The Paranormal Guide Presents: Cryptozoology - Ogopogo

In 1968 a sawmill worker and his wife were driving along a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia in Canada, when they noticed something strange near the shore. Retrieving a home video camera they had with them, they took footage of a dark mass that seemed to dive in and out of the water while heading towards deeper water. It took one last dive and disappeared. Comparing the size of trees shown in the footage it is estimated that the mass was at least 40-50 feet long.

This was (possibly) the first video evidence said to be of Ogopogo, a creature said to inhabit the lake since possibly before Colonial times, and is said to be in most accounts a large "serpent-like"creature that many believe has stalked humans. Natives in the area referred to it as n'ha-a-itk, which Westerners translated to mean "lake demon", and small animals were sacrificed on the lake to appease the "Demon". Accounts of horses and even men being attacked or taken by the beast were reported in the 17th century. Over the years Lake Okanagan has been given the title "Canada's most deadliest Lake", mainly due to its treacherous currents and the unpredictable winds of the area.

Many however believe the title is deserving, due to, mainly, the possibility that a large carnivorous predator may lurk deep in its waters and possibly, on many occassions, has stalked humans that dare enter the lake.

The lake is situated in the Okanagan Valley in the province of British Columbia. It is 135 kilometres long, 4.5-5 kilometres wide and said to be 240 metres deep. It has two islands in it, one which is called Rattlesnake Island, and it is here, near a popular cliff-diving area called Squally Point, that many believe Ogopogo may reside as many of the sightings of the monster have been made in the general vicinity.

The creature has been consistently described by most as a large, serpentine creature that propels itself at great speeds with a powerful tail and has been seen making, on more than one occassion, a swishing whip-like motion with its tail against the water, churning and making wakes. In some sightings it is said to have smaller fin-like appendages, however many see it as a snake or eel-like creature. It has no fur or hair in almost all accounts, and has large, dark eyes. In most cases it is said to be of a green or blue colour.

Ogopogo has overtaken its more famous counterpart, the Loch Ness Monster said to inhabit Loch Ness in Scotland, as the most recorded, photographed and reported lake monster in the world and every year there are up to ten reported sightings. YouTube is littered with clips of footage taken on the lake supposedly of the monster, with many travelling there to try and see the beast. Over the last 45 years many photos, and amatuer film footage has been produced and examined.

A Canadian historian by the name of Arlene Gaal has over the last forty years become the foremost authority on Ogopogo, and has written three books on the monster, detailing encounters by locals and tourists and sharing photographic evidence to support claims of an unknown creature in the lake. She has purchased footage of the creature, and has made sure that any film,video or photographic evidence of the beast has been preserved. It has been said that she, like many, firmly believes the creature to be something prehistoric, a relic from the age of the Dinosaurs, that has managed to survive in the depths of the lake, and says encounters or visual reports are made when the creature surfaces to feed on the local population of fish.

Many cryptozoologists and zoologists concur with that possibility, however there are many sceptics who believe the creature is nothing but folklore or mis-identification. Some argue that many eyewitnesses are seeing beavers, otters or drifting logs. Some scientists also believe that sightings can be attributed to strange waves that may form underneath the water. However,many have been stumped by footage taken in recent times of masses of huge proportions, and been shaken by eyewitness accounts of ordinary people who refuse in some cases to enter the lake again.

In most reported sightings or encounters one creature is seen, however there have been rare examples of more than one creature being seen together, with one story detailing how a diver was "stalked" by two large creatures while swimming below the surface, one on each side of him swimming parallel to the shore. He described long eel-like creatures with round heads. There are many experts who believe in the possibility of maybe a mutant or unknown species of large eel being responsible for sightings, many though still discount ANY evidence to do with Ogopogo.

A British cryptozoologist by the name of Karl Shuker suggested the creature may be a Basilosaurus, a prehistoric creature once thought to be a reptile but now considered a early marine mammal similar to a whale. Descriptions of the creature may support this from what is known about the creatures appearance, however it is believed that Basilosaurus was incapable of swimming for long periods or deep-diving, and probably dwelt on the ocean surface or just below, and moved in an eel-like fashion.

Many other legendary monsters said to inhabit lakes and lochs around the world have similar descriptions tagged to them, is Ogopogo just one example of a species of creature that may have survived in freshwater since prehistoric times?
Or is Ogopogo a unique species, possibly a true version of a sea serpent?

By Matty Sweeney 2014 from @marvels and the macabre with matty
Picpost by Ashley Hall - The Paranormal Guide

Main Pic: Early rendition of Ogopogo from 1878.
Inset left: Rendition of Basiliosaurus from 1950s
Inset Right: Video still taken from an Ogopogo video in 1976.

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