By Tim Binnall
In an update to what might be 2022's strangest 'scandal,' the webcam watcher responsible for the rescinded 'first Loch Ness Monster sighting of the year' is reportedly not taking the loss of the odd honor lightly and has offered a rather compelling response to his critics. The peculiar controversy began late last month when Eoin O'Faodhagain of Ireland was credited with having spotted the legendary creature while watching the popular livestream overlooking the iconic Scottish site. By virtue of the mysterious beast having seemingly not been seen all year, the virtual sighting was celebrated by Nessie buffs around the world ... until it wasn't.
Shortly after O'Faodhagain report made headlines, a pair of paddle borders revealed that they could account for the 'creature' seen on the Loch Ness webcam as they happened to be in that spot on the day that the sighting took place. With the case being called into question, it was unceremoniously pulled from the Official Loch Ness Monster Sightings Register and a new report, dubbed 'first of the year,' was announced a few days later. While to laypeople, the surprising switch may have merely been a matter of proverbial cryptid bookkeeping, it laid bare an argument that has seemingly been quietly festering within the Nessie research community much in the way that the legendary creature is suspected of lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness.
The rescinding of the webcam sighting sparked critics of the virtual monster hunting to declare that such potential Nessie evidence is simply too indecipherable to merit serious attention. Specifically, longtime researcher Steve Feltham lambasted the alleged sightings, saying that they do "far more damage than good." As one might imagine, this critique did not sit too well with O'Faodhagain, who has been responsible for a whopping number of such webcam reports over the last several years, which led to the seasoned livestream watcher to offer a rather pointed response to the controversy.
Reflecting on 'losing' the title of first sighting of the year, O'Faodhagain told a European media outlet that "at first I was naturally disappointed, but the more I thought about it being first put up on the register list, then taken down, only to be reinstated, and then taken down a second time, it was very unique indeed." He went on to note that "I don’t think there was any other occasion when something like this happened" in the 25 years that the official sightings registry has been collecting reports. While he seemed resigned to having his account rescinded, O'Faodhagain took aim at those who cast aspersions on his contributions to the world of Nessie hunting.
The webcam enthusiast argued that the sightings he has captured via the livestream are just as good, if not better, than on-site reports, which he dismissed as not being particularly compelling. "The latest live sighting was a photograph of some ripples in the water," he lamented, "then we had the sonar contact, a crescent shape deep in the water could be anything." On the contrary, O'Faodhagain posited that "people in the wider world are only interested in live-action," which the webcam sightings provide. Ultimately, he mused that his critics are "missing the point completely," since the livestream serves to celebrate the creature that they are all trying to prove exists.