Gargoyle Head

In 1972, researcher Bob Rines captured an underwater photograph in Loch Ness that appeared to show a flipper. This image became one of the most famous pieces of evidence in the search for the Loch Ness Monster and later inspired the scientific name Nessiteras rhombopteryx, meaning “the Diamond-Finned Wonder of Loch Ness”.

Later, in 1975, more unusual underwater photographs were released, including one claimed to show a strange, ugly “Gargoyle Head.” This imaginative interpretation was challenged during The Loch Ness Project’s Operation Deepscan in 1987, when the object was located and identified as a sunken tree stump by underwater camera. Diver Dick Raynor recovered the stump from the loch, and it was later brought to the Loch Ness Experience by Adrian Shine, where it remains as a fascinating reminder of one of the biggest challenges of exploring Loch Ness — its dark, deep waters. Even ordinary objects can appear extraordinary.