Under construction, and worth coming back to...

Alas, the claim to have discovered the deepest point in the loch was overtaken by the facts in 2002 during a survey commissioned  by the BBC Science Unit and the Loch Ness Project.  Loch Ness has  a maximum recorded depth of 226.97 metres, or 745 feet. The BBC survey was considered so accurate that it's data was incorporated into the latest Admiralty Chart of the Caledonian Canal.  When passing near the sidewalls of the loch some sonars may indicate a greater depth, as shown below, but these are sidewall echoes and not a measure of the true depth of Loch Ness. Honest boaters know this.

There is no "Nessie's Hideaway", nor, for that matter, an "Urqhuart Castle" above it.

I have an example of a similar echo below, except Raynor's Deep, at 263 metres, is much deeper than Edwards'. As can be seen at the end of the clip, it was filmed quite close to Urquhart Castle. See also updates below.

Copyright Dick Raynor 2009

Update: On a routine research cruise on 3rd August 2011 I recorded a new maximum documented sonar
depth reading in Loch Ness of 283 metres, or 928 feet and 6 inches. While this is still over 40 feet less than
that detected by the submersible Pisces II in 1969, it is, as far as I know, the greatest recorded depth. This is
not a true depth reading of course; the maximum depth found during a comprehensive batheymetrical
survey in 2002 was 226.97 metres / 745 feet, but it shows what you can record if you put your mind to it.
 

Copyright Dick Raynor 2011

Update - August 2011

Sonar screenshot of  306 metres (1004 feet)  recorded on 14th August 2011.  I have deeper ones!

"The Loch Ness Monster" postcard sold at 50p a time on George Edwards' boat "Nessie Hunter".

Sadly, this image is identical to the one he gave me in 1986 after describing the trouble he'd had dragging the thing out of the back of his vehicle, into the water, and then towing it out into the loch before taking the photograph. But that, of course, is history.

Click on the player below for the current version.

(This space reserved for any evidence of research)

Come back soon - there's more interesting material on the way!

How does a VHS tape of underwater sequences recorded on MV Deepscan suddenly appear on a competitor's a/v presentation?

Which tour boat proclaims itself "The Loch Ness Research Vessel" without doing any research?

Which tour boat lured customers with  "Underwater Cameras" for years when there is no sign of them on board?