN, AFTER HOW MANY YEARS IN THE WATER? LOOKS FLESHY TO ME. >> narrator: THE TEAM SUMMONS THE DIRECTOR OF THE LOCH NESS CENTER, ADRIAN SHINE, TO SEE WHAT HE MAKES OF THE DISCOVERY. >> HELLO, BOB. >> HOW ARE YOU? >> I'M GOOD. >> GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> ACTUALLY, WE TOOK A SAMPLE UP, AND IT'S--THE SAMPLE THAT WE HAD, IS KIND OF--WHEN IT CAME UP, IT WAS BROWN, AND IT'S NOT-- IT'S SPONGY. IT'S SOFT, IT'S NOT--AND IT DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE WOOD... >> IT'S CLAY. >> BUT I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS. >> [mumbles] YEP, THAT IS CLAY. IT'S GOT A SORT OF AN IRON-Y OXIDIZATION TO IT. IT'S FAIRLY ORGANIC CLAY, BECAUSE IT'S BROWN. BENEATH THAT, YOU MAY WELL FIND A BLUE-GRAY CLAY. >> THAT'LL BE THE ARCTIC. >> AND THAT IS THE SOURCE OF CLAY THAT HOLDS, IN SOME PLACES, OR AT LEAST ONE PLACE THAT YOU'VE FOUND, POSSIBLY THE RELIC OF, YOU KNOW, AN INTERGLACIAL OR ICE AGE TIME. [waves lapping] >> narrator: GORDON HOLMES IS GETTING UNDER WAY AT LOCH END ON THE EASTERN TIP OF LOCH NESS. HE IS DETERMINED TO FIND THE CREATURE HE BELIEVES HE CAPTURED ON TAPE IN 2007. HIS APPROACH IS TO SEARCH THE LOCH FROM SHORE USING A SMALL RADIO-CONTROLLED CRAFT OUTFITTED WITH A SONAR AND A VIDEO CAMERA TRAINED ON THE SURFACE. HE CHOSE THE CRAFT BECAUSE IT IS QUIET AND WOULD BE HARD FOR AN ANIMAL THE SIZE OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER TO DETECT. IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE THE BOAT COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR PREY. >> IT'S CAPABLE OF GOING OUT 300 YARDS AWAY FROM THE SHORE, AND THE MAJORITY OF SIGHTINGS HAVE BEEN QUITE CLOSE TO THE SHORE. CERTAINLY THE SONAR ONBOARD IS ADEQUATE FOR LOCH NESS, 'CAUSE IT GOES DOWN TO A DEPTH OF 900 FOOT, AND LOCH NESS' MAXIMUM DEPTH IS APPROXIMATELY 780 FOOT. IT'S LOOKING PROMISING AT THE MOMENT WITH THE SONAR BECAUSE I'VE HAD A VERY UNUSUAL CONTACT. >> narrator: HOLMES IS EQUALLY PREPARED FOR SOMETHING HAPPENING ABOVE THE WATERLINE. THE VIDEO CAMERA ON TOP OF HIS BOAT ROTATES, TAKING A PICTURE OF THE SURFACE WHICH HOLMES CAN THEN MONITOR ON HIS LAPTOP. >> THE IDEA IS THAT THE CAMERA ROTATES WITHIN EIGHT SECONDS FOR A FULL ROTATION, SO SHOULD A CREATURE SURFACE, THERE'S A HIGH PROBABILITY IT MIGHT BE CAPTURED ON THE CCTV CAMERA. >> narrator: BUT HIS SEARCH FOR EVIDENCE OF A LIVING LOCH NESS MONSTER COULD BE TOO LATE. >> IT DOES LOOK LIKE A MONSTER'S HEAD, THOUGH DOESN'T IT? YOU CAN SEE THE EYE. >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS SEARCHING FOR THE ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY OF SCOTLAND'S MOST FAMOUS RESIDENT, THE LOCH NESS MONSTER. NEW EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE LEGENDARY BEAST MAY LIE DEAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ANCIENT LAKE. THOSE WHO HAVE WITNESSED THE CREATURE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT IT LIVED AT ONE TIME. >> AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN, THIS THING CAME OUT OF THE WATER AT THE BACK OF THE BOAT, SHEARED THE PAINT OFF. >> narrator: MOIRA LIDDELL SAYS WHATEVER SHE SAW BACK IN 1982 WAS LARGE ENOUGH TO NEARLY CAPSIZE HER BOAT. >> IT LOOKS--IT WAS DEFINITELY ANIMATED. IT WASN'T A ROCK, BECAUSE WE'D BEEN UP AND