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MY NAME IS JEREMY WADE.
FOR 30 YEARS, I'VE TRAVELED THE WORLD
IN SEARCH OF LEGENDARY RIVER MONSTERS.
I THINK THAT HE WOULD HAVE DROWNED.
IT'S THE MOST BRUTAL THING YOU'LL EVER WITNESS.
[ GIRL SCREAMS ]
THIS FISH COULD TAKE A SMALL PERSON IN ONE MOUTHFUL.
[ CHILD SCREAMS ]
I'VE UNCOVERED CREATURES
THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T BELIEVE WERE OUT THERE.
THEY DO EXIST.
THEY DO EXIST.
BUT ALL THE TIME, THERE'S BEEN SOMETHING
LURKING IN MY OWN BACKYARD,
UNMENTIONED, IGNORED,
BUT WHOSE LEGEND LOOMS LARGER THAN ANY OTHER.
THE MOTHER OF ALL FRESHWATER-MONSTER MYTHS --
LOCH NESS.
I HAD DRAWN A LINE AT THIS CHALLENGE,
BUT I'VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS
THAT THERE'S NO SMOKE WITHOUT FIRE.
AND NOW, I CAN'T IGNORE THE LEGEND ANY LONGER,
BUT CAN I GET ANY CLOSER TO THE CREATURE AT ITS HEART?
ON AN EPIC JOURNEY THAT TURNS INTO A PERSONAL OBSESSION,
I TRAVEL FROM THE DEPTHS OF LOCH NESS
TO REMOTE HIGHLANDS
AND BEYOND
IN MY QUEST TO REVEAL
WHAT'S BEHIND THE LEGEND OF LOCH NESS.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
THE LEGEND OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
IS KNOWN ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
AND WHETHER YOU BELIEVE THERE IS A CREATURE IN THERE OR NOT,
NO ONE CAN DOUBT THE STORY'S GRIP ON THE IMAGINATION.
OFTEN IN MY INVESTIGATIONS,
I ONLY HAVE ONE VAGUE REPORT TO GO ON,
BUT AT LOCH NESS,
THERE MAY HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 1,000 SIGHTINGS.
THIS MYSTERY IS SWAMPED WITH ALLEGED EVIDENCE
THAT I HAVE TO WADE THROUGH.
MANY OF THE REPORTS HAVE CONFLICTING DESCRIPTIONS,
SO IT'S VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PICK OUT THE SHREDS OF TRUTH.
AND WE NOW KNOW THAT SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC MONSTER PHOTOS
ARE FAKES.
SEPARATING THE FACT FROM THE FANTASY
THAT SURROUNDS THIS LEGENDARY RIVER MONSTER
IS GONNA BE A MONUMENTAL CHALLENGE.
THIS LOCH IS MORE THAN DEEP ENOUGH
TO HIDE A MONSTROUS SECRET,
BUT WHAT IS IT?
THE LOCH CUTS THROUGH THE HEART OF THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS,
BUT BEFORE HEADING THERE,
I START MY INVESTIGATION IN SCOTLAND'S OLDEST MUSEUM,
THE HUNTERIAN IN GLASGOW.
[ CROWS CAWING ]
I'M HERE TO EXAMINE A VERY SPECIAL EXHIBIT.
THIS IS THE FOSSILIZED SKELETON
OF A PREHISTORIC AQUATIC REPTILE CALLED A PLESIOSAUR.
FOR MANY PEOPLE, THIS IS WHAT THEY'VE COME TO BELIEVE
THE LOCH NESS MONSTER IS,
BUT IT'S HARD FOR ME TO FULLY EMBRACE THAT IDEA.
AND NOT BECAUSE THIS CREATURE'S PREHISTORIC.
MANY OF THE MONSTERS I'VE CAUGHT IN MY INVESTIGATIONS
SWAM IN RIVERS AND SEAS
AT THE SAME TIME AS THE PLESIOSAUR.
THIS IS A TRUE DINOSAUR OF THE DEEP.
AND NOT BECAUSE OF SPACE.
THE LOCH IS BIG ENOUGH AND DEEP ENOUGH
TO HIDE A CREATURE THIS LARGE.
FOR ME, THE MAJOR ISSUE WITH THIS THEORY
IS THE FACT THAT THE PLESIOSAUR IS A REPTILE.
NOW, ALL REPTILES,
EVEN THOSE THAT LIVE IN WATER, ARE AIR BREATHERS.
THIS ANIMAL WOULD HAVE TO COME TO THE SURFACE
SEVERAL TIMES EVERY DAY TO BREATHE,
AND SURFACING MAKES YOU VISIBLE.
NOW, I FIND IT VERY HARD TO BELIEVE
THAT A LAKE AS HIGHLY SCRUTINIZED AS LOCH NESS
COULD HIDE AN AIR BREATHER FOR SO LONG.
SO, IF HIS MONSTER ISN'T HIDING IN THE VAST SCOTTISH LOCH,
WHAT IS?
[ GROWL ]
LOCH NESS IS THE LARGEST FRESHWATER LAKE
IN GREAT BRITAIN.
MORE THAN 700 FEET DEEP AND 22 MILES LONG,
IT FILLS A CHANNEL CARVED BY GLACIERS
ALONG A FAULT LINE CREATED
WHEN THE LAND MASS CARRYING SCOTLAND
CRASHED INTO SCANDINAVIA 400 MILLION YEARS AGO.
ANCIENT, DARK, AND VERY COLD,
THE LOCH'S SECRETS HIDE IN ITS LIGHTLESS WATERS.
MOST OF THE MYSTERIES THAT I INVESTIGATE ARE FAIRLY OBSCURE,
KNOWN ONLY TO A FEW LOCAL PEOPLE,
BUT THIS CASE IS VERY DIFFERENT.
LOCH NESS IS A PLACE THAT IS KNOWN ABOUT WORLDWIDE.
BUT DOES THAT MEAN THAT LOOKING UNDER THE SURFACE HERE
IS TOO MUCH TO TAKE ON?
I HAVE TO BELIEVE IT ISN'T.
PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS SAID
THERE'S SOMETHING SINISTER IN THE WATER HERE,
BUT IT TOOK UNTIL THE EARLY 20th CENTURY
FOR THE MONSTER TO FINALLY SURFACE.
BEFORE THE 1930s, THIS ROAD THAT I'M DRIVING ON DIDN'T EXIST,
SO THERE WASN'T REALLY ACCESS
FOR PEOPLE TO GET TO THE SITE OF THE LOCH HERE,
BUT AS SOON AS THE ROAD WAS IN PLACE,
WELL, THAT WAS WHEN THE FAMOUS SIGHTINGS HAPPENED,
THAT'S WHEN THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
ACQUIRED ITS INTERNATIONAL FAME.
THE MOST FAMOUS SIGHTING HAPPENED IN 1933,
WHEN A LOCAL COUPLE, MR. AND MRS. MACKAY,
WERE DRIVING ALONG THE NEWLY IMPROVED INVERNESS ROAD.
SUDDENLY, MRS. MACKAY CAUGHT SIGHT
OF A GIANT CREATURE IN THE WATER WITH A WHALE-LIKE BACK.
BUT BY THE TIME HER HUSBAND HAD STOPPED THE CAR...
...IT HAD GONE.
THE LOCAL PAPER PUBLISHED A REPORT
USING THE WORD "MONSTER"
IN CONNECTION WITH THE LOCH FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME,
AND A LEGEND WAS BORN.
AROUND A MILLION PEOPLE A YEAR VISIT THIS PART OF SCOTLAND,
MANY HOPING TO GET A GLIMPSE OF THE MONSTER.
SOME SEARCH FOR A LIFETIME IN VAIN.
BUT VAL MOFFAT HAD ONLY BEEN LIVING ON THE LOCH FOR A YEAR
WHEN, JUST LIKE THE MACKAYS,
SHE SPOTTED SOMETHING FROM THE ROAD.
I WAS DRIVING UP THE HILL.
I'D COME BACK FROM INVERNESS.
I LOOK ACROSS THE BAY.
I SAW THIS DARK LUMP IN THE WATER,
SORT OF SLATE-GREY COLORS.
SHINY FROM THE WATER THAT WAS ALL OVER IT.
IT LOOKED LIKE A BOAT THAT HAD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN,
AND I THOUGHT, "WHAT'S THAT?"
"CRIKEY, IT'S GOT TO BE THE MONSTER."
I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE PULLED IN AND WATCHED IT,
BUT THERE WAS TRAFFIC CLOSE BEHIND ME.
IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP.
I GLANCED MAYBE THREE, FOUR TIMES.
AND THE FINAL TIME, IT WAS GONE.
Wade: SO, HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS THING WAS ALIVE?
IT WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SIZE TO THE WAVE,
AND IT WAS STILL.
IT WASN'T MOVING LIKE THE WAVES DO.
I'VE NEVER SEEN A WAVE AS BIG AS IT.
THERE WAS A LADY WHO LIVED 'ROUND THE CORNER,
AND SHE HAD SEEN IT 13 TIMES,
AND SHE SAW EXACTLY THE SAME AS I DID.
RIGHT, THAT'S INTERESTING.
SO, THE -- THE SORT OF STEREOTYPICAL PICTURE
THAT WE ALL HAVE OF MANY LOOPS OR A BODY AND THEN A NECK,
THE ACTUAL PEOPLE WHO'VE --
WHO LIVED HERE AND HAVE SEEN SOMETHING, IT'S ALL --
IT'S NOT LIKE THAT.
IT'S MORE LIKE AN UPTURNED BOAT HULL.
YES, DEFINITELY.
I THINK IT'S JUST SOMETHING WITH A SOLID BODY.
VAL IS VERY CLEAR THAT WHAT SHE SAW WAS THE MONSTER,
AND SHE ALSO KNOWS OTHER PEOPLE WHO'VE SEEN IT,
AND WHAT THEY SAW WAS THE SAME THING,
WHICH VERY DEFINITELY WASN'T THIS MULTI-*** SEA SERPENT
THAT IS THE COMMON DEPICTION OF THE MONSTER.
IT'S TIME TO START APPLYING MY MONSTER-HUNTING SKILLS
TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS MYSTERY.
THE WORD "LOCH" IS THE SCOTTISH-GAELIC NAME
FOR A LAKE OR SEA INLET,
AND THIS ONE IS SO VAST THAT IT COULD ALMOST SWALLOW MANHATTAN.
ALTHOUGH IT'S IN MY BACKYARD,
THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME I'VE CAST A LINE
INTO ITS DARK, UNFATHOMABLE WATERS.
CLEARLY, I'M NOT EXPECTING TO PULL OUT A MONSTER RIGHT AWAY.
MY FIRST STEP IS TO FIND OUT
WHAT FISH IT COULD BE FEEDING ON.
SO, THIS IS REALLY FISHING AT ITS SIMPLEST.
THIS IS THE CLASSIC THING
THE LITTLE BOY DOES WHEN HE FIRST GOES FISHING.
IT'S JUST A WORM --
OR A NIGHT CRAWLER, AS THEY'RE SOMETIMES CALLED --
ON A HOOK.
CAST IT OUT.
IT'S GOT MOVEMENT. IT'S GOT SMELL.
WHAT COULD RESIST THAT?
I'VE NO CLUE WHAT MIGHT BE LURKING BENEATH US,
BUT IF SOMETHING IS TEMPTED BY MY WRIGGLING BAIT,
THEN IT WILL GIVE ME MY FIRST INSIGHT
INTO THE DARK DEPTHS
OF THE WORLD'S MOST MYSTERIOUS BODY OF WATER.
HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO, HERE WE GO.
I THINK SO.
IT LOOKS LIKE I'VE HOOKED THE SLIMIEST CREATURE IN THE LOCH.
ONE OF THE STEREOTYPICAL PICTURES
OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
IS SOMETHING THAT'S QUITE SNAKE-LIKE.
IT'S A LONG ANIMAL WITH HUMPS WHICH POKE OUT OF THE WATER,
AND HERE WE GO.
THIS IS A SNAKE-LIKE FISH THAT LIVES IN THE WATER.
THIS IS A FRESHWATER EEL.
THIS SLIPPERY PREDATOR IS A NATIVE FISH
ONCE CAUGHT HERE FOR FOOD, BUT NOW CRITICALLY ENDANGERED.
THE ONLY THING IS,
THIS ONE IS PROBABLY THREE-QUARTERS OF A POUND,
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT AT THE VERY BIGGEST, YOU'RE GONNA GET ONE HERE,
FOUR OR FIVE POUNDS, MAYBE, SO, WHAT, THREE, FOUR FEET LONG.
