Loch Ness Quest hailed a success as Deep Sea Vision pinpoints iconic submerged Nessie film prop

The latest edition of The Quest has been hailed a success, as The Loch Ness Experience brought together cutting-edge exploration technology, scientific curiosity, and surface-level observation in the ongoing search for answers behind one of the world’s most enduring mysteries.

This year’s event marked a significant milestone for the project through the involvement of Deep Sea Vision, a leading marine exploration company renowned for its work in the deep-ocean environment. In collaboration with SEABER, manufacturer of Micro Millie autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), the partnership is helping demonstrate how modern micro-AUV technology can play an increasingly important role in research and commercial survey operations.

Historically, vehicles of this size have faced challenges in meeting the demanding navigation and positioning requirements expected of professional survey systems. The limited space available for onboard electronics and sensors has often restricted their performance. However, advances in technology are now enabling compact platforms such as Micro Millie to deliver capabilities once reserved for much larger systems demanding far more infrastructure. Micro Millie gives huge flexabilty.

Through a long-term partnership with The Loch Ness Experience, Deep Sea Vision and SEABER hope to continue using Loch Ness as a real-world testbed for evaluation, development, and innovation. Their goal is simple: to make high-end survey capability accessible to a wider audience through the deployment of highly capable, compact autonomous systems.

During the mission, Micro Millie was deployed to collect high-resolution data from beneath the surface of the loch, supporting efforts to build a clearer understanding of its underwater landscape, habitats, and geological features. Despite challenging weather conditions and some initial teething issues, the vehicle completed a highly successful survey. It demonstrated the accuracy of its navigation and sensing technology by precisely locating the Nessie Head prop, providing a significant proof point for the vehicle’s capabilities in the demanding freshwater environment of Loch Ness.

The successful deployment represents a major step forward for The Quest, highlighting how autonomous underwater technology can support future exploration efforts and contribute to a more detailed understanding of what lies beneath the loch’s surface.

Deep Sea Vision’s involvement also marks the beginning of a long-term partnership with The Loch Ness Experience, with both organisations committed to exploring the loch in greater detail and contributing to a broader understanding of its unique underwater environment.

Craig Wallace, President of Operations at Deep Sea Vision, said:

● “Micro Millie performed exceptionally well in a challenging and incredibly deep freshwater environment, delivering the level of accuracy and detail we hoped to achieve.

● This successful mission provides a strong foundation for our long-term partnership with The Loch Ness Experience and SEABER AUV as we work towards mapping one of the world’s most mysterious bodies of water in greater detail than ever before.”