DOWN SO MANY TIMES. IT LOOKED LIKE A SORT OF SEAL ON STEROIDS, 'CAUSE IT WAS SO BIG. THE HIDE WAS LIKE AN ELEPHANT'S HIDE. IT WAS DAPPLED, AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW--IT WAS A SKIN. IT WASN'T A ROCK. AND WE JUST GOT SUCH A FRIGHT. >> narrator: CRYPTOZOOLOGIST CRAIG FRACKNEL AND SKIPPER JOHN NORTHCOATE ARE BEGINNING THEIR SECOND DAY OF SEARCHING FOR THE MONSTER. THEY ARE TROLLING THE LAKE USING A DISGUISED CAMERA, IN AN ATTEMPT TO APPEAL TO THE CREATURE'S APPETITE. >> WE SET OFF AT FORT AUGUSTUS AND MADE OUR WAY TO THE CASTLE, TROLLING SLOWLY, BECAUSE APPARENTLY, AT THE CASTLE, THIS IS WHERE THE MOST SIGHTINGS HAVE BEEN. >> narrator: THE NEXT STOP FOR FRACKNEL AND NORTHCOATE IS URQUHART BAY. THE DEEP WATERS MAY PROVIDE A LIKELY HIDING SPOT FOR THE CREATURE AND A VIABLE FOOD SOURCE. >> THERE'S A COUPLE OF SMALL RIVERS COME IN AT THAT AREA. AGAIN, WHERE THE SMALL RIVERS COME IN TENDS TO HOLD FISH. THERE SHOULD BE A NORMAL POPULATION OF BROWN TROUT, ET CETERA, IN THAT AREA, AND ALSO THE SALMON WILL RUN INTO THAT AREA. >> PUT THIS IN, JOHN. SWEET. GOING DOWN. WE ARE NOW... GOING TO DROP 30 FEET. >> narrator: WHILE THE CAMERA DESCENDS, CRAIG COUNTS OFF THE DEPTH WHILE CHECKING TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN STILL GET A VISUAL. >> VERY DARK DOWN THERE NOW. VERY DARK. >> 120. >> 120 FEET, RIGHT. WE ARE AT THE BOTTOM. IT KIND OF LOOKS LIKE WHAT THE SURFACE OF MARS WOULD LOOK LIKE. IT'S VERY SORT OF ORANGEY, YELLOWY. >> THE SCIENTISTS, YOU SEE, THEY KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SURFACE OF THE MOON NOW THAN THEY DO ABOUT THE BOTTOM AND THE ECOLOGY OF LOCH NESS. >> I CAN BELIEVE THAT. SO IT LOOKS LIKE AN UPTURNED BOAT. IF I DO IT SLOWLY-- RIGHT. HERE WE GO. HUH? WHAT IS THAT? >> IS THAT A BOULDER? >> IT LOOKS LIKE WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S GETTING PRETTY CLOSE. >> WHAT IS THAT? IT DOES LOOK LIKE A MONSTER'S HEAD, THOUGH, DOESN'T IT? YOU CAN SEE THE EYE. >> CAN YOU CHECK ON YOUR SONAR, JOHN, AND SEE HOW FAR DOWN WE ARE? >> WE'RE IN 122, 123 FEET OF WATER. >> narrator: THE CAMERA SLIDES IN FOR A CLOSER VIEW. AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES, THE SILT SETTLES AND THEY REALIZE THAT WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT IS JUST A ROCK OUTCROP OF THE LAKE BOTTOM. THE GEOLOGY OF THE LAKE BED MAKES IDENTIFYING AND RETRIEVING SPECIMENS DIFFICULT. BRIAN'S TEAM IS USING REMOTE OPERATED VEHICLES, OR ROVs, TO ASSIST IN THEIR SEARCH OF THE ROCKY TERRAIN. IN ANOTHER PART OF THE LAKE, A MEMBER OF RINES' TEAM HAS JUST SPOTTED ANOTHER POTENTIAL TARGET. >> YEAH, WELL, I THINK THE BOAT WILL STEADY UP ONCE WE TIE IT UP. >> narrator: THE ROV OPERATORS, JOHN NAIL AND JAMES LANDRY, ARE COMMUNICATING VIA RADIO. >> ROGER. OKAY. >> narrator: THEY ARE COORDINATING THEIR EFFORTS TO RECOVER A TARGET FROM THE LAKE BOTTOM. LANDRY IS MANEUVERING HIS ROV TO ASSIST IN THE CAPTURE AS BOB RINES MONITORS THE SITUATION. >> I'M TRYING TO FOLLOW THE OTHER TETHER DOWN, BUT HE NEEDS TO LET GO OF MY TETHER BACK THERE. I CAN'T GO DOWN IF HE'S HOLDING IT. I NEED TO THROW SOME TETHER OUT. WHERE'S-- >> YOU WANT US TO TELL HIM? >> YEAH, TELL HIM JUST TO THROW SOME TETHER OUT, THROW-- JUST KEEP THROWING IT OUT. >> narrator: LANDRY'S ROV HAS