THE WORLD'S BIGGEST FRESHWATER EELS,
CALLED LONGFINS, LIVE IN NEW ZEALAND.
AHH! LOOK AT THAT!
LOOK AT THAT, LOOK AT THAT, LOOK AT THAT, LOOK AT THAT!
AHH!
AS MASSIVE AS THEY ARE, POSSIBLY REACHING 8-FOOT,
EVEN THEY WOULDN'T MEASURE UP THE LEGEND OF THIS LOCH.
THE QUESTION IS, COULD THE EUROPEAN EEL
BE FOOD FOR A MUCH LARGER CREATURE?
ONE THAT SOMEHOW REMAINS HIDDEN?
I CARRY ON FISHING,
BUT THE ONLY CREATURES BITING ARE MORE EELS.
LOTS OF FISH,
BUT ALL THE SAME SPECIES AND ALL SMALL, AS WELL.
BUT I THINK JUST LOOKING AROUND,
IT JUST HAS THE FEEL OF A LAKE THAT'S NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE.
IF YOU FOLLOW THE LINE OF THE HILLSIDE,
THIS IS JUST GONNA PLUNGE DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS.
SO, YOU HAVEN'T REALLY GOT THE SUNLIT SHALLOWS
THAT GIVE THAT NICE, WEEDY BASE TO THE FOOD PYRAMID HERE.
SO, COMPARED TO A LOT OF PLACES I'VE BEEN TO BEFORE,
THIS HAS A SOMEWHAT LIFELESS FEEL TO IT.
SO, I'M BEGINNING TO WONDER
WHETHER THESE EXTREMELY DEEP, DARK WATERS
ARE ABLE TO SUPPORT MUCH LIFE AT ALL
WHEN I COME ACROSS A SCIENTIST WHO DOES BELIEVE
THAT A VERY LARGE CREATURE COULD BE PATROLLING
THE DEPTHS OF THE LOCH.
SOMETHING PRIMITIVE.
REPTILIAN.
VERY MONSTROUS-LOOKING.
I'M FISHING LOCH NESS
ON THE TRAIL OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS RIVER MONSTER.
SO FAR, THE LOCH HAS HELD ONTO ITS SECRETS,
AND I'VE ONLY MANAGED TO BRING UP EELS
FROM ITS EXTRAORDINARILY DEEP WATERS.
I NEED SOME INSIDE INFORMATION.
FISHERMAN ALEX SUTHERLAND
CAUGHT HIS FIRST SALMON FROM THE LOCH 50 YEARS AGO
AND KNOWS MUCH OF THE CENTURIES-OLD FOLKLORE
THAT SURROUNDS THIS MYSTERIOUS LAKE.
Sutherland: THERE IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT THE PLACE.
THERE IS SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST A NATURAL PHENOMENA.
THERE'S A PRESENCE,
AND, OF COURSE, GOING BACK FURTHER IN LEGEND,
THE WATER KELPIE, THE FABLED WATER HORSE
THAT WOULD COME OUT OF A BODY OF WATER
AND RUN AWAY WITH YOUR CHILDREN AND SUBMERGE AGAIN.
IT WAS A VERY REAL FEAR IN THE MINDS OF EARLY SETTLERS.
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING UNUSUAL OUT ON THE LOCH?
WELL, YOU'RE NOT THE FIRST PERSON TO ASK ME THAT.
I'VE GOT AN OPEN MIND, AND IT MAY WELL BE
THERE'S SOMETHING I'VE YET TO SEE OUT THERE.
ALEX TOLD ME ANOTHER STORY
OF AN ANCIENT WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE MONSTER
SAVAGELY ATTACKING AND KILLING A MAN HERE
AROUND 1,500 YEARS AGO.
IF TRUE, THIS COULD BE A GAME CHANGER.
IT'S THE FIRST INDICATION
THAT THE BEAST I'M TRYING TO HUNT DOWN
MAY NOT BE AN ELUSIVE, GENTLE GIANT SPOTTED FROM AFAR,
BUT INSTEAD, A MAN HUNTER.
THIS LOCH DOESN'T LOOK AS MURKY
AS MOST OF THE FRESHWATER I FISH IN,
SO, I CAN'T PASS UP THE OPPORTUNITY
TO SEE FOR MYSELF WHAT LIVES BELOW THE SURFACE
OF THE WORLD'S MOST MYSTERIOUS LAKE.
THE WATER IS TRANSLUCENT,
BUT STAINED DARK THE COLOR OF TEA
BY PEAT WASHED DOWN FROM THE BOGS
THAT SMOTHER THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS.
THE DEEPER I GO, THE DARKER IT BECOMES,
UNTIL IT IS LITERALLY PITCH BLACK.
THIS WATER, VERY, VERY INTERESTING.
CLOSE IN, YOU CAN SEE THE BOTTOM.
THERE'S THIS ILLUSION OF CLARITY,
BUT IF YOU FOLLOW THE BOTTOM OUT,
THERE'S A SUDDEN SHOULDER,
AND IT JUST PLUNGES DOWN INTO DEEP WATER.
YOU LOOK OUT THERE, AND IT'S JUST BLACK.
AND IT'S NOT SILT.
IT'S THIS STAIN THAT THE WATER'S GOT.
IT JUST EATS UP THE LIGHT.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IF THERE IS A MONSTER IN HERE OR NOT.
OFTEN, MY QUEST FOR MONSTERS
TAKES ME TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD.
LOCH NESS IS VIRTUALLY ON MY DOORSTEP,
BUT HAS THAT MADE ME UNDERESTIMATE
WHAT COULD BE STALKING ITS VAST, DARK WATERS?
OUT IN THE DEPTHS,
THERE COULD BE SOMETHING THE SIZE OF A SUBMARINE.
YOU JUST WOULDN'T SEE IT.
IT'S REALLY, REALLY QUITE SPOOKY.
AND IT'S ALSO PRETTY COLD.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING OUT.
IF THERE IS A GIANT CREATURE IN THIS WATER,
THEN IT HAS TO BE CAPABLE OF HUNTING IN THE INKY DARKNESS,
MAYBE MORE THAN 700 FEET DOWN.
MAYBE ITS PREY IS HIDING DOWN THERE, TOO.
I JUST CAN'T TELL,
BUT FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, I'M STARTING TO HAVE MY DOUBTS.
ARE THERE ENOUGH FISH IN THIS LOCH TO SUPPORT A MONSTER?
IF THERE IS SOMETHING OUT THERE,
SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE INSPIRED
EVEN ONE OF THESE REPORTS,
THEN WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR?
A GIANT, FRESHWATER PREDATOR
THAT HUNTS IN THE COLD AND THE DARK.
IT CAN STAY HIDDEN FOR YEARS ON END.
THE QUESTION IS, IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?
I'M HOPING ONE MAN MIGHT HAVE SOME ANSWERS.
SCIENTIST ADRIAN SHINE
HAS SCRUTINIZED THESE OBSCURE WATERS
FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS.
HE'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MOST AUDACIOUS SURVEY
EVER UNDERTAKEN ON THE LOCH, OPERATION DEEPSCAN.
AT THE TIME IN THE 1980s,
IT COST MORE THAN $1 MILLION
AND EMPLOYED 20 VESSELS
TRAVELING THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE LOCH,
SCANNING ITS DEPTHS WITH A CURTAIN OF SONAR.
THEY DIDN'T FIND A MONSTER,
AND ADRIAN BELIEVES THAT THE SURFACE ACTION
OF THE 700-FOOT-DEEP LOCH CAN BE DECEIVING,
CREATING ILLUSIONS IN THE WAVES.
YOU'VE ONLY GOT TO LOOK AT BOAT WAVES ON A CALM DAY,
AND YOU WILL SEE LOTS AND LOTS OF MULTI-*** SEA SERPENTS,
AND THIS WAS RECOGNIZED
BY THE EARLY INVESTIGATORS OF THE SUBJECT.
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY,
LARGE BOATS HAVE SAILED THE 22-MILE LONG LOCH
PARALLEL TO SHORE,
SENDING OUT ROLLING WAKES BEHIND THEM.
THESE CAN STILL BE DISTURBING THE SURFACE
HALF AN HOUR AFTER THE BOAT HAS GONE,
AND THEY ARE CLEARLY VISIBLE FROM THE ROAD.
A BIT MORE DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN THE PLESIOSAUR,
THAT MARINE REPTILE CONTEMPORARY
WITH THE DINOSAURS WITH THE LONG NECK, THE SINGLE HUMP.
WATER BIRDS MIGHT ACCOUNT FOR THAT.
THERE ARE A HOST OF THINGS THAT CAN ACCOUNT FOR IT.
LOGS CAN BE SEEN FLOATING ON LOCH NESS.
LOGS CAN BE SEEN APPARENTLY SWIMMING AGAINST THE WIND.
THE STEREOTYPES, AND, CERTAINLY, THE CLASSIC PICTURES,
THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH WHAT IS ACTUALLY LIVING -- MAYBE --
OR BE SEEN IN LOCH NESS, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN
THAT MONSTROUS THINGS CANNOT BE SEEN THERE.
BUT IS IT POSSIBLE, THOUGH, THAT IF YOU DISCOUNT THE BOAT WAKES
AND THINGS LIKE FLOATING LOGS,
THAT THERE STILL COULD BE SOMETHING ANIMATE IN HERE?
THE FISH THAT WE HAVE IN HERE -- SALMON, THE BROWN TROUT,
THE SEA TROUT, THE ARCTIC CHAR --
ALL THOSE FISH HAVE COME UP FROM THE SEA.
UP THE SEVEN MILES OF THE RIVER NESS.
DOES THAT LEAVE ROOM FOR POSSIBLY A LARGE CREATURE
COMING UP THE RIVER FROM THE SEA?
WE'VE BECOME AWARE OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS
THAT SEALS ENTER THE LOCH QUITE OFTEN.
THEY FOLLOW THE SALMON UP, AND THEY LEAVE AGAIN,
BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T BE SUSTAINED BY THE LOCH.
MALE GRAY SEALS CAN GROW
TO ALMOST 8 FEET AND 700 POUNDS.
COULD AN EVEN LARGER CREATURE
MAKE ITS WAY IN HERE FROM THE SEA?
THERE IS ANOTHER CANDIDATE THAT I'M GUILTY OF SUGGESTING,
WHICH COULD CONCEIVABLY BE INVOLVED --
THE STURGEON.
THE STURGEON IS A VERY PRIMITIVE,
REPTILIAN-LOOKING FISH.
IT'S VERY LARGE, VERY MONSTROUS-LOOKING.
IT IS CONCEIVABLE THAT
THE OCCASIONAL, NAVIGATIONALLY CHALLENGED STURGEON
MIGHT COME UP THE RIVER NESS INTO LOCH NESS SEEKING A MATE,
BE DISAPPOINTED, AND GO AWAY AGAIN.
SO, ADRIAN BELIEVES IT IS POSSIBLE
THAT A MONSTER COULD ENTER THE LOCH
AND THEN HEAD BACK OUT.
THE RIVER NESS, WHICH CONNECTS THE LOCH TO THE SEA,
OPENS UP AN OCEAN OF POSSIBILITIES.
THIS COULD EXPLAIN HOW A VERY LARGE CREATURE
COULD BE SEEN IN THE LOCH
WHEN THERE DON'T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH FISH HERE TO SUPPORT
A RESIDENT POPULATION OF LARGE PREDATORS.
BUT DOES THAT MEAN THE STURGEON IS THE TOP CANDIDATE?
I DON'T THINK SO.
STURGEON DON'T HAVE ANY TEETH,
AND ALEX TOLD ME THAT THE BEAST IN THE ANCIENT TEXTS
HAD ENOUGH BITE TO KILL A MAN.
IS THERE ANOTHER, MORE TOOTHY,
AND ULTIMATELY LETHAL CANDIDATE OUT THERE?
I'M HEADING DOWN THE RIVER NESS TO FIND OUT.
MY JOURNEY IS ABOUT TO TAKE A DANGEROUS TURN.
FIND OUT RIGHT AFTER THIS.
I'M IN SCOTLAND TRYING TO DISCOVER
IF THERE'S A REAL CREATURE
BEHIND THE LEGEND OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER,
BUT SO FAR,
I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO PENETRATE THE LOCH'S DARK SECRETS.
