During a visit to Loch Ness in Scotland, Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman unexpectedly had a significant experience that grabbed media attention.
According to Wiseman, their youngest son considers seeing the Loch Ness Monster as one of the two major events of his young life, the other being a visit to the Natural History Museum.
Their son enthusiastically shares the story of seeing Nessie with everyone he meets, from the postman to people in shops and cafes.
The couple's photo of a mysterious figure in the water during their vacation has led to widespread belief, including from their children, that they have spotted the legendary Loch Ness Monster.
Malm and Wiseman, originally from Coquitlam and Calgary respectively, relocated to England in 2006.
Their original plan for the vacation was to take a boat ride on Loch Ness, as their children were very interested in the Loch Ness Monster.
They even brought shortbread cookies, thinking it was Nessie's favorite treat, but they turned out not to be needed.
While visiting a lookout at nearby Urquhart Castle, the family spotted something poking out of the water.
They observed a creature with its head above water, swimming towards the castle, before it submerged and disappeared.
After capturing a photo of the creature, they decided to send it to the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register for fun, and the response was unexpectedly positive.
Within 24 hours, the register expressed excitement and deemed the photo as 'compelling evidence.'
This led to unexpected media attention and publicity for the family.
The couple's photo and story have been featured in British tabloids and digital publications since the submission.
The encounter has been officially recorded as the first Loch Ness Monster sighting of 2024 on the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register.
They have received messages from old acquaintances expressing surprise at seeing them on TV.
The couple is relieved that their sudden media attention is related to spotting the Loch Ness monster, as opposed to being involved in criminal activities.
Both Malm and Wiseman are pleased that their experience is bringing positive news to the public, and they have been thanked by at least one person for the picture.
Malm commented on the impact of their experience on Scottish tourism, as even the headmaster of their son's school expressed appreciation for their unintentional promotion of Scotland.
“Hopefully, some people will be encouraged to come and visit Scotland.”
It's not clear what they actually saw on that cold April morning at the shore of Loch Ness.
“We don’t know what we saw,” Wiseman said. “Our children believe we saw Nessie, and I believe it for them.
“I think we saw something that might be Nessie, and that's a very wide possibility.”
Malm said the joy that the sighting has sparked in his children, and others resonating with the photo, is more important than the question of what they encountered.
“It’s really charming,” he said about the flood of reactions. “Because in a world where the news is about a war here and an atrocity there, it’s just nice that people are interested in something that’s just lighthearted, a little bit silly and a little bit unbelievable.”
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