A BBC team says it has shown there is no such thing as the Loch Ness monster. Using 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology to ensure that none of the loch was missed, the team surveyed the waters said to hide Scotland's legendary tourist attraction but found no trace of the monster. Previous reported sightings of the beast led to speculation that it might be a plesiosaur, a marine reptile which died out with the dinosaurs. The team was convinced that such an animal could have survived in the cold waters of Loch Ness, despite the normal preference of marine reptiles for sub-tropical waters. The researchers looked at the habits of modern marine reptiles, such as crocodiles and leatherback turtles, to try to work out how a plesiosaur might have behaved.

They hoped the instruments aboard their search boat would pick up the air in Nessie's lungs as it reflected a distorted signal back to the sonar sensors. The team did find a buoy moored several metres below the surface as a test for the equipment, but, in the end, no Loch Ness monster. "We went from shoreline to shoreline, top to bottom on this one, we have covered everything in this loch and we saw no signs of any large living animal in the loch," said Ian Florence, one of the specialists who carried out the survey for the BBC. His colleague Hugh MacKay added: "We got some good clear data of the loch, steep sided, flat bottomed - nothing unusual I'm afraid." "There was an anticipation that we would come up with a large sonar anomaly that could have been a monster - but it wasn't to be."

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Hmmm. I appreciate that this was a fairly comprehensive scan of the loch, and I accept the observation that people see what they want to see, but still, a conviction that you have conclusively proved something does not is surely a little misplaced.

I, for example, believe that a four foot albino rodent called 'Alan' lives in my fridge and steals my yoghurt. I realise that it's an uphill battle to convince you that Alan exists, but you proving to me that he doesn't exist is utterly impossible.

Whether there is or there isn't a large reptile in Loch Ness, people are still going to believe there is, and why shouldn't they.

I agree, people are still going to believe whatever they want to. I think they've scanned the loch before, and turned up nothing then, didn't matter to people then, it won't matter now.

Is the loch open to the sea?

If it is, could nessy be using (if it exists) as a breeding area?
And that is the reason why no-one ever see's it when the loch is being scanned.

I thought older sonar scans had turned up postive... Perhaps it's just old age kicking in, but I do remember that.

I thought all they'd turned up were logs and stuff like that. As for Nessie spawning in the lake, I dunno, it's possible, but I don't think it's open to the ocean anymore.

I thought it was speculated that it was open to the sea in the caves on the edge of the loch.

In the programme they discussed the idea of caves in the sides of the Loch, and came to the conclusion that the type of rock that the walls of the Loch are composed of is too hard for caves to have formed.

One way to the sea from Loch Ness is via the Caledonian Canal, which has several series' of Locks through which to navigate. Alternatively the River Ness flows from the Loch to the ocean, but I seriously doubt either would be a potential passage for an animal as large as a Plesiosaur. It would never get past the Canal locks, and the river is probaby far too shallow.

Not Nessie I cannee let her gooo

there there, its alrite, as long as we belive nessie is alive he/she will be

Lol outbreak ,Now I'll never stop believing