OUT IN THE DEPTHS,
THERE COULD BE SOMETHING THE SIZE OF A SUBMARINE.
YOU JUST WOULDN'T SEE IT.
FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS, THE LOCH WAS BURIED
UNDER AN IMMENSE ICE SHEET THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILE THICK.
IT WAS ONLY WHEN THE ICE MELTED
THAT FISH FROM THE SEA LIKE SALMON COULD SWIM BACK IN,
UP THE SEVEN-MILE-LONG RIVER NESS.
RECENTLY, THE FISH HAVE BEEN PURSUED BY GRAY SEALS,
EASILY IDENTIFIABLE WHEN THEY COME UP FOR AIR.
BUT IS ANYTHING MORE SINISTER COMING IN WITH THEM?
I'VE TAKEN TO THE RIVER TO FIND OUT,
BUT THIS GATEWAY TO THE SEA
CAN BE A LITTLE TOUGH TO NEGOTIATE.
THE ROUTE BETWEEN THE LOCH AND THE SEA
IS NOT TOTALLY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
TO MY MIND, THAT REPRESENTS QUITE A SIGNIFICANT OBSTACLE.
LOW WATER, FAST, AND EVEN THOUGH MY HEAD WAS ABOVE THE WATER,
I COULD FEEL THOSE ROCKS ON THE BOTTOM.
THE WATER'S TOO SHALLOW HERE
FOR A GIANT TO PASS THROUGH AT THIS TIME OF YEAR,
BUT IN TIMES OF FLOOD,
THE RIVER CAN RISE ABOVE THIS LEVEL BY AS MUCH AS SEVEN FEET.
THE RIVER NESS IS A PRIZED AND PROTECTED
WILD SALMON RIVER,
AND IT'S ONLY WITH SPECIAL PERMISSION
THAT I CAN TEST THESE WATERS WITHOUT FEAR OF PROSECUTION.
I'M EAGER TO INVESTIGATE.
AS WELL AS CATCHING FISH,
A FISHING LINE WILL ALSO REVEAL
SOMETHING OF THE UNDERWATER TOPOGRAPHY.
APPARENTLY, THAT SLACK ON THE OTHER SIDE THERE,
ALTHOUGH THE RIVER IS LOW, THERE'S ABOUT 15 FOOT OF WATER,
SO THAT'S JUST THE KIND OF PLACE
WHERE ANYTHING COMING UP THE RIVER ON ITS WAY TO THE LOCH
MIGHT JUST REST OUT.
SO, I'LL TRY TO DROP IT IN THERE, LET IT SINK,
AND THEN, I'M KEEPING THE ROD UP BECAUSE,
IF I DROP THE ROD --
WE'VE GOT THIS VERY FAST WATER BETWEEN ME AND THE SLACK,
AND THAT WOULD JUST WHIP IT OUT OF THAT ZONE.
I WANT THE LURE TO BE IN THERE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.
A BRIGHT, FLASHY LURE
SHOULD ATTRACT ATTENTION IN THESE PEAT-STAINED WATERS.
IF THERE IS SOMETHING LURKING IN THE DEEP POOLS,
IT DOESN'T WANT TO MAKE ITSELF KNOWN.
AS IS SO OFTEN THE CASE WITH MONSTER HUNTING,
I HAVE TO FEEL MY WAY,
TRYING TO BUILD UP A MENTAL PICTURE OF THE RIVER
AS I JOURNEY DOWNSTREAM TO WHERE IT MEETS THE SEA.
WELL, THIS IS IT.
THIS IS THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER NESS,
WHERE IT OPENS OUT INTO THE MORAY FIRTH.
SO, THIS IS ACTUALLY A THRESHOLD
FOR ANYTHING COMING INTO THE RIVER FROM OUT THERE.
BUT OUT THERE IS A WHOLE NEW WORLD OF MARINE CREATURES.
THIS ISN'T MY DOMAIN, SO WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?
SINCE MY ARRIVAL AT LOCH NESS,
I'VE DISCOVERED THAT, DESPITE ITS VAST SIZE,
THERE ARE VERY FEW ANIMALS LIVING IN IT.
SCIENTIST ADRIAN SHINE HAS STUDIED THE LOCH
FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS,
AND HE'S ONLY EVER RECORDED SIX SPECIES OF FRESHWATER FISH
THAT LIVE THERE PERMANENTLY -- NONE MORE THAN FOUR FOOT LONG.
I THINK IT'S CLEAR THAT NO KNOWN FRESHWATER CREATURE
COULD ACCOUNT FOR THE SIGHTINGS I'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT.
BUT THERE IS THIS CONNECTION -- THE RIVER NESS --
BETWEEN LOCH NESS AND THE SEA.
AND FROM PAST EXPERIENCE, I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES
LARGE SALTWATER CREATURES CAN MAKE THEIR WAY INLAND.
THE MOST NOTORIOUS IS THE DEADLY BULL SHARK,
BUT THESE TOP PREDATORS ARE WARM-WATER HUNTERS.
THEY NEED TEMPERATURES IN THE 60s AND ABOVE.
THEY COULDN'T SURVIVE HERE IN THE FRIGID 40s OF THE LOCH,
BUT PERHAPS ANOTHER PREDATOR CAN,
SOMETHING THAT'S FOLLOWING PREY FROM THE SEA
UP THE RIVER AND INTO THE LOCH,
FEEDING ON MIGRATORY SALMON OR EVEN SEALS.
SO, WHAT I WANT TO DO NOW
IS FIND OUT WHAT LIVES HERE IN SCOTLAND'S COASTAL WATERS.
I'VE FOUND SOMEONE WHO'S OUT ON THE WATER HERE EVERY DAY.
GWYN TANNER IS THE HARBOR MASTER AT AVOCH,
A SMALL PORT ON THE MORAY FIRTH,
CLOSE TO THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER NESS.
HE REGULARLY SPOTS LARGE MARINE CREATURES HERE
CLOSE TO LAND.
I'M HOPING TO TRACK DOWN SOMETHING MUCH BIGGER
THAN WHAT I'VE SEEN SO FAR IN THE LOCH.
THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE.
THIS COULD BE WHAT I'M AFTER.
I'M IN THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS
INVESTIGATING THE MYSTERY OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.
I'M AFTER A PREDATOR THAT CAN SURVIVE
THE COLD DEPTHS OF THE DARK LOCH,
ONE THAT I NOW SUSPECT TRAVELS HERE UP THE SHORT RIVER
THAT CONNECTS THE LOCH WITH THE SEA.
I'M TRAVELING OUT INTO A VAST INLET OF THE NORTH SEA
CALLED THE MORAY FIRTH TO FIND OUT
WHICH LARGE MARINE CREATURES
COME CLOSE TO THE RIVER'S MOUTH.
Tanner: LOOK AT THAT.
THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE.
SOME LARGE ANIMALS STRAIGHTAWAY, BUT THESE ARE VERY RECOGNIZABLE.
THESE ARE DOLPHINS.
THIS IS THE MOST NORTHERLY RESIDENT POPULATION
OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS IN THE WORLD.
THE DARK GRAY ADULTS CAN REACH 13 FEET.
JUDGING THE SIZE OF OBJECTS IN OPEN WATER
IS NOTORIOUSLY TRICKY,
SO, THEY COULD ACCOUNT FOR SOME OF THE SIGHTINGS,
BUT THERE'S THE SAME FLAW WITH THIS THEORY
AS WITH THE PLESIOSAUR OR GRAY SEALS.
THEY'RE AIR BREATHERS.
THEY COME TO THE SURFACE REGULARLY.
YOU CAN'T MISS THEM, AND YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.
IT'S NOT THESE THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE LOCH.
BUT SEEING THEM HERE SHOWS ME
THAT THE WATERS RIGHT ON LOCH NESS' DOORSTEP
CAN SUPPORT POPULATIONS OF LARGE PREDATORS.
ONE POD OF DOLPHINS
IS AMBUSHING PREY IN THE SHADOW OF A 19th CENTURY FORT
BUILT TO DEFEND THE FIRTH FROM ATTACK.
RIGHT, THERE'S A POD OF DOLPHINS IN THIS EDDY HERE.
NOW, THAT'S ACTUALLY A CLASSIC PLACE FOR PREDATORS TO HANG OUT
BECAUSE THE TIDE IS PUSHING OUT.
YOU'VE GOT SLACK WATER THERE.
THAT'S WHERE FISH ARE GONNA REST.
SALMON, PARTICULARLY, COMING UP.
THEY'RE GONNA TUCK IN THERE, SO THE DOLPHINS,
THEY KNOW WHERE THE FOOD IS, AND THEY'RE HUNTING THERE.
THEY'RE CHASING MIGRATING SALMON,
WHICH ARE ON THEIR WAY INTO THE LOCH TO BREED,
BUT GWYN'S SEEN PLENTY OF OTHER PREDATORS
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THESE WATERS.
A MINKE WHALE IS THE RIGHT SIZE
FOR MANY OF THE MONSTER SIGHTINGS,
BUT IT'S YET ANOTHER AIR BREATHER
THAT WOULD BE EASILY IDENTIFIED.
GWYN TELLS ME, THOUGH,
THAT FISHERMEN HAVE ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER LARGE BEAST
THAT LIVES IN THE DEPTHS OF THE FIRTH.
THE CREW WERE CONFRONTED
WITH A THRASHING, SERPENT-LIKE CREATURE
THAT GWYN SAYS WAS MORE THAN 10 FEET LONG.
EVENTUALLY, ONE OF THE FISHERMAN GRABBED ITS TAIL
AND SLID IT OVER THE SIDE.
THE THRASHING BEAST WAS A EUROPEAN CONGER EEL,
A PERMANENT RESIDENT OF SALTWATER
AND THE BIGGEST EEL OF THEM ALL,
CAPABLE OF TIPPING THE SCALES AT MORE THAN 300 POUNDS.
BUT I'VE NEVER HEARD OF
A CONGER SWIMMING INTO FRESHWATER.
MY TRIP INTO THE MORAY FIRTH HAS OPENED MY EYES
TO A WHOLE HOST OF HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDERS.
SO, QUITE A CONTRAST TO THE LOCH.
THE WATER'S ACTUALLY SHALLOWER, BUT FULL OF LIFE,
INCLUDING SOME LARGE PREDATORS, AND SOME RARE VISITORS.
BUT SO FAR,
NONE OF THE POTENTIAL CANDIDATES I'VE COME ACROSS
CAN EXPLAIN THE MONSTER SIGHTINGS I'M INVESTIGATING.
PEOPLE HERE HAVE BELIEVED IN THE MONSTER MYTH FOR CENTURIES.
THERE HAS TO BE SOME GRAIN OF TRUTH WITHIN IT.
[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]
I HAVE ONE LAST LEAD TO FOLLOW UP.
THE ANCIENT STORY
THAT FISHERMAN ALEX SUTHERLAND TOLD ME
ABOUT THE MAN KILLED BY A WATER BEAST IN THE RIVER NESS.
THIS MIGHT BE MY LAST CHANCE
TO FIND A CLUE TO THE MONSTER'S IDENTITY.
[ BELL TOLLING ]
THIS LAND WAS ONCE INHABITED
BY A MYSTERIOUS EARLY PAGAN PEOPLE KNOWN AS THE PICTS.
IN THE 6th CENTURY A.D.,
AN IRISH MONK CALLED ST. COLUMBA
CAME HERE TO CONVERT THE PICTS TO CHRISTIANITY.
HE'S SAID TO HAVE PERFORMED NUMEROUS MIRACLES,
INCLUDING THE BANISHMENT OF A WATER BEAST
FROM THE RIVER NESS.
I'VE ARRANGED TO MEET AN ARCHAEOLOGIST
WHO'S AN EXPERT ON THE HISTORY AND LEGENDS OF THE AREA.
I'M HOPING CAIT McCULLAGH CAN GIVE ME AN IDEA
OF WHAT KIND OF CREATURE IT WAS.
COLUMBA COMES UPON A SCENE
WHERE A MAN HAS BEEN BROUGHT OUT OF THE WATER.
HE'S COMPLETELY BRUTALIZED
BY SOME SORT OF WATER BEAST, A RIVER MONSTER.
THE PEOPLE OF THE AREA AROUND THE RIVER NESS ARE TERRIFIED.
BUT COLUMBA ISN'T AFRAID.
HE SENDS ONE OF HIS FOLLOWERS OUT INTO THE RIVER,
AND THE MONSTER RISES FROM THE DEPTHS AGAIN.