REACHED THE BOTTOM AND HAS THE TARGET IN SIGHT, WHILE NAIL'S ROV IS STILL ON ITS WAY DOWN. >> I'M AT 450 FEET. STILL HAVEN'T REACHED THE BOTTOM OR THEIR ROV. YEAH, ON BOTTOM, 471. WHICH DIRECTION? WHERE YOU POINTED? ARE YOU LOOKING AT THE OBJECTS? >> WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT OBJECTS OF INTEREST. ONE IS OFF OF OUR PORT ABOUT A FOOT AND A HALF, 2 FOOT, PORT BOW. THE OTHER ONE IS DEAD AHEAD, AND THE THIRD IS DOWN TO OUR STARBOARD, BASICALLY IN A STRAIGHT LINE. >> I'M RUNNING THROUGH YOUR PROP WASH ON YOUR DOWN THRUSTERS, AND IT'S WASHING ALL THE DIRT OFF ME; I CAN'T SEE. >> narrator: IT'S A DELICATE OPERATION. ONE MISSTEP COULD COMPROMISE THE RECOVERY OF EVIDENCE. >> OKAY, I'M BACK LOOKING AT YOU. I JUST RAN INTO YOU. I'M DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF YOU. >> ALL RIGHT. NOW COME FORWARD AGAIN. THAT'S IT, RIGHT THERE. CLOSE YOUR DOOR. THE DOOR'S LOOKING GOOD. CLOSE IT AND KEEP GOING. ALL RIGHT, GO AHEAD AND RECOVER IT, JOHN. >> ROGER. WE'RE GONNA COME UP. >> GOOD JOB, JOHN. GOOD JOB. >> HEY, MAN, THAT WORKS OUT GOOD, YOU DIRECTING ME. THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO GO ABOUT IT. >> narrator: RINES, HAVING WITNESSED THE RECOVERY FROM THE DECK, BELIEVES THIS MAY BE THE EVIDENCE THEY ARE LOOKING FOR. >> IT LOOKS SUSPICIOUS TO ME, LIKE IT COULD BE THE REMAINS OF SKIN, CARCASS AND CARTILAGE, AND THINGS OF THAT SORT. I JUST HOPE THE CLAW WILL HOLD IT, AND THEN WE CAN HANDLE IT. YOU ONLY NEED A VERY SMALL BIT OF IT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS. >> narrator: COULD THIS FINALLY BE THE ANSWER TO THE MYSTERY OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER? >> narrator:<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> IS SEARCHING TO SOLVE ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES, THE LEGEND OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS FROM PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO HAVE CAUGHT A GLIMPSE OF THE CREATURE. IN RECENT YEARS, HOWEVER, THE REPORTS OF SIGHTINGS HAVE DECLINED. THE CLUES AND THE THEORIES, HOWEVER, REMAIN NUMEROUS. THIS MAN CLAIMS HE SAW THE MONSTER IN 1975 BUT BELIEVES THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IS NOW DEAD. THIS MAN BELIEVES THAT AT ONE TIME, LOCH NESS WAS OPEN TO THE SEA AND COULD HAVE BECOME THE HOME OF A CREATURE KNOWN TO INHABIT THE OCEANS. THIS MAN SAYS VIDEO HE SHOT IN 2007 IS EVIDENCE THAT IT STILL LIVES. BOB RINES' EXPEDITION TO RETRIEVE THE CARCASS OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IS IN ITS FINAL DAYS. THE ROV IS LAUNCHED FOR ANOTHER LOOK BELOW THE SURFACE OF LOCH NESS, HOPING TO RETRIEVE SOMETHING FROM THE DEPTHS THAT WILL CONFIRM THE LOCH NESS MONSTER HAS FOUND ITS FINAL RESTING PLACE IN THE DEEP. >> WE SHOULD GET A LOT MORE SAMPLES BEFORE WE'RE THROUGH. >> narrator: THE TEAM HAS BEEN FOCUSING ON TARGETS IDENTIFIED IN THE SONOGRAM OF THE LAKE SIDES AND BOTTOM AND ARE CLOSING IN ON A TARGET THAT MAY VERY WELL BE THE CARCASS RINES HAS BEEN LOOKING FOR. JAMES LANDRY IS OPERATING THE ROV WITH MIKE O'BRIEN ASSISTING HIM. AFTER HOURS OF SEARCHING, THEY HAVE SPOTTED ANOTHER POSSIBLE TARGET. >> IT COULD BE A PIECE OF WOOD. IT COULD BE A PIECE OF BONE. IT COULD BE--IT COULD BE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING, REALLY. >> JUST