
"Occam's Razor"
The Loch Ness lake in northern Scotland has always been surrounded by mystery. Ever since the first sighting in 1933, people have been travelling to the region in search of the elusive monster, named Nessie. Even in this day and age where science has more authority than folklore, the myth still lives on.
“The issue lies in the fact that one cannot prove a negative”, says Andrew Shine, biologist and expert on Loch Ness. Shine has dedicated years of research to one of the biggest bodies of water in the U.K., leading expeditions and searching for signs of life, other than normal fish.
The most interesting aspect of the whole story is the balance it has created between fact and fiction. There have been so many sightings and traces of something out of the ordinary that it’s not necessarily seen as a fairy tale. On the other hand there hasn’t been enough research to completely prove that there’s nothing prehistoric swimming around. This is where a mythical balance is achieved.
By contacting people who have reported sightings, hiking around the lake and diving into the historical facts, Luc Wittebol explores the boundaries of science and the assumptions one has to make to maintain one of the biggest legends of the 20th century.













Fort Augustus
"Occam's Razor"
The Loch Ness lake in northern Scotland has always been surrounded by mystery. Ever since the first sighting in 1933, people have been travelling to the region in search of the elusive monster, named Nessie. Even in this day and age where science has more authority than folklore, the myth still lives on.
“The issue lies in the fact that one cannot prove a negative”, says Andrew Shine, biologist and expert on Loch Ness. Shine has dedicated years of research to one of the biggest bodies of water in the U.K., leading expeditions and searching for signs of life, other than normal fish.
The most interesting aspect of the whole story is the balance it has created between fact and fiction. There have been so many sightings and traces of something out of the ordinary that it’s not necessarily seen as a fairy tale. On the other hand there hasn’t been enough research to completely prove that there’s nothing prehistoric swimming around. This is where a mythical balance is achieved.
By contacting people who have reported sightings, hiking around the lake and diving into the historical facts, Luc Wittebol explores the boundaries of science and the assumptions one has to make to maintain one of the biggest legends of the 20th century.

Fort Augustus

Andrew Shine

Drumnadrochit

Loch Ness exhibition; Operation DeepScan

map of the lake

Letter dated May 1934, by Alex Campbell


Andrew Shine


atop Meall Fuar-mhonaidh


Fort Augustus, southside of the lake