[ GASPS ]
COLUMBA DEMONSTRATES THE POWER OF HIS GOD
BY BANISHING THIS BEAST, TELLING IT TO GO FROM THE RIVER.
AND PRESUMABLY, SENDING IT DOWN THE RIVER TOWARDS THE LOCH.
IS THERE ANY DESCRIPTION OF THE CREATURE IN HERE?
THERE'S NOTHING TO SUGGEST
ANYTHING ABOUT THE ACTUAL PHYSICALITY OF THE MONSTER,
JUST A DISTURBANCE OF THE WATER.
THE PICTS DIDN'T LEAVE ANY WRITTEN RECORDS OF THEIR OWN,
BUT CAIT HAS UNEARTHED STONE CARVINGS
WHICH MIGHT GIVE ME AN INSIGHT
INTO THE IDENTITY OF THIS SAVAGE CREATURE.
THIS IS KNOWN AS THE PICTISH BEAST
AND IS GENERALLY RECOGNIZED
TO BE SOME SORT OF RIVER OR LOCH MONSTER.
IT'S A FOLKLORE
THAT IS NOT EXCLUSIVE TO THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND.
THERE'S CERTAINLY A CONNECTION TO NORSE SCANDINAVIAN SOURCES
WITH THIS PARTICULAR SEA OR RIVER OR LOCH MONSTER.
MY QUEST FOR THE TRUTH BEHIND THE LEGEND
HAS TAKEN A TURN IN A NEW DIRECTION.
CAIT HAS OFFERED CLUES THAT SEND MY INVESTIGATION
MUCH FURTHER BACK IN HISTORY.
[ GATE SQUEALS ]
SO, A MONSTROUS WATER CREATURE ISN'T JUST SOMETHING
THAT ORIGINATED IN NEWSPAPER REPORTS IN THE 1930s.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF AN ENCOUNTER,
A HUMAN DEATH, IN THE RIVER NESS 1,500 YEARS AGO.
AND AT THE SAME TIME,
PEOPLE WERE LEAVING ENIGMATIC CARVINGS
OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE A STRANGE WATER CREATURE.
AND I WONDER OF THOSE TWO THINGS ARE POSSIBLY CONNECTED.
WHAT'S EVEN MORE INTRIGUING IS THE DISCOVERY
THAT THESE CENTURIES-OLD SCOTTISH MONSTER MYTHS
MAY HAVE CONNECTIONS WITH THE VIKINGS.
I NEED TO TAKE A LONG, HARD LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE
TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO GO NEXT.
SO FAR, I HAVEN'T FOUND A SINGLE CREATURE THAT I BELIEVE
COULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR MONSTER SIGHTINGS IN THE LOCH.
PERHAPS I NEED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK
AT THE LEGEND'S ANCIENT ORIGINS.
COULD THAT GET ME ANY CLOSER TO THE TRUTH?
COULD THE INSPIRATION FOR THE LOCH MONSTER
COME FROM ACROSS THE COLD, NORTHERN SEAS?
VIKING LONGSHIPS SAILED THOUSANDS OF MILES
OVER THE NORTHERN ATLANTIC.
RAIDING PARTIES FROM SCANDINAVIA
STORMED AND COLONIZED SCOTLAND,
AND THEY ESTABLISHED A REMOTE OUTPOST ON ICELAND.
THESE INCREDIBLY TOUGH WARRIORS WERE CONVINCED
THAT THESE COLD SEAS WERE HOME TO MONSTERS.
STORIES OF SOME OF THESE BEASTS
STILL SURVIVE IN NORSE MYTHOLOGY,
AND THEY MIGHT HARBOR THE CLUES I NEED.
THE VIKINGS WROTE DOWN THEIR LEGENDS
AROUND 800 YEARS AGO UP HERE IN ICELAND
WHERE SOME ANCIENT TEXTS HAVE SURVIVED TO THIS DAY.
TO PURSUE THIS HUNCH
THAT THE VIKINGS MAY HOLD THE KEY TO THE LEGEND OF LOCH NESS,
I NOW HAVE TO HEAD TO THE EDGE OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.
ICELAND IS A LAND OF FIRE AND ICE,
A FROZEN ISLAND
LITERALLY RIPPED APART BY VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.
UNLIKE SCOTLAND'S ANCIENT ROCKS,
ICELAND IS CONSTANTLY FORGED ANEW.
TOP PILOT AND RALLY CHAMPION OMAR RANASIN, NOW IN HIS 70s,
TAKES ME ON A WHITE-KNUCKLE RIDE TO SHOW ME
WHERE MOST OF THE ISLAND'S FRESHWATER IS LOCKED UP.
Wade: THE PROCESSES THAT FORMED THIS ISLAND
NORMALLY TAKE PLACE OUT OF SIGHT BENEATH THE OCEAN,
BUT HERE, THAT MOLTEN ROCK PUSHES UP INTO THE AIR.
BUT THEN WHAT HAPPENS, BECAUSE IT'S SO FAR NORTH,
IS THAT FIRE IS THEN GROUND DOWN BY ICE.
SO WHAT YOU'VE GOT HERE IS JUST NAKED GEOLOGY,
A TOTALLY UNIQUE LANDSCAPE.
ICELAND SITS RIGHT ON THE EDGE OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.
11% OF THE ISLAND'S SURFACE
IS PERMANENTLY BURIED UNDER ICE AND GLACIERS.
MELTWATERS FEED INTO HUNDREDS OF LAKES AND RIVERS
FLOWING ENDLESSLY OUT TO SEA.
SINCE VIKING TIMES, ICELANDERS HAVE TOLD
COUNTLESS STORIES OF DANGEROUS WATER MONSTERS.
MY TRAVELS HAVE SHOWN ME THAT THE ORIGINS OF SO MANY MYTHS
LIE IN REAL FLESH-AND-BLOOD CREATURES,
AND I WON'T GIVE UP UNTIL I GET
A REAL FLESH-AND-BLOOD CREATURE IN MY HANDS.
THE PEOPLE OF THIS REMOTE, FROZEN ISLAND
HAVE ALWAYS FED THEMSELVES FROM THE SEA.
FISHING IS IN THE ICELANDER'S DNA.
IT DOESN'T TAKE ME LONG TO GET MY FIRST LEAD
ABOUT AN AGGRESSIVE HUNTER OF THE DEEP
FROM A SEA FISHERMAN CALLED BERGTHOR.
IT'S JUST A PURE MUSCLE KIND OF FISH
WITH A BIG HEAD, BIG TEETH.
HE ALSO GIVES ME SOME GRISLY REMAINS.
THIS IS THE STEINBíTUR,
WHICH APPARENTLY MEANS "STONE BITER,"
AND YOU'VE GOT THESE VERY SHARP TEETH HERE,
CLEARLY VERY POWERFUL JAWS.
I DON'T THINK YOU WANT YOUR HAND TOO NEAR A LIVE ONE OF THESE.
I'VE ONLY GOT THE CREATURE'S HEAD TO GO ON,
SO I'VE NO IDEA
WHAT THE REST OF THIS FEARSOME PREDATOR LOOKS LIKE.
THE ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT ABOUT IT
AND WHATEVER ELSE LIVES IN THESE WATERS
IS TO GET A LINE IN.
I'M ON THE HUNT FOR A CREATURE
THAT COULD HAVE INSPIRED THE LEGEND OF LOCH NESS.
AN ANCIENT ATTACK STORY HAS LAUNCHED ME FROM SCOTLAND
TO AN ISLAND ON THE EDGE OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE -- ICELAND.
ONCE THE REMOTE STRONGHOLD OF THE VIKINGS,
THIS LAND IS STILL RIDDLED WITH MONSTER STORIES AND SIGHTINGS.
THIS IS AN ISLAND THAT'S ALWAYS RELIED ON FISHING,
SO I'M BACK IN MY ELEMENT ONCE AGAIN.
I'VE STARTED MY INVESTIGATION ON A ROCKY OUTCROP,
WHICH PLUNGES FOR 100 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE,
ON THE HUNT FOR A TOOTHY PREDATOR
KNOWN AS THE STONE BITER.
THERE'S SOMETHING DOWN THERE.
THERE WE GO, FAMOUS COD.
CLASSIC THREE DORSAL FINS,
AND THAT'S THE BEARD, THE BARBEL,
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CHIN.
IT SHOWS THERE'S FISH DOWN HERE, ANYWAY,
BUT IT'S STILL NOT WHAT I'M AFTER.
I'M GOING TO BRING A SECOND ROD INTO PLAY
TO TRY AND TEMPT A TOOTHY PREDATOR OUT OF HIDING.
THE FISH I'M BRINGING IN...
COALFISH. SMALL FLATFISH.
...WOULD BE AS FAMILIAR TO THE ANCIENT VIKINGS...
OH, THERE'S SOMETHING ON THERE.
...AS THEY ARE TO THEIR ICELANDIC DESCENDANTS TODAY.
SO, THAT'S A NICE-SIZE HADDOCK, REALLY NICE-LOOKING FISH.
BUT THE ABUNDANCE OF SMALLER FISH HAS MUDDIED THE WATERS.
WELL, IF NOTHING ELSE, I'VE SEEN HOW RICH THESE WATERS ARE,
BUT THAT'S REALLY PART OF THE PROBLEM.
THIS PROMISING LEAD THAT I HAVE FROM A FISHERMAN,
THE STONE BITER,
WELL, WHAT'S HAPPENING IS,
THE SMALLER FISH ARE JUST REACHING THE BAIT,
TEARING IT APART
BEFORE THIS TOOTHY, POWERFUL FISH CAN EVEN GET A LOOK IN.
THE FISHERMAN, BERGTHOR, TOLD ME
OF ONE OTHER FEARSOME CREATURE FOUND IN THE ISLAND'S WATERS.
A PUMPED-UP PREDATOR PATROLLING A FRESHWATER LAKE.
MAYBE I'LL HAVE A BETTER CHANCE
OF GETTING MY HANDS ON A MONSTROUS BEAST THERE.
THIS LAKE WAS CENTRAL TO VIKING LIFE.
ON ITS SHORES, THEY HELD THEIR PARLIAMENT,
THE FIRST IN THE WORLD.
THIS WATER IS RENOWNED FOR ITS CLARITY,
BUT THERE'S A DARKER SIDE TO THIS PLACE.
FOR CENTURIES, THIS LAKE WAS USED TO DROWN SINFUL WOMEN,
AND, APPARENTLY, THEIRS WEREN'T THE ONLY BODIES
TO BE DISPOSED OF HERE.
DID THIS UNUSUAL SUPPLY OF FRESH FOOD
ALLOW SOME FISH HERE TO GROW INTO THE GIANTS I'VE HEARD OF?
THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT.
[ LINE WHIPPING ]
THE PROBLEM I'VE GOT HERE IS, I CAN SEE FISH.
I CAN SEE MOVEMENT IN THE WATER, SHAPES.
THEY'RE NOT VERY CLEAR, BUT THE WATER IS VERY TRANSPARENT,
SO, I'VE GOT TO KEEP LOW.
BUT ALSO HAVING TO CONTEND WITH THIS WIND,
WHICH IS MAKING IT ALL RATHER CHALLENGING.
AND I'M GETTING HUNG UP ON ROCKS, AS WELL, DOWN THERE.
BUT WITH THE WATER SO UNUSUALLY CLEAR,
THERE'S ANOTHER WAY I MIGHT SEE ONE CLOSE-UP.
THE VISIBILITY IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN IN LOCH NESS,
BUT THE WATER IS MUCH COLDER.
THE FISH I COULD SEE FROM THE SURFACE
TURN OUT TO BE ARCTIC CHAR, AND THERE'S A LOT OF THEM.
I'M JUST STANDING HERE, FLAPPING MY FINS VERY GENTLY,
AND IT'S DISTURBING THE SEDIMENT ON THE BOTTOM,
AND THERE ARE BIG ARCTIC CHAR COMING IN.
THEY'RE TAKING MOUTHFULS OF THE STUFF I'M DISTURBING.
THERE MIGHT BE INSECT EGGS OR WHATEVER DOWN THERE.
THEY'RE RIGHT IN HERE, REALLY, REALLY CLOSE.
ARCTIC CHAR ARE THE MOST NUMEROUS FISH
TO LIVE IN THE COMPARATIVELY BARREN LOCH NESS.
BUT THERE, THEY ARE VIRTUALLY INVISIBLE
IN ITS DEEP, PEAT-STAINED WATERS.
