| Tammy Van Wisse, renowned
long-distance swimmer who set a speed record for swimming the length of
Loch Ness in 1999 said, "I have to say this is one of the scariest swims I’ve ever done," she admits, giggling nevertheless. "Look, I’m not a great believer in monsters and what have you, but to actually get in that water…it’s completely BLACK! It’s almost like when you have a fear of heights and you’re looking down on something – you’re going into this great, black abyss. And of course I’ve read how deep it is and how they can’t even find the bottom in places. It really does send a shiver down my spine. The first time I got in I got a real fright. I can understand how the legend has lived on, what with all that mist, and those HUGE mountains"
Loch Ness is one of three long thin lakes that
formed along the fault line that runs diagonally SW-NE through the
Scottish Highlands. Loch Ness is 24 miles long, 1 mile wide, and averages
600 feet deep. The water averages 42° F. Only the top 5 feet of the
lake are clear enough to see into. Salmon, trout and other fish are
plentiful. Beneath this clear layer, lie the murky depths of Loch
Ness. At its deepest measured point, Loch Ness is 754 feet deep Loch Ness is the highest fresh water
lake in Scotland, and contains about 2 cubic miles of fresh water. Many rivers flow into Loch Ness, but
only one flows out: the River Ness which is one of the best fishing rivers in Scotland. |
