Tourist Says 'I'm Not a Crank' After Spotting a 'Little Family' of Nessies on Google Earth Maps

A woman planning a visit to Scotland has reported three unidentified shapes in Loch Ness after spotting them on Google Earth, saying they resemble a 'little family of Nessies.' Julie Fraser found the objects last weekend while examining the loch ahead of a planned trip to Inverness later this year.

Fraser said the register had contacted her and told her it would review the images. No conclusion has been reached, and the objects have not been confirmed as evidence of the legendary creature.

Google Earth Images Put Mysterious Shapes Under Review

Fraser was using Google Earth to look around the Clan Fraser cemetery on the east shore of Loch Ness when the three shapes caught her attention. She told reporters that, after enlarging the images, she believed the objects did not look like boats.

'Taking a closer look and enlarging the images they really do look like a pod of whales,' Fraser said. She added that the objects appeared to have 'an arc to their back,' although the imagery does not establish what they are.

Her argument rests partly on a comparison with a pleasure boat visible in the imagery. Fraser pointed to the absence of a visible wake behind the three shapes, which she said made them appear different from the pleasure boat.

'There's an image of a pleasure boat with a wake but no wake from the three things,' she said. 'They don't look like boats and look like whales or something similar with an arc to their back.'

Fraser also pointed to a '2026' label in Google imagery and trees in full leaf, which she interpreted as suggesting the imagery was recent. A year label does not, by itself, establish the specific date on which imagery was captured, while shapes viewed from above can be difficult to identify without additional imagery, measurements or corroborating witnesses. The register's review may provide further information about whether the images will be added to its published records.

'I'm not a crank,' Fraser told reporters. 'I'm not as familiar as probably local people but it definitely looks like something significant to me.'

Loch Ness Register Lists 15 Sightings for 2026

The register's website lists 15 sightings for 2026 and was last updated on 19 September. Its entries describe reports from visitors and residents involving dark shapes, wakes, submerged forms and objects said to have surfaced briefly.

At the time of the report, the newspaper said there had been 14 in-person encounters and two webcam sightings. The register's page, updated Sept. 19, now lists 15 reports for 2026. The figures are not directly comparable without establishing the dates and classification used by each source.

According to the account, if added, Fraser's report would be the third digital sighting recorded in 2026. It would also add another image to the register tracking unexplained activity at Loch Ness.

The register says its post-2021 records are reports from people who have visited or live near Loch Ness. Being listed means a report has been recorded by the register, it does not establish what caused the object or that it was the Loch Ness Monster.

Fraser remains hopeful. 'The thought of a little family of Nessies is so exciting,' she said after looking at the images again.

The possibility of three creatures adds to the interest surrounding the images. An ambiguous shape can have multiple possible explanations, including reflections, waves or objects on the water.

Still, the key question is whether further examination can establish what the objects are. The register has yet to publish an assessment, and reports have not independently verified what the objects in the imagery are, let alone that they show the Loch Ness Monster.

For now, the images remain unidentified, and Fraser's interpretation has not been independently verified.