I SUSPECT THAT THESE FISH MIGHT BE PREY
FOR THE ELUSIVE PREDATOR I'VE HEARD ABOUT,
BUT WHICH, SO FAR, IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.
I FIND OUT THAT THERE'S A MAN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LAKE
WHO HAS A KNACK FOR CATCHING AQUATIC PREDATORS.
JOHANNES STURLAUGSSON INTRODUCES ME
TO ICELAND'S LEGENDARY [SPEAKS IN ICELANDIC]
A SUPER-SIZED, PREDATORY TROUT.
NOW, COMPARED TO A BROWN TROUT IN, SAY,
ENGLAND OR NORTH AMERICA, THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MONSTER.
THIS ONE'S ABOUT 15 POUNDS, BUT, APPARENTLY,
THEY'RE TAKEN OUT HERE SOMETIMES 25 POUNDS, EVEN 30 POUNDS.
THERE'S SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL ABOUT THIS LAKE.
THEY'RE SO STRONG,
THEY HAVE TO BE BATHED IN ANESTHETIC BEFORE HANDLING.
JOHANN HAS DEDICATED YEARS OF HIS LIFE
TO CATCHING AND TAGGING THESE ELUSIVE PREDATORS
TO UNDERSTAND HOW AND WHY THEY GROW SO LARGE.
THE LAKE ITSELF, IT'S VERY PRODUCTIVE.
WE HAVE HERE ENDLESS TONS OF CHAR,
THE MAIN THING ON THEIR MENU.
SO, THESE FISH,
THEY'RE NOT FEEDING ON SORT OF INSECT LARVAE.
THESE ARE LAYING INTO SMALLER FISH?
YEAH, THEY ARE MASSIVELY GROWING MORE THAN THREE KILO PER YEAR.
IN POUNDS, ABOUT SIX POUNDS A YEAR?
YEAH.
WOW, THAT'S IMPRESSIVE.
THE BIGGEST ONE, THE JAWS ARE THAT MASSIVE
THAT YOU CAN TAKE IT AND PUT IT AROUND YOUR HEAD.
QUITE SCARY, THESE ARE TOUGH GUYS.
BUT NOT SO TOUGH, THEY COULD STRIKE TERROR INTO THE VIKINGS
AND GIVE RISE TO A WATER-MONSTER LEGEND.
BUT JOHANN TELLS ME ABOUT ANOTHER LAKE IN THE EAST
THAT MANY ICELANDERS BELIEVE
IS HOME TO AN IMMENSE AND ANCIENT WATER MONSTER.
AND THIS MONSTER HAS ACTUALLY BEEN CAPTURED...
ON VIDEO.
I'M ON THE EDGE OF THE ARCTIC IN ICELAND,
THE FAR-FLUNG OUTPOST OF THE VIKINGS' SEAFARING KINGDOM.
I'M HUNTING FOR A COLD-WATER PREDATOR
THAT COULD HAVE INSPIRED
THE LEGEND OF THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.
I'VE ALREADY ENCOUNTERED GIANT TROUT
GORGING THEMSELVES ON ARCTIC CHAR
AND GROWING TO THREE TIMES THEIR NORMAL SIZE.
NOW I'VE HAD A TIP-OFF ABOUT A CENTURIES-OLD WATER MONSTER
THAT WAS FILMED IN A GLACIAL LAKE LAST SPRING.
THE THING THAT REALLY STRIKES ME ABOUT THIS LAKE
IS JUST HOW SIMILAR IT LOOKS TO LOCH NESS.
IT'S VERY LONG, BUT COMPARATIVELY QUITE NARROW
AND CLEARLY, IN PLACES, IT'S VERY DEEP.
THE BIG DIFFERENCE, THOUGH, IS THE WATER.
THIS LAKE IS FED BY WATER
THAT FLOWS DOWN DIRECTLY FROM A GLACIER,
WHICH IS STILL GRINDING ROCKS TO DUST.
THESE WATERS ARE PERMANENTLY CLOUDED BY SEDIMENT.
IN LOCH NESS, THE VISIBILITY IS PRETTY POOR,
BUT HERE, IT'S ALMOST NONEXISTENT.
YOU WOULDN'T SEE ANYTHING AT ALL IN THIS WATER
UNLESS IT WAS BREAKING THE SURFACE.
BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED LAST SPRING.
A STUNNED FARMER SAW ANCIENT LEGEND TURN INTO LIVING REALITY
WHEN HE LOOKED OUT OF HIS KITCHEN WINDOW.
I MEET ICELANDER HJORTUR KJERULF
TO FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT EMERGED
FROM THESE MURKY WATERS.
[ SPEAKING IN ICELANDIC ]
SO, HE'S IN THE KITCHEN RIGHT HERE,
MAKING HIS MORNING CUP OF COFFEE,
LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW, SAW SOMETHING.
AT FIRST, DIDN'T REALLY REGISTER IT,
BUT THEN, NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING STRANGE IN THE WATER,
AND WENT TO GET HIS CAMERA.
HJORTUR CAPTURED THE FIRST VIDEO FOOTAGE OF A CREATURE
LONG DESCRIBED AS THE LAGARFLJOT WORM
IN THE MELTING LAKE ICE OF SPRING.
AND THIS WAS JUST OUTSIDE HERE?
[ SPEAKING IN ICELANDIC ]
THE POSITION OF IT WAS LITERALLY JUST A MATTER OF YARDS,
10 OR 15 YARDS, AWAY FROM THE BANK DOWN HERE.
HE SAID IT WAS MOVING LIKE A SNAKE.
IT APPEARS TO BE GOING SLIGHTLY AGAINST THE CURRENT.
SO, HOW LONG WAS IT THERE FOR?
HOW LONG DID YOU WATCH IT FOR?
[ SPEAKING IN ICELANDIC ]
IT WAS THERE FOR A LONG TIME.
HE WATCHED IT FOR SEVERAL MINUTES.
HE STARTED HERE, AND THEN HE WENT OUTSIDE,
AND EVENTUALLY, HE JUST WENT OFF, 'CAUSE HE HAD WORK TO DO.
WHEN EVENTUALLY HE GOT BACK, IT WAS DARK.
THE NEXT DAY, IT HAD GONE.
THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT HJORTUR BELIEVES
WHAT HE FILMED IS REAL,
AND IT FITS THE DESCRIPTION OF A CREATURE REPORTED HERE
FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
I'M SURE HIS VIDEO IS GENUINE, NOT A MALICIOUS FAKE
LIKE SOME OF THE FOOTAGE OR IMAGES FROM LOCH NESS.
THE MOST FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH THERE WAS LATER REVEALED
TO BE OF A SCULPTED MODEL MOUNTED ON A TOY SUBMARINE.
SOME BELIEVE THAT HJORTUR'S FOOTAGE SHOWS SURFACE ICE
FLOWING AROUND A FISHING NET
THAT SNAGGED ON A SUBMERGED BRANCH,
BUT OTHERS ARE CONVINCED IT IS THE BEAST OF LEGEND.
ITS REMARKABLY REPTILIAN HEAD
IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU MIGHT EXPECT
FROM AN AQUATIC PREDATOR.
THE ONLY WAY I CAN COME TO ANY CONCLUSIONS
IS TO FIND OUT FOR MYSELF,
BUT THE CLOUDY WATERS HERE DON'T GIVE ANYTHING AWAY.
JUST LOOKING AT THE WATER UP CLOSE, IT'S REALLY THICK.
YOU CAN HARDLY SEE INTO IT AT ALL,
SO IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE ANYTHING HERE
OPERATING AS A SIGHT PREDATOR.
SO, IT'S NOT JUST WHAT'S IN THE WATER,
BUT ALSO ME THAT'S OPERATING BLIND HERE.
IT SEEMS LIKE THIS MONSTER MAY HAVE MELTED AWAY WITH THE ICE.
BUT LIKE LOCH NESS,
THE LAGARFLJOT LEGEND HAS ENDURED FOR CENTURIES.
GIVEN THE VIKINGS'
INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP WITH EVERYTHING AQUATIC,
I WONDER WHETHER SOME OF THEIR TALES OF MYTHICAL BEASTS
ARE NOT IMAGINARY,
BUT ACTUAL ACCOUNTS OF WHAT'S IN THE WATER.
I NEED TO TAKE A LOOK
AT THE ORIGINS OF HJORTUR'S LAKE MONSTER.
[ MEN CHANTING ]
I'VE HEARD OF A MAN WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP ME.
A PRIEST AND HISTORIAN
WHO'S MADE IT HIS MISSION TO UNCOVER AND CATALOG
ALL OF ICELAND'S WATER MONSTERS.
SEGADOR IASON SHOWS ME A NATIONAL TREASURE,
A 400-YEAR-OLD MAP LITERALLY COVERED IN WATER BEASTS.
Wade: ARE THERE STORIES ABOUT SOME OF THESE CREATURES?
Iason: YES, THERE ARE STORIES ABOUT THEM.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAVE THIS ONE HERE,
IT'S CALLED "STOKKULL."
IT MEANS, "THE JUMPER."
IT WAS A DANGEROUS WHALE.
THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY THE LINGBAK.
IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY THE LARGEST OF ALL WHALES.
LINGBAK MEANS TREES ON ITS BACK, LIKE ON AN ISLAND.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE VERY BIG.
VERY BIG.
ARE THERE ANY DRAWINGS OR RECORDS
OF LARGE FISH IN THESE ICELANDIC WATERS?
WE HAVE A STORY FROM THE 10th CENTURY,
IN THE SAGAS, ABOUT A BOY
THAT WAS ASKED TO CARRY A BIG FISH FROM A BOAT.
IF HE COULD DO IT, THEN HE WAS TO KEEP IT.
HE SUCCEEDED IN DOING THIS.
SOME SAY...
THIS IS ONE OF THE SHARK SPECIES HE WAS CARRYING.
SO EVEN THOUGH WE'RE TALKING COLD, NORTHERN WATER HERE,
YOU'VE GOT SHARKS SWIMMING OFF ICELAND?
YES, WE HAVE.
I'D NEVER CONSIDERED THAT A SHARK COULD BE
A CONTENDER FOR A VIKING TERROR.
IT'S CLEARLY NO SPECIES I'VE CAUGHT BEFORE.
I DON'T KNOW OF ANY PREDATORY GIANTS COMING THIS FAR NORTH,
SO WHAT'S THIS HUGE SHARK CALLED?
HáKARL.
IT ALSO MEANS "THE ONE,"
AND HAS BEEN EATEN THROUGH THE AGES IN ICELAND.
IT'S A DELICACY, ACTUALLY.
SO THEY EAT IT TO THIS DAY?
YEAH, IT'S VERY NICE.
THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY PIECE OF INFORMATION.
I CAME HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HJORTUR'S LAKE MONSTER,
BUT I ENDED UP HEARING ABOUT
A WHOLE MENAGERIE OF WATER BEASTS,
ONE OF WHICH, THE HáKARL,
THE VIKINGS BATTLED WITH
AS THEY ATTEMPTED TO BRING IT IN TO EAT.
COULD A COLD-WATER PREDATORY SHARK
HAVE A PLACE IN THE LEGEND OF LOCH NESS?
IF IT HAS THE ICONIC AND DORSAL FIN OF MOST SHARKS,
SURELY THAT WOULD GIVE IT AWAY.
I NEED TO FIND OUT MORE.
SEGADOR HAS TOLD ME THAT THERE'S A REMOTE FARM
IN A DESERT OF HARDENED LAVA
WHERE THEY STILL PREPARE THESE GIANT SHARKS TO EAT.
THE HANGING CHUNKS OF FLESH DON'T GIVE AWAY ANY CLUES
AS TO WHAT THE WHOLE ANIMAL MIGHT LOOK LIKE.
GUDJON HILDIBANDSSON'S FAMILY HAS PREPARED HáKARL MEAT
AT THEIR ISOLATED FARM SINCE HIS GRANDFATHER'S DAY.
Gudjon: HELLO.
THIS IS THE KAESTUR HáKARL.
HERE IT IS IN THE FINAL STAGE OF THE PROCESS.
SO, THIS, I CAN SEE IT DRIPPING, SO THIS IS WHAT --
IT'S JUST IN THE AIR TO DRY OUT.
YEAH, IT'S DRYING HERE TO GET THE BETTER TEXTURE.
WHEN THE MEAT IS FRESH, IT'S TOXIC,
SO THAT'S WHY WE DO THIS FERMENTATION PROCESS.