ABOUT ANYTHING. IT'S A SILTY BOTTOM. EVERYTHING IS HARD TO-- YOU DON'T WANT TO STIR IT UP, SO WE'VE ACTUALLY HAD THE OTHER ROV SITTING STILL FOR ABOUT AN HOUR WHILE THEY CALLED US OVER AND WE CAME IN FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T TAKE ANY CHANCES IF IT COULD BE-- HECK, MAN, ONE LITTLE TINY SLIVER OF SOMETHING COULD GIVE SCIENCE YEARS TO WORK WITH, SO... THERE IT IS. >> narrator: THEY HAVE MANEUVERED THE ROV OVER THE TARGET. >> THE HARD PART IS WHEN YOU GO TOO CLOSE TO IT AND YOU PASS IT UP. DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE MANIPULATOR HAND, YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT'S WHITE. NOW, IT WASN'T WHITE BEFORE, SO WHAT HE ACTUALLY DID IS, HE PRESSED THE MANIPULATOR ARM INTO THE MUD, INTO THE CLAY AND PUSHED THE ROV FORWARD, SCOOPING UP A LITTLE BIT OF THE CLAY AS WELL AS, IT LOOKS LIKE, THAT LITTLE BLACK OBJECT THAT WE WERE INTERESTED IN. >> I'VE GOT IT IN THERE. THE SCOOP WON'T CLOSE ALL THE WAY AROUND IT, SO IT'S PRETTY HARD, WHATEVER IT IS. >> narrator: AS JAMES LANDRY BRINGS THE ROV IN, HE SPOTS A SECOND TARGET, BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM. IF HE TRIES TO SCOOP IT UP, HE COULD LOSE WHAT'S ALREADY IN THE ROV'S GRASP. LANDRY DECIDES TO TAKE THE CHANCE. >> I'M PRETTY SURE THAT I CAN OPEN IT UP ENOUGH TO GRAB THAT WITHOUT LOSING THE OTHER PIECE, AND I'LL FIND OUT HERE IN ABOUT TWO SECONDS. I THINK I MANAGED TO GET BOTH OF 'EM, THE PIECE WE HAD AND ANOTHER SAMPLE OF THAT. I'M GONNA COME STRAIGHT UP. AND WE GOT A COUPLE-- A COUPLE OF OUR SAMPLES NOW WIRE IN. GENTLEMEN, WE'LL HAVE TO-- GO AHEAD AND PILE THAT IN A FIGURE EIGHT. >> ALL RIGHT. ONE IN THE BOX. WE HAD IT. ALL RIGHT, SHELDON, STEP BACK. STEP BACK BY THE CAPTAIN, PROBABLY WOULD BE GOOD. >> narrator: LANDRY SUCCEEDED IN BRINGING THE SAMPLES BACK INTACT. >> WE'LL GET TO SAMPLE THAT UP. >> AH, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR A SAMPLE, SO WE'LL GET THAT BACK TO THE DOCK. AND, UH, WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS THAT CAME UP WITH IT? >> narrator: THE TEAM HEADS TO SHORE WITH THE EVIDENCE. ADRIAN SHINE, A NATURE HISTORIAN, IS ENLISTED TO EXAMINE THE MATERIAL GATHERED BY BOB RINES FROM THE LAKE. SHINE QUICKLY DETERMINES SEVERAL OF THE SPECIMENS THE TEAM BROUGHT IN WERE CLAY. ONE SAMPLE, HOWEVER, LOOKED MORE PROMISING. >> AND THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE LOOKING AT SOMETHING, SOME LITTLE CARCASS. >> narrator: SHINE HAS BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY SIFTING THROUGH THE MUCK DREDGED UP FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. >> SO FAR NO LUMPS, NO BONES, NO TISSUE, NO BITS. >> narrator: THIS<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SEARCH HAS COVERED ALL 23 MILES OF THE LAKE USING AN ARRAY OF SEARCH METHODS WITH MODIFIED SONAR AND VIDEO EQUIPMENT. THE NEW METHODS HAVE PROVED TO OFFER HOPE OF A FUTURE DISCOVERY. >> I THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE A LOT OF RESEARCH AND QUITE A BIT OF PATIENCE ON THE LOCH TO ACTUALLY NAIL DOWN WHAT THIS COULD BE. