A still image from the now-debunked video. (Richard Outdoors / YouTube) — A still image from the now-debunked video. *(Richard Outdoors / YouTube)*

The latest footage of the Loch Ness Monster, or “Nessie,” out of Scotland appear to be a hoax digitally inserted into the video, based on work done by British artist Mister Sam Shearon.

The video was first posted to Richard Outdoors, the YouTube channel of 54-year-old Richard Mavor, on September 1st, before the story was picked up by the Daily Record.

According to Mavor, the footage came from his 4k drone that he used to film the shoreline while participating in the Great Glen Canoe Challenge for Alzheimer's Society. Mavor claimed that he didn't notice the mysterious object in the water until viewers later commented on the video.

"I couldn’t believe it," Mavor told the Daily Record. “I had to rewind the footage several times and have watched it several times since."

I don’t know what it is but it certainly has the same shape as previous sightings of Nessie. The more I watch it I think "crikey!" there really wasn’t anything in the area that could be. There was no driftwood or anything like that, so who knows?
We had just parked up and I thought I would get some nice shots on the beach for my YouTube. I didn’t notice what I had picked up until others told me to watch out for it. It could be a trick of the light but we can’t be sure.

However, only two days after the Daily Record article started making the rounds, Mister Sam Shearon shared an image to Twitter showing that the object was likely a toy inserted into the video.

LOCH NESS MONSTER DRONE FOOTAGE - DEBUNKED!

100% debunked.
It's clearly this specific exact toy.

Let's get the media on the right page before it gets out of hand... it's already gone viral and simply isn't real!@CryptoLoren @MicahHanks @iTF_Radio #LochNess #LochNessMonster pic.twitter.com/p6dnAHCtMi
— Mister Sam Shearon (@Sam_Shearon) September 26, 2021

An endorsement for an independent filmmaking platform buried at the bottom of the video description on YouTube adds some context to the hoax.

My son has just started working for a company called People’s Cinema. People’s Cinema is encouraging film making from traditional pathways as well as the self-taught. The company helps to empower people’s creativity and gets them noticed in a vastly competitive industry.
The space on People’s Cinema page provides advice and support from film professionals and academics by being connected to academic institutes and the film & TV industry. By doing this, People’s Cinema subscribers have access to a wealth of knowledge.
Please help to show your support by spreading the word to all creators and anyone you think might be interested in joining People’s Cinema! I have attached all the social media handles below, so please do like/share/follow for all the latest updates.

Mavor has since disabled the comments for this video on YouTube, although the video itself is still available.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

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