AND AFTER THE FERMENTATION, WE HANG THE PIECES UP UP HERE,
AND THIS PROCESS, THIS IS OVER 400 YEARS OLD IN ICELAND,
SO IT'S A VERY OLD PROCESS.
LEARNING THAT ITS FLESH IS LACED WITH POISON
ONLY ADDS TO THE SINISTER AURA
SURROUNDING THIS MYSTERIOUS SHARK.
APPARENTLY, FERMENTATION BREAKS DOWN THE TOXIN,
BUT RELEASES A PUNGENT SMELL OF AMMONIA.
THE FLESH I'M ABOUT TO TASTE SMELLS OF URINE.
IT'S GOT A REALLY STRONG AFTERTASTE.
IT REALLY KICKS IN.
IT REALLY KICKS IN IN THE BACK OF THE THROAT
AFTER YOU'VE TAKEN THE FIRST BIT.
IT'S NOT LIKE ANYTHING I'VE TASTED BEFORE.
YEAH. IT'S UNIQUE.
BUT I CAN IMAGINE, THOUGH, YOU KNOW, IN THE OLD DAYS,
I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT A BIG FISH.
YOU CAN'T EAT IT ALL IN ONE GO.
IT'S WASTEFUL JUST TO THROW IT AWAY.
YOU'VE GOT TO DO SOMETHING WITH IT,
SO THIS IS A TRADITIONAL METHOD.
OH, IT'S STRONG WHEN IT HITS THE BACK OF YOUR THROAT.
MM, MM, THERE'S FUMES COMING OUT.
IT'S LIKE VERY, VERY STRONG CHEESE IN SOME WAYS,
BUT THERE'S ALSO A VERY DEFINITE FISH ELEMENT THERE.
HOW BIG IS THE WHOLE ANIMAL?
THEY ARE FROM TO BE 10 TO 20 FEET, AND FROM --
THEN THEY ARE MAYBE 1,000 TO 2,500 POUNDS.
YEAH, THEY ARE QUITE BIG.
YOU DON'T HAPPEN TO HAVE
A WHOLE ONE HERE, BY ANY CHANCE, DO YOU...
...THAT I CAN HAVE A LOOK AT?
ALL RIGHT.
OH, RIGHT, OKAY.
THIS IS HIS MOUTH. THIS IS A JAW.
THESE JAWS ARE PECULIAR.
THIS SHARK HAS TWO QUITE DISTINCT TYPES OF TEETH.
SO THESE ONES WILL GRIP THE FOOD, WHATEVER IT IS,
AND THEN THEY SHAKE THE HEAD, IS IT?
SO, THESE ONES WILL THEN CUT --
OOH, I ALMOST CUT MYSELF THERE.
YEAH, RIGHT.
THESE JAWS BELONG TO A POTENT PREDATOR.
SEAL, WHALE, AND EVEN POLAR BEAR MEAT AND BODY PARTS
HAVE TURNED UP IN ITS STOMACH.
IT'S CAUGHT FROM BIG BOATS, BIG TRAWLERS...
...WHO CATCH THEM ACCIDENTALLY.
MY GRANDFATHER USED TO DO IT. HE USED TO CATCH THEM.
SO, HOW WOULD YOUR GRANDFATHER CATCH THESE?
THEY USED AN ANCHOR WITH A CHAIN ON IT,
AND THEY PUT MAYBE A SEAL MEAT ON IT, OR MEAT FROM A HORSE.
YES. RIGHT. SO, A BIG HOOK ON A CHAIN AND A BIG BAIT.
WOW.
IF I WANT TO SEE A LIVE ONE OF THESE, I NEED TO GO
AND TALK TO SOMEBODY ON ONE OF THE BIG BOATS.
YEAH, YEAH.
THINGS HAVE TAKEN A VERY DRAMATIC AND STRANGE TURN.
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT IN THESE WATERS,
THERE IS A MASSIVE SHARK
THAT GROWS TO WELL IN EXCESS OF 1,000 POUNDS?
THE ONLY PREDATORY SHARKS THAT I KNOW OF THAT GROW THAT BIG
CAN'T SURVIVE IN THESE NEAR-ARCTIC SEAS.
AND JUST FROM THOSE TEETH ALONE, I CAN TELL
THAT IT'S NOT LIKE ANY SHARK I'VE ENCOUNTERED BEFORE.
BUT THESE PEOPLE HERE HAVE BEEN CATCHING IT
AND EATING IT FOR CENTURIES.
NOW I ONLY HAVE ONE COURSE OF ACTION --
TO GET ONTO A FISHING VESSEL
AND HOPE IT WILL BRING IN ONE OF THESE GIANT SHARKS.
BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM.
IT TURNS OUT, A LOT OF THESE BOATS
HAVE ALREADY CAUGHT THEIR QUOTA,
SO THEY'RE NOT ACTUALLY PUTTING OUT TO SEA AGAIN,
AND THOSE THAT ARE ARE STAYING OUT FOR WEEKS,
IF NOT MONTHS AT A TIME, SO, I CAN'T DO THAT.
IT REALLY LOOKS AS IF I'VE RUN INTO SOMETHING OF A DEAD END.
I'VE COME SO FAR.
I WON'T GIVE UP NOW.
EVENTUALLY, I GET THE NAME OF A FISHERMAN WHO CAN CATCH THEM,
BUT NOT HERE IN ICELAND.
HE'S 1,000 MILES AWAY IN NORWAY.
THIS NEXT STAGE OF MY MISSION
IS GOING TO TEST ME TO THE LIMIT
AS I HUNT FOR A CREATURE
THAT'S TRULY THE STUFF OF LEGEND.
THERE IT IS. THERE IT IS.
MY MISSION THAT STARTED IN SCOTLAND
TOOK A SURPRISING TURN TO ICELAND,
HUNTING FOR THE CREATURE
AT THE HEART OF THE LEGEND OF LOCH NESS.
NOW I'M RETRACING THE VOYAGES OF THE VIKINGS
BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL HOMELAND IN NORWAY
TO THE FORMER CAPITAL OF THEIR SEAFARING KINGDOM,
TRONDHEIM.
WHEN THE VIKINGS SET OUT FROM HERE
TO RAID AND COLONIZE NEW LANDS,
THEY SPREAD TALES OF TERRIBLE WATER MONSTERS
ACROSS THEIR EXPANDING EMPIRE
FROM THE FJORDS OF NORWAY TO THE LAKES OF ICELAND
AND THE ISLANDS AND HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND.
ONE TALE TELLS OF A GIANT SHARK.
DID ENCOUNTERS WITH THIS MYSTERIOUS COLD-WATER PREDATOR
SOW THE SEEDS FOR A MASSIVE MONSTER MYTH
THAT SPREAD TO THE SHORES OF LOCH NESS?
ONLY BY HUNTING DOWN THE MYSTERIOUS SHARK
THEY CALL THE HáKARL WILL I FIND OUT.
NORWAY'S HARSH MOUNTAINS
ARE GOUGED OUT WITH GLACIER-CARVED FJORDS
WHICH PLUMMET THOUSANDS OF FEET BELOW THE SURFACE.
THE ULTIMATE LABYRINTH FOR A MONSTER, BUT WHERE TO BEGIN?
I'VE BEEN GIVEN THE NAME OF A PROFESSIONAL FISHERMAN
WHO WORKS IN THE 80-MILE-LONG FJORD
THAT CONNECTS TRONDHEIM TO THE SEA.
I'M TOLD HE'S ONE OF THE FEW WHO CAN HELP ME CATCH
THIS MYSTERIOUS GIANT SHARK ON ROD AND LINE.
I HEAR THAT FREDRICK KULLIN
EVEN HAS PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS STRANGE BEAST.
THEY DON'T HAVE THIS HUGE DORSAL FIN --
DORSAL FIN, AND THEY'RE GRAY, OR ALMOST BLACK.
THIS CREATURE IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER SHARK.
WITH ITS LONG, DARK BODY AND SMALL DORSAL FIN.
WITHOUT THE SIGNATURE SHARK FIN,
IT MAKES ME HOPEFUL IT'S THE PREDATOR I'M LOOKING FOR.
...REMEMBER THE METRICS OF THAT ONE...
ALTHOUGH I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE IN THE FLESH,
I RECOGNIZE THIS ANIMAL.
IN ICELAND, IT'S CALLED THE HáKARL,
BUT I KNOW IT AS THE GREENLAND SHARK,
A CREATURE ALL-BUT-UNKNOWN TO MODERN SCIENCE.
AND FIRST FILMED IN THE WILD ONLY 10 YEARS AGO.
GREENLAND SHARKS LIVE FURTHER NORTH THAN ANY OTHER SHARK,
AND THEY'RE THE ONLY SHARK TO HUNT UNDER ARCTIC ICE.
THEIR RANGE EXACTLY COINCIDES WITH THE VIKINGS' KINGDOM,
FROM GREENLAND TO ICELAND TO NORWAY,
AND MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, SCOTLAND.
WE KNOW THAT THE VIKINGS ATE ITS FLESH,
SO THIS MONSTROUS CREATURE
IS ONE THEY MUST HAVE BEEN VERY FAMILIAR WITH.
BUT IRONICALLY, WE KNOW ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT THESE ANIMALS.
SO, THE ONLY WAY I'LL BE ABLE TO TELL
IF THEY'RE CAPABLE OF INSPIRING THE LEGEND
IS TO CATCH ONE.
BUT THIS IS GOING TO BE A MONUMENTAL CHALLENGE.
HERE, THESE MONSTERS LIVE
AT THE BOTTOM OF A 2,000-FOOT-DEEP FJORD.
TRYING TO GET SOME PERSPECTIVE ON THIS,
I'VE PICTURED THEM AS A HANDFUL OF RICE GRAINS
RANDOMLY SCATTERED ON THE BOTTOM OF A SWIMMING POOL
AND HAVE TO FIGHT THE URGE TO GIVE UP NOW.
THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME
I'VE EVER TRIED TO FISH AT SUCH STAGGERING DEPTHS,
AND I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME TO LEARN A WHOLE NEW METHODOLOGY.
IT'S THE END OF AUTUMN.
AS SOON AS WINTER CLOSES IN,
SHARK FISHING IN THIS FJORD WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE.
[ WIPER SQUEAKING ]
Kullin: WE TRY TO HIT THE BORDERLINE
BETWEEN THE ROCK AND THE CLAY.
IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE CRUISING AROUND
Wade: YEAH.
SEARCHING FOR FOOD.
THE LOGISTICS OF WORKING AT THESE DEPTHS
INVOLVE A GREAT DEAL OF PRECISION, EFFORT, AND CARE.
GET CAUGHT IN THIS ROPE,
AND YOU'LL BE ON A ONE-WAY TRIP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FJORD.
WE'RE GONNA BE USING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN
800 AND 1,000 METERS OF ANCHOR LINE HERE.
RIGHT. SO, THAT'S A GOOD HALF A MILE OF ANCHOR LINE.
YEAH. YOU HAVE TO GET ENOUGH ANGLE ON THE ROPE
SO THE ANCHOR CAN GET HOLD OF THE CLAY.
I'LL BE USING THE LONGEST LINES I'VE EVER FISHED WITH,
SO THICK, NYLON MONOFILAMENT IS OUT.
IT WOULD CREATE TOO MUCH DRAG IN THE CURRENT,
AND THE REEL WOULD HAVE TO BE ENORMOUS.
INSTEAD, I'M USING WOVEN BRAID.
IT'S VERY FINE AND VERY STRONG, BUT IT DOES HAVE A FATAL FLAW.
WE'LL USE THESE LONG TRACES FOR PROTECTION ON THE BRAID.
YEAH.
AND THE SKIN IS -- IS LIKE VERY ROUGH SANDPAPER.
SO, IF THE SKIN TOUCHES THAT, IT JUST GOES LIKE THAT.
IMMEDIATELY.
IN THE OLD DAYS, WHEN THEY WERE FISHING,
NORMALLY, THEY USED REALLY ROTTEN BAIT.
NO.
MORE LYING, LIKE, 24 HOURS WITHOUT ICE.
SO THEY GET A SMELL.
I GET TO WORK ON THE OTHER THREE LINES
WHILE FREDRICK CHECKS OUR POSITION
WITH FIRST MATE WILHELM.
BUT ALREADY, THERE'S A PROBLEM.
WE'VE ACTUALLY DRIFTED OUT OF POSITION.
THE ANCHOR HAS DRAGGED,
SO WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS AGAIN.