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED, IT'S STILL A MYSTERY TO ME. BUT I'VE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO ACTUALLY SEE THE THING, OR AT LEAST TWO OF THEM. >> narrator: IN ADDITION TO THE EXPEDITION,<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> HAS BEEN ANALYZING A VAST ARRAY OF EVIDENCE COLLECTED IN RECENT YEARS. THIS VIDEO RECORDED BY GORDON HOLMES IN 2007 SEEMS TO SHOW TWO CREATURES SWIMMING ACROSS THE LOCH. >> BUT THE TWO SHAPES YOU REFER TO ARE UNQUESTIONABLY SOMETHING MOVING UNDER THE SURFACE. >> narrator: ZOOLOGY PROFESSOR AUBREY MANNING ATTEMPTS TO MAKE AN IDENTIFICATION BY LOOKING AT THE VIDEO. >> WE SAW TWO OF THEM, AS YOU SAY, AND CLEARLY A BIT-- WHAT SHALL I SAY, BLUNTER AT ONE END THAN AT THE OTHER. THEY LOOKED TO ME TO BE SLIGHTLY TAPERED. I WOULD SAY A BIG FISH, BUT I-I REALLY CAN'T COMMENT ANY FURTHER. I MEAN, IT IS-- IT'S THE SORT OF THING ONE NEEDS MORE OF, BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH SOMETHING SO EXTRAORDINARY HERE THAT ONE FEELS THAT IT COULDN'T STAY OUT OF SIGHT ALL THAT TIME. >> narrator: ADRIAN SHINE HAS ALSO EXAMINED THE VIDEO AND SUGGESTS THERE MAY BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION. >> THERE ARE TWO SORTS OF DARK DISTURBANCES, IF YOU LIKE, IN THE WATER, BUT I DON'T SEE A SECOND ARM TO THE WAKE. AND I CAN ONLY THINK THAT PERHAPS IT WAS CAUSED BY A DOWNDRAFT, A CAT'S-PAW AS WE CALL IT, OF AIR. AROUND LOCH NESS, YOU'VE GOT THESE HILLS, AND WINDS CAN BE VERY UNPREDICTABLE, YOU KNOW. THEY FLUKE, AND THEY EDDY, AND THEN THEY WILL STRIKE DOWNWARDS AND GIVE THESE-- AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THE WINDS ARE BLOWING ACROSS THE LOCH, YOU CAN GET THESE DARK LINES. SOMETIMES IT LOOKS SOLID ENOUGH TO BE HUMPS. SOMETIMES THEY LOOK LIKE WAKES, AND I HAVE WONDERED ABOUT THAT. >> narrator: HOLMES, WHO SHOT THE VIDEO, IS SKEPTICAL OF THAT ASSESSMENT. >> DURING THE FOOTAGE, YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE FIRST CREATURE OR OBJECT ACTUALLY SLOWLY TURNING. NOW, I CAN'T IMAGINE WIND CAN CREATE SUCH A FALSE IMPRESSION LIKE THAT. >> narrator: SHRINE CONCEDES THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION OF LOCH NESS. >> I DON'T PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT LOCH NESS IS<i> JURASSIC PARK,</i> BUT THERE IS SOMETHING VERY STRANGE GOING ON HERE. >> SO WE WANT SOME HARD EVIDENCE, AND BY HARD I MEAN TANGIBLE IN THE SENSE OF BEING ABLE TO TOUCH. THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH. I MEAN, IF A LARGE PIECE OF REPTILIAN BONE CAME UP, THAT WOULD BE VERY SUGGESTIVE. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED, A TOOTH, A SCALE. >> narrator: AFTER 12 DAYS AND 105 SONAR TARGETS, RINES' SEARCH EFFORTS HAVE UNEARTHED SOME GOOD SPECIMENS BUT NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF A LEGENDARY MONSTER, YET HE REFUSES TO GIVE UP THE FIRM BELIEF THAT THE LOCH NESS MONSTER LIES ENTOMBED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE. >> SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE DON QUIXOTE. IT GETS PRETTY LONELY, AND YOU GET PRETTY DISCOURAGED. >> narrator: WHILE THIS MAY HAVE BEEN BOB RINES' FINAL EXPEDITION TO THE LOCH,<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> WILL CONTINUE TO SEARCH FOR ANSWERS. >> BOBBY RESEARCHED IT FOR 18 YEARS. IN MY HEART, I BELIEVE IT'S HERE. TIME WILL TELL. WE WILL FIND SOMETHING. IT'S JUST ONE BIG WAITING GAME.
