It is 15 years since Gary Campbell spotted a creature lurking in the mysterious waters of Loch Ness.
When the Inverness father-of-two attempted to share his exciting experience he found sightings of Nessie had not been logged officially since 1972.
This prompted the chartered accountant to launch the Official Loch Ness Monster Fan Club and since its inception in 1996, he has been joined by 366 fellow believers from across the world.
More than 80 sightings have been logged by Mr Campbell, the club’s president, over the past 15 years.
His wife Kathleen, 42, is secretary for the club and the couple receive about 10 inquiries a month from individuals and organisations interested in keeping the legend of the Loch Ness monster alive.
Although the myth behind the monster is synonymous with a photograph taken by Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson, published in 1934, Mr Campbell says the legend dates back centuries when folk tales of water nymphs, kelpies and lake creatures in Scottish lochs were common.
Mr Campbell, 45, of Milton of Leys, said: “I am happy that I saw something in the water, but I am not happy that I have not found the answer yet to what I actually saw. I was sitting in my car doing some paperwork on a layby south of the loch when I saw something coming out of the water.
“It was about a quarter of a mile out and it had a hump. I thought I was seeing things but then it came up again. You didn’t have access to mobile phone cameras back then and it was all over in about four seconds, so I didn’t get a picture.
“We just keep everything up to date, it is important to keep the whole thing going. This is not just about a grainy black and white photo taken in the 1930s. We still get photographic and video evidence, the search is still going on. In the 90s we would get 10 or 12 sightings every year, but we had just one last year and one the year before.
“This is not because interest in Nessie has waned, it is because photos taken 15 years ago were taken on face value, but now with the onslaught of digital cameras and videos, a lot of pictures can be discounted.”
Mr Campbell says interest in the monster heightens about every 10 years and he predicts 2011 will be a bumper year for Nessie spotting.
This week a film crew from the National Geographic Channel was filming a documentary entitled The Truth Behind Loch Ness to be broadcast in September.
The club can be accessed at www.lochness.co.uk