IT'S TAKEN AN HOUR OF MANEUVERING,
BUT HALF A MILE OF ANCHOR LINE NOW HAS TO COME IN...
...BEFORE THE BOAT'S REPOSITIONED,
AND IT'S THROWN OUT AGAIN.
WE'VE BAITED UP THE LINES,
AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO NOW IS JUST CHECK
THAT WE'RE NOT DRIFTING,
AND THEN, WE'LL JUST PUT THEM ALL DOWN.
IF WE'RE LUCKY, WE'LL STAY HERE.
WE WON'T HAVE TO RE-ANCHOR.
THIS IS THE DEEPEST I'VE EVER FISHED WITH BAIT.
THAT WILL BE BETWEEN A QUARTER AND HALF A MILE OF LINE OUT
WHEN THIS HITS THE BOTTOM.
AND THEN, WELL, BRINGING THE BAIT UP TO CHECK IT
IS GOING TO BE FAIRLY PHYSICAL,
AND THEN BRINGING A LARGE FISH UP
FROM THIS KIND OF DEPTH, AS WELL,
IS NOT SOMETHING I'VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE.
MY LINES ARE DESCENDING INTO A VAST, HIDDEN LANDSCAPE
LIKE A SUBMERGED GRAND CANYON.
BUT FREDRICK'S SONAR CAN'T REVEAL
ANY SHARKS PROWLING DOWN THERE.
THEY'RE TOO DEEP,
AND THEIR BODIES ARE TOO DENSE TO BE DISTINGUISHED
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE ABYSS IN WHICH THEY'RE HUNTING.
SO, WE'VE GOT ALL THE LINES OUT NOW.
IT'S JUST A QUESTION OF WAITING AND KEEPING AN EYE ON THE RODS.
AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS, THEY'RE MOVING.
THAT MOVEMENT IS FITTING THE MOVEMENT OF THE BOAT.
AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS A MOVEMENT
THAT IS SOMEHOW WRONG,
IT DOESN'T FIT THE MOVEMENT OF THE BOAT.
EITHER IT BENDS AT THE WRONG TIME, OR MAYBE EVEN STRAIGHTENS.
OR POSSIBLY, SOMETHING PICKS UP THE BAIT
AND REALLY STEAMS OFF WITH IT.
WE'RE GONNA HEAR IT.
IT'S GONNA ACTUALLY TAKE LINE OFF THE REEL,
AND THE CLICKERS ON HERE, SO THAT WILL ALERT US AUDIBLY.
BUT IT'S BASICALLY JUST WATCHING THE ROD TOPS NOW.
THE SUN MIGHT BE SHINING,
BUT THE TEMPERATURE'S NEAR ZERO AS WE WAIT FOR A SIGN.
AFTER TWO HOURS,
WE BRING ALL THE LINES UP TO CHECK THE BAITS.
BETWEEN THE 4 RODS,
THAT'S ALMOST A MILE AND A HALF OF LINE
CARRYING 20 POUNDS OF METAL WEIGHTS REELED IN BY HAND.
MY WHOLE ARM IS BURNING.
I'VE NOW BEEN WINDING THIS FOR 20 MINUTES.
NO FISH ON THE END HERE.
THIS IS JUST THE LEAD AND WHAT'S LEFT OF THE BAIT.
SO THAT'S A HARDER FIGHT WITH THIS
THAN WITH MANY LIVE FISH THAT I'VE CAUGHT.
RIGHT, THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO CHECK THE BAITS PERIODICALLY
BECAUSE THEY JUST GET CHEWED BY SMALLER FISH.
THERE'S A POSSIBILITY A SHARK COULD TAKE THAT, BUT, I MEAN,
THAT'S NOT A VERY EFFECTIVE APPETIZING BAIT.
SO, THAT'S WHY I SPENT 25 MINUTES BRINGING THEM UP,
TO HAVE A LOOK.
ALL THE HOOKS HAVE TO BE REBAITED...
...AND THE LINES RESET 2,000 FEET BELOW.
DESPITE THE EXTRAORDINARY DISTANCE
BETWEEN ROD TIP AND BAIT,
THE LINE IS SURPRISINGLY SENSITIVE.
THAT IS NOW ON THE BOTTOM.
I CAN ACTUALLY FEEL WHEN THAT LINE TIGHTENS TO THE LEAD.
JUST TAKE UP A TINY BIT OF SLACK.
IT'S READY.
WITH EVERY LINE FINELY TUNED...
THE WAIT BEGINS AGAIN.
[ GULLS SQUAWKING ]
HMM. THAT'S INTERESTING. IT'S SORT OF --
OH, WAIT A MINUTE. SEE THAT?
Kullin: IS THERE MOVEMENT?
YEAH, THAT'S SORT OF PULLING DOWN.
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
PUT ON THE HARNESS.
YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.
THE HARNESS SHOULD STOP
THE ROD BEING WRENCHED FROM MY HANDS
BY A HEAVYWEIGHT GIANT.
[ LINE SQUEAKING ]
THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THERE.
YEAH, THERE IS.
AND IT FEELS LIKE IT WEIGHS A TON.
ON A FREEZING FJORD IN NORWAY,
I'M TRYING TO HAUL UP A GIANT FROM 2,000 FEET BELOW.
YEAH.
COULD THIS CREATURE HAVE INSPIRED
THE LEGEND OF LOCH NESS?
START TO REEL IN THE OTHER ONES.
THE OTHER LINES HAVE TO COME UP
BEFORE I CAN BRING IN THE BEAST ON THE END OF MINE.
IF THEY DON'T, THE FISH COULD BECOME TANGLED
AND TRAPPED BENEATH THE BOAT.
IT FEELS LIKE IT'S BEING PULLED AROUND THAT WAY QUITE A BIT.
YEAH.
THAT IS --
THAT'S A VERY BIG SKATE, ISN'T IT?
IT'S A NORWEGIAN SKATE.
THIS BIZARRE CREATURE OF THE FJORD FLOOR
WAS FIRST DESCRIBED HERE IN TRONDHEIM.
IT'S AN EXTREMELY RARE SIGHT AT THE SURFACE.
THE FANTASTICAL IMAGINATION OF THE NORDIC MAP MAKERS
NOW SEEMS QUITE TAME
COMPARED WITH THE REALITY OF WHAT'S DOWN THERE.
IT'S A VERY IMPRESSIVE-LOOKING ANIMAL,
VERY STRANGE LOOKING ANIMAL, BUT VERY RARE, AS WELL.
APPARENTLY, FREDRICK IS SAYING
ONLY FOUR OF THESE CAUGHT ON ROD AND LINE BEFORE,
SO, WE GOT TO REMEMBER. WE GOT TO TAKE A TISSUE SAMPLE.
THESE THINGS DON'T COME TO THE LIGHT VERY OFTEN AT ALL.
FREDRICK WORKS WITH A SCIENTIST AT TROMSO UNIVERSITY
WHO COLLECTS ALL THE DATA
FROM HIS CATCHES OF SHARKS AND SKATES.
IT'S THE RIGHT COLOR FOR THE FISH THAT I WANT.
THE SKIN UNDERNEATH CERTAINLY HAS GOT THAT ROUGH FEEL,
BUT IT'S COMPLETELY THE WRONG SHAPE.
SKATES ARE FLATTENED SHARKS,
AND THIS IS A VERY STRANGE-LOOKING SKATE,
BUT IT'S STILL NOT THE FISH I'M LOOKING FOR.
THIS FISH WAS BORN IN DARKNESS
AND MAY NEVER HAVE SEEN DAYLIGHT BEFORE.
THOSE EYES ARE VERY, VERY LUMINOUS.
THERE CAN'T BE A LOT OF LIGHT DOWN WHERE THIS THING LIVES,
BUT THIS THING PRESUMABLY MANAGES TO SEE SOMETHING.
WE DON'T WANT TO OVERLY STRESS THIS RARE VISITOR TO OUR WORLD.
WE HAVE TO TAG IT AND MEASURE IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
125 ACROSS.
4 FOOT ACROSS BY NEARLY 6 FOOT NOSE TO TAIL.
SHARKS AND SKATES ARE AMONG THE FEW FISH
THAT CAN SURVIVE BEING BROUGHT UP FROM SUCH DEPTHS.
THEY HAVEN'T EVOLVED
THE GAS-FILLED SWIM BLADDERS OF OTHER FISH
THAT CAN RUPTURE ON THE WAY UP.
THAT THING IS A BIT LIKE AN ALIEN,
A REAL WEIRD-LOOKING THING, LIVING IN A WEIRD ENVIRONMENT.
SOME PEOPLE SPEND THEIR LIVES
WAITING FOR SUCH A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH A MONSTER,
BOTH HERE AND AT LOCH NESS.
THE BIG GREENLAND SHARK STILL ELUDES ME.
THAT THING IS ACTUALLY RARER.
WHERE IS THE SHARK?
THE BAITS HAVE TO BE CHANGED,
THE LINES RESET, AND THE HUNT GOES ON.
TRONDHEIM'S FJORD IS THE PERFECT HIDEOUT --
SHELTERED INLAND,
BUT STRATEGICALLY LOCATED FOR ACCESS TO THE OPEN SEA.
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR,
THIS FJORD WAS HOME TO A NAZI SUBMARINE BASE,
AND THE BODIES OF SEVERAL GIANT SQUID
HAVE WASHED UP ON ITS SHORES.
CLEARLY, THIS EXTRAORDINARY ABYSS
IS THE PERFECT HIDING PLACE FOR GIANTS.
FOR MY POINT OF VIEW NOW, I'M GOING INTO NIGHTTIME.
THE TEMPERATURE'S GOING TO DIP,
BUT FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF THE SHARK,
IT'S PROBABLY NOT GOING TO NOTICE.
IT'S JUST PERPETUALLY DARK, PERPETUALLY COLD DOWN THERE.
BUT WE'RE GONNA CARRY ON FISHING --
I DON'T KNOW, POSSIBLY TO MIDNIGHT, BEYOND, EVEN.
BUT THAT'S GONNA BRING ADDED CHALLENGES.
ACTUALLY, IF WE GET A FISH.
DEALING WITH THAT AT NIGHTTIME IS GOING TO BE
A BIT MORE COMPLICATED THAN DURING DAYLIGHT.
I CAN ONLY GUESS AT WHAT ELSE LIVES
IN THE ETERNALLY DARK DEPTHS BENEATH US.
BUT AS THE BAITS LABORIOUSLY COME UP,
ONE BY ONE, TO BE CHECKED,
IT TURNS OUT THE GREENLAND SHARKS ARE FAR FROM ALONE.
THERE WE GO. THIS IS A DOGFISH.
IT WASN'T EVEN HOOKED.
THIS HAD ITS MOUTH AROUND THE TAIL END OF A PIECE OF MACKEREL,
AND IT HUNG ON ALL THE WAY UP.
IT'S CALLED A BLACKMOUTH DOGFISH, THIS, 'CAUSE IT'S GOT
THAT VERY CHARACTERISTIC BLACK INSIDE OF THE MOUTH.
THE DENIZENS OF THE DEEP TARGETING MY BAIT
ARE GETTING INCREASINGLY GRUESOME.
THERE'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING FEEDING DOWN THERE --
THESE THINGS, LICE.
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF SPECIES OF SEA LICE,
AND THEY FEED ON THE MUCUS, SKIN, AND BLOOD OF MARINE FISH.
AS WELL AS BEING DISGUSTING, THE BAITS JUST DON'T LAST.
WE HAVE TO KEEP BRINGING THEM UP,
CHECKING THEM, PUTTING THEM DOWN.
BUT AFTER 14 HOURS ON THE ICY FJORD,
IT SEEMS ONLY THE SEA LICE ARE BITING.
HOURS ARE TURNING INTO DAYS,
AND WITH WINTER LOOMING EVER CLOSER,
MY TIME HERE IS RUNNING OUT.
STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS START TO PLAY
WITH THE WEATHER IN THE FJORD,
AND THE TEMPERATURE NOW DROPS BELOW ZERO,
BUT I MUST GO ON.
I'VE ELIMINATED EVERY OTHER CREATURE
THAT COULD BE THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.
ALL THAT'S LEFT IS THE GREENLAND SHARK.
FISHING IS ALL ABOUT BELIEF, ISN'T IT?
AND THEY'RE DEFINITELY DOWN THERE,
BUT IT'S JUST GETTING A BAIT IN FRONT OF ONE.
