Loch Ness

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Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Joe Zemaitis and John Zemaitis crossing Loch Ness in Scotland under the escort of Captain Ryan Tozer

Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater 37-kilometer (23-mile) loch in the Scottish Highlands. It is is part of the Still Water Eight and is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie". Loch Ness is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil. Loch Ness is the second largest Scottish loch by surface area at 56.4 km2 (21.8 sq mi) after Loch Lomond, but due to its great depth, it is the largest by volume. It contains more fresh water than all the lakes in England and Wales combined, and is the largest body of water on the Great Glen Fault, which runs from Inverness in the north to Fort William in the south.

Triple Crown of Lake Monster Swims

Loch Ness is part of the Triple Crown of Lake Monster Swims due to its alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie" It appears its distantly related creature is the Memphre in Lake Memphremagog that borders the State of Vermont, U.S.A. and Quebec, Canada in the Northwest Kingdom, and Tessie (or Tahoe Tessie) in Lake Tahoe that borders the states of California and Nevada in the western United States.

Open Water Swimming

Loch Ness was the site of the August 1977 Loch Ness Monster Swim, the third of three match races between Des Renford and Kevin Murphy. It was first crossed by Brenda Sherratt in 1966 when she finished the crossing in 31 hours 27 minutes.

Crossings & Attempts

Stillwater 8

Loch Ness is part of the Stillwater 8, a solo marathon swimming challenge created by Michelle Macy:

Categories

Completion of the Still Water Eight can be recorded in three categories:

1. wetsuit
2. non-wetsuit (i.e., FINA approved swim suits)
3. channel-standard swimwear (i.e., traditional swimming briefs for men and no arm or leg coverage for women)

If the swimmer chooses to swim one of the Still Water Eight swims in a wetsuit, they would fall into the wetsuit category. Likewise if they swim in a FINA-approved swimsuit, they fall in that category. If they swim across all the lakes in channel-standard swimwear, then they fall into the channel-standard category.

Every swim attempt must start and finish on dry land.

8 Lakes

1. Loch Ness (Scotland): 23 miles/37K, water temperature averages 50°F/10°C in season. Known for its deep black and chilling waters.
2. Windemere (England): 10.5 miles/16.9K, water temperature can be as low as 55°F/13°C in season. The largest natural lake in England.
3. Lake Zürich (Switzerland): 16.4 miles/26.4K, water temperature 66.2–75.2°F/19-24°C. This lake has an annual international competition.
4. Lake Tahoe (USA): 21 miles/35.4K, water temperature is 50–58°F/10–14.4°F. Difficult due to cool water and air temperatures and high altitude.
5. Lake Baikal (Russia): 7-10 miles/11-16K or blaze a course of equal or greater distance,water temperature can be as low as 50°F/10°C. The world’s oldest and deepest lake is also a UNISECO World Heritage Site.
6. Lake Taupo (New Zealand): 21 miles/34K, water temperature 51–73°F/11–23°C. The largest lake in New Zealand is located on the North Island.
7. Lake Ontario (Canada): 31.5 miles/51K, water temperatures are variable in a matter of hours due to wind (50–72°F/10-22°C. Difficult swim due to unpredictable wind and currents.
8. Lake Titicaca (Bolivia–Peru): Temperature is 56-58°F/13-14.5°F and is highest lake in the Americas.

Triple Loch

Loch Ness is part of the Triple Loch, a swim across the three longest lochs in Scotland (Loch Lomond, Loch Ness and Loch Awe).

Vampire Swims

Loch Ness is one of the global locations of the Vampire Swims, a series of open water swims held on 31 October.

Vampire Swims are also a great way to kick off the cold water, winter swimming season in those locations where swimming continues year round. Entry fee for these swims will include proof that the swimmer has donated blood within 6 weeks prior to the swim. Some venues are arranging a blood mobile to collect donations immediately after the swim. Those who cannot make a donation of blood for medical reasons can make a cash donation to the Red Cross or some other similar organization. A US$10 registration fee will also be expected of each swimmer to cover the cost of a custom, bloody-toothed swim cap and other incidental expenses with any remainder also to be donated to the Red Cross or other equivalent organizations that collect and distribute blood.

Venues

• Newport, Vermont (Lake Memphremagog) (Phil White)
• Boston, Massachusetts (Greg O’Connor)
• New York, New York (Jaimie Monahan)
• Westport, Connecticut (Liz Fey)
• Ottawa, Ontario (Nadine Bennett)
• Kingston, Ontario (Deborah Durbin)
• Loch Ness, Scotland (Helen Beveridge)
• Loch Lomond, Scotland (Chris Sifleet)
• Flathead Lake, Polson, Montana (Mark Johnston)

External links

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