Underwater Camera

During a test dive in Loch Ness in 2025, the National Oceanography Centre's AUTOSUB made an exciting discovery. Resting more than 100 metres below the surface was a camera lost for 55 years from the first attempt to photograph the Loch Ness Monster underwater. It had been designed and built by Professor Roy Mackal of The Loch Ness Investigation Bureau in 1970 and was one of six sealed inside strong Perspex tubes.
Each Instamatic clockwork camera was activated by a magnetic switch triggered by a baited line. The cameras could take up to four photographs with a rotating flash cube.
To stop the cameras taking pictures while they were being lowered into the water, the triggers were temporarily deactivated using a rather unusual solution—soluble Polo mints! As the mints dissolved, the cameras became active, a clever idea that also raised a few smiles.
The way the cameras were positioned was carefully planned. They pointed upwards so that their flash could light up the pale underside of any large creature swimming overhead, making it stand out against the dark water. Later, the Loch Morar Expeditions also pointed underwater cameras upwards but instead relied on daylight from the surface to capture the silhouette of anything passing above.
Later that summer of 1970, three cameras were lost in a storm. When one was found, more than half a century later, it was completely dry. The film showed that pictures had been taken, sadly most probably triggered by the storm.
This remarkable camera is a reminder of the creativity, determination and ingenuity of the early researchers who searched for answers beneath the waters of Loch Ness