THAT IS WHAT WE'RE WAITING FOR.
WE'RE MOORING FURTHER DOWN THE FJORD
TO SEE IF OUR LUCK IMPROVES.
I'M HOPING THE RAINBOW IS A SIGN,
BUT IT FEELS LIKE THE CHANCE OF CATCHING
THE MOTHER OF ALL MONSTERS IS SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS.
WE'RE FISHING ON THE EDGE OF A STRICTLY NO-GO AREA WHICH,
FOR DECADES, WAS USED AS A MUNITIONS DUMP.
FREDRICK HAS BROUGHT UP HAND GRENADES HERE BEFORE.
BUT NOW, GALE FORCE WINDS AND WAVES
ARE DRAGGING THE ANCHOR AND US
TOWARDS THE DANGER ZONE.
WE HAVE TO GET ALL THE LINES UP BEFORE WE CAN LIFT THE ANCHOR
AND GET OUT OF THE GRENADE TERRITORY,
BUT THEY'RE TANGLING UNDER THE BOAT.
THE WIND HAS BUILT TO 45 MILES AN HOUR.
CHOPPERS ARE SCRAMBLING TO ASSIST BOATS IN DISTRESS.
AND WE'VE JUST LOST THE DAYLIGHT.
WE'RE NOW RUNNING FOR SHORE
BECAUSE IT'S JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO FISH IN THIS WATER.
ON TOP OF THAT, THE ANCHOR WAS DRAGGING.
IT WAS TAKING US ON TOP OF THIS DUMPING AREA,
WHERE THERE'S OLD FISHING BOATS,
AMMUNITION, ALL SORTS OF STUFF DOWN THERE.
IMAGINE I HAD A FISH HALFWAY UP,
AND THE WEATHER KICKED OFF LIKE THIS, AND WE'VE JUST GOT TO GO.
WE'VE ACTUALLY JUST CUT THE LINE.
SO, I'M JUST HOPING THIS BLOWS ITSELF OUT TONIGHT,
BECAUSE AT THE MOMENT, IT'S JUST IMPOSSIBLE.
I'VE COME ALMOST 4,000 MILES
IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MONSTER OF LOCH NESS.
I'VE FISHED DEPTHS OF 2,000 FEET
IN SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES AND GALE FORCE WINDS.
I CAN'T GIVE UP NOW.
THE NEXT DAY, THE WATER IS CALM,
BUT FREDRICK'S HEARD DISTURBING NEWS
ON THE SHIPPING FORECAST OVERNIGHT.
THIS IS PRETTY DEFINITELY MY LAST DAY ON THE FIELD.
THE WEATHER IS CHANGING.
WINDS COMING IN FROM THE ARCTIC, BRINGING SUB-ZERO TEMPERATURES,
POSSIBLE FORCE-NINE GALE.
THIS KIND OF FISHING, SENSITIVE FISHING,
JUST ISN'T POSSIBLE IN THAT KIND OF ROUGH WEATHER,
SO, UM [SIGHS] STAKES ARE VERY, VERY HIGH TODAY.
I'M SO NEAR, YET SO FAR.
I CAN ALMOST FEEL THE SHARKS' PRESENCE BENEATH ME,
BUT STILL, 2,000 FEET AWAY.
LIKE CAPTAIN AHAB HUNTING THE GREAT WHITE WHALE,
I'VE BECOME A MAN OBSESSED.
[ WIND HOWLING ]
THINKING OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE
ON THE SHORES OF LOCH NESS OVER THE YEARS,
STARING AT THE WATER, LOOKING FOR A SIGN,
SOME KIND OF EVIDENCE OF LIFE UNDER THE SURFACE.
WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'M DOING HERE,
EXCEPT WHAT I'M STARING AT IS THE TIPS OF THESE RODS,
WAITING FOR SOME TELLTALE MOVEMENT,
SOME CLUE AS TO WHAT'S LIVING UNDERNEATH,
BUT AS YET, NOT MUCH MORE SUCCESS THAN THEY HAD.
AS MY FINAL HOURS MELT AWAY,
I BEGIN TO LOSE MYSELF IN THE EERIE WHISTLING OF THE LINES.
[ LINES WHISTLING ]
AFTER FISHING 400 ROD HOURS AND REELING IN 50 MILES OF LINE,
IS MY LUCK ABOUT TO CHANGE?
WHAT'S HE DOING? GOOD NORTHER.
OH, YEAH. OH, YEAH.
[ LINE WHIRRING ]
YOU FEEL SOME REEL WEIGHT NOW?
YES. GOOD MAN.
THAT IS NOT THE LEAD, THAT IS -- THAT'S THE FISH.
IT'S MY LAST CHANCE,
BUT IS IT THE MONSTER I'VE COME SO FAR TO FIND?
SOMETHING MONSTROUS HAS SEIZED MY BAIT...
THAT'S THE FISH.
...AT THE BOTTOM OF A FREEZING,
2,000-FOOT-DEEP NORWEGIAN FJORD.
COULD BE ANOTHER 50 YARDS, IT COULD BE ANOTHER 100.
I'VE NEVER HAD TO HAUL ANY FISH UP
SUCH AN EXTRAORDINARY DISTANCE,
WAY HIGHER THAN THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING.
THERE'S A PULSING.
THERE'S A VERY, VERY SORT OF SLOW PULSING.
IT'S ROLLING. IT'S ROLLING.
THAT'S WHAT YOU FEEL.
IF THIS IS A GREENLAND SHARK,
AND ITS ROUGH SKIN TOUCHES THE BRAID,
THE LINE WILL SEVER, AND I'LL LOSE MY LAST CHANCE.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THE OTHER LINES COME IN
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T GET TANGLED.
I THINK IT'S GETTING NEAR THE BOAT.
IT'S PROBABLY AWARE OF THE BOAT NOW.
LEAVE THAT. LEAVE THAT.
OKAY.
[ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING ]
THERE IT IS. THERE IT IS.
IT'S A GREENLAND SHARK.
IT'S JUST TOO BIG TO BRING ON BOARD.
WE'D ONLY INJURE IT TRYING.
WE'LL HAVE TO TIE IT ALONGSIDE.
THAT'S A MONSTROUS THING TO FIND THIS FAR INLAND
AND TO BRING UP FROM SUCH A DEPTH, AS WELL,
BUT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET THE TAIL ROPE ON IT NOW.
ONLY THEN WILL WE BE ABLE TO GET A GOOD IDEA
OF ITS LENGTH AND DIMENSIONS.
GOING BY THE STANDARDS OF WHAT NORMALLY LIVES INLAND,
THIS IS -- THIS IS HUGE. THIS IS MONSTROUS.
WILHELM TRACKED HIM AS POSSIBLY 400 POUNDS.
DESPITE THEIR ENORMOUS SIZE, THEY'RE A MYSTERY TO SCIENCE.
WE KNOW VIRTUALLY NOTHING ABOUT HOW THEY LIVE, BREED, OR HUNT.
IT'S VERY HARD TO ACTUALLY SEE THIS CREATURE WELL.
IT'S NIGHT TIME, BUT THIS IS A LONG, SOLID-BODIED ANIMAL.
SMALL DORSAL FIN.
THAT'S NOT YOUR NORMAL, ERECT SHARK DORSAL FIN.
IF THIS WAS ACTUALLY AT THE SURFACE, YOU WOULDN'T SEE
THAT CHARACTERISTIC TRIANGLE CUTTING THE SURFACE.
IT'D BE JUST MORE OF A SMOOTH HUMP.
BUT IF I WANT TO GET A CLOSER LOOK,
AND IF THE FISH CAN'T COME TO ME IN THE BOAT,
I HAVE TO GO TO THE FISH.
I HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO GET INTO THE FREEZING WATER
WITH THE WORLD'S LARGEST PREDATORY SHARK
AFTER THE GREAT WHITE.
THIS WATER, EVEN THROUGH THE DRY SUIT
AND ABOUT FIVE LAYERS OF UNDERGARMENTS, IS COLD.
IT'S COLD, AND THIS THING LIVES IN IT ALL THE TIME.
NOT UP HERE, NEARLY HALF A MILE DOWN.
DARK BROWN IN COLOR.
THIS CAME UP AND DID BREAK THE SURFACE,
YOU WOULDN'T ACTUALLY THINK IT WAS A SHARK.
YOU WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS.
IT HAS GOT THIS SORT OF UPTURNED BOAT HULL APPEARANCE.
WHAT A BEAST THIS IS.
IT'S BELIEVED THEY'LL EAT ALMOST ANYTHING
THEY COME ACROSS DOWN IN THE ABYSSAL DEPTHS.
NO ONE YET KNOWS WHAT POTENTIAL THREAT THEY POSE TO HUMANS.
I'VE LOST A PART OF THE SHARK -- I'M A BIT TOO CLOSE.
I'M GONNA COME BACK A LITTLE BIT.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY GETTING CLOSE TO THE TIME
WHEN WE SHOULD ACTUALLY SLIP THE HOOK OUT OF IT,
YEAH.
OKAY.
[ SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY ]
AS I CLAMBER OUT OF THE FREEZING FJORD,
FREDRICK TAGS THE SHARK IN CASE IT EVER SURFACES AGAIN.
HOOK'S OUT.
[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]
IT'S GONE ALREADY.
AND IT JUST SEEMS VERY UNREAL NOW THAT IT WAS HERE.
I ALMOST NEED TO PINCH MYSELF. THIS IS INLAND.
THIS IS A FISH THAT IS HUGE BY INLAND STANDARDS.
NOT JUST A LARGE CREATURE,
BUT A VERY, VERY EXTRAORDINARY CREATURE,
AND SOMETHING THAT VERY, VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT.
A LOT OF PEOPLE EVEN LIVING AROUND HERE HAVE NO IDEA
THAT CREATURES LIKE THAT ARE ALMOST RIGHT UNDER THEIR NOSES.
BUT COULD THIS MYSTERIOUS GIANT
BE THE CREATURE BEHIND THE LEGEND OF LOCH NESS?
I'VE CONSIDERED THE CONTENDERS,
FROM WHALES AND DOLPHINS
TO SEALS AND STURGEON,
AND EVEN PLESIOSAURS.
BUT ONE BY ONE, I'VE HAD TO DISMISS THEM ALL.
BUT IN ICELAND, THE HOME OF THE VIKINGS' MONSTER MYTHS,
I CAME ACROSS A REAL CONTENDER.
HáKARL.
IT ALSO MEANS "THE ONE."
THAT ULTIMATELY LED ME TO THE ONE --
THE GREENLAND SHARK IN THIS ABYSSAL FJORD IN NORWAY.
WHAT I'M REALIZING NOW IS JUST HOW SPECIAL THAT ENCOUNTER WAS,
TO SEE THAT CREATURE RISE FROM THE DEPTHS
ON THE END OF MY LINE.
I'VE SEEN THIS THING MYSELF. I KNOW IT EXISTS.
AND I BELIEVE IT COULD HAVE INSPIRED
SOME OF THE MONSTER STORIES
THAT THE VIKINGS PASS BETWEEN GENERATIONS
AND ACROSS THE LANDS THEY CONQUERED.
FROM EXPERIENCE, I'VE LEARNED
THAT MANY LEGENDS HOLD A GRAIN OF TRUTH,
AND I'M NOW WONDERING WHETHER NOT JUST THE MYTH,
BUT THE ANIMAL ITSELF, EVER SURFACED IN LOCH NESS.
MY JOURNEY HAS LED ME
TO A REMARKABLE, IMMENSE PREDATOR
THAT IS SO SECRETIVE THAT WE KNOW ALMOST NOTHING ABOUT IT.
BUT WHAT WE DO KNOW
IS THAT IT LIVES IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT PART OF THE WORLD,
WHERE IT HUNTS
IN ALMOST UNIMAGINABLY DEEP, DARK, AND COLD WATER.
BUT ON RARE OCCASIONS,
IT'S ALSO KNOWN TO RISE UP NEAR THE SURFACE.
AND IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE VERY FEW PEOPLE
TO HAVE WITNESSED THIS CREATURE IN THE FLESH,
YOU'D HAVE NO DOUBT THAT YOU'D SEEN A MONSTER.
PERHAPS EVEN THE ULTIMATE RIVER MONSTER --
THE LEGEND OF LEGENDS.
BUT WHO WOULD BELIEVE YOU?
WATCH "HOW TO CATCH A RIVER MONSTER,"
MY SHORT-FORM FISHING SERIES, ON animalplanet.com.