The Canadian Press
Published on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 7:14 pmEDT
Last updated Wednesday, April 24, 2024 7:14 pmEDT
LONDON – Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman weren’t expecting a “turning point” in their children’s lives when they visited Scotland’s Loch Ness earlier this month, but that’s exactly what happened.
“Our youngest son will be three years old next week,” Wiseman said from the family’s home in London, England. “And he tells everyone that there have been two pivotal moments in his life: seeing the world’s largest dinosaur, which he did at the Natural History Museum in January, and seeing Nessie.
“He tells everyone he meets. He tells it to the postman and to the guys in the shops and cafes.”
Malm and Wiseman have become the center of attention after a photograph they took during their family vacation showed a shadowy figure looming above the waterline, something the couple’s children, and others, firmly believe is the last sighting of the famous Loch Ness monster.
Malm and Wiseman, who are from Coquitlam BC and Calgary respectively, moved to England in 2006.
The couple said the original plan for spring break was to take a boat ride on Loch Ness because their children were “completely captivated by the concept of Nessie.”
“We had even packed shortbread cookies, which we were told in these books was Nessie’s favorite treat,” Wiseman joked. “It turned out that the shortbread cookies weren’t necessary.”
This is because the family saw something sticking out of the water while visiting a viewing point at nearby Urquhart Castle.
“We started watching him more and more and we could see his head poking above the water,” Malm said. “And then he swam upstream towards the castle, slowly but surely, very meticulously over the waves (and) getting closer and closer. And then he submerged and disappeared.”
Malm said the family took a photo of what they saw and decided “for a bit of a laugh” to send the photo to the Official Record of Loch Ness Monster Sightings, which he stumbled upon while surfing the Internet.
“They got in touch within 24 hours,” Malm recalled. “They were super excited. They sent it to one of his Loch Ness experts, who said it was “compelling evidence”, I think that was the exact phrase.
“And one thing led to another. I mean, it’s been amazing.”
Since the photograph’s unveiling, Malm and Wiseman have appeared in British tabloids such as The Sun and the Daily Mirror and the online publication LADbible.
In the Official Record of Loch Ness Monster Sightings, the encounter was recorded as the first Nessie sighting of 2024.
“We both get text messages from people we haven’t heard from in quite a while saying, ‘Guess who I just saw on TV?'” Malm said.
“I’m glad we made it to the national media in Canada for spotting the Loch Ness Monster and not being on Crime Stoppers.”
Both Malm and Wiseman said they’re happy their experience brings some positivity to the daily news cycle, and at least one person they spoke to thanked them for the image.
“The principal of our son’s school is Scottish,” Malm said. “And one day he takes me aside when he picks me up and he says, ‘You know what, Perry? You have done more for Scottish tourism than anyone in my lifetime.
“So hopefully some people will be inspired to come and visit Scotland.”
What is not certain, however, is what they actually found that cold April morning on the shore of Loch Ness.
“We don’t know what we saw,” Wiseman said. “Our kids believe we saw Nessie and I believe it for them.
“I think we saw something that could be Nessie, and that’s a very strong possibility.”
Malm said the awe the sighting has inspired in his children, and in others who resonate with the photo, is more important than the question of what they found.
“It’s really lovely,” she said of the outpouring of reactions. “Because in a world where the news talks about a war here and an atrocity there, it’s nice that people are interested in something that’s just joyful, a little silly, and a little awesome.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2024.