Top Loch Ness Monster hunter gives final verdict after 52 years of searching

A man who has spent more than five decades trying to track down the Loch Ness Monster reckons he's actually been on a wild goose chase.

Adrian Shine believes that so-called 'sightings' at the famous body of water in the Scottish Highlands actually have a rather mundane explanation, which don't involve the mythical creature.

The naturalist, 76, has been looking into the large, long-necked monster known as 'Nessie' since 1973 and even led a major sonar exploration in Loch Ness back in 1987.

But even though his team was armed with £1 million worth of equipment, they didn't find any concrete evidence that the Loch Ness Monster actually exists.

However, he has now revealed that he became sceptical about the existence of the mythical creature he has dedicated his life to finding after believing he had spotted one of its humps, which turned out to actually be a rock.

Shine explained that he believes that the countless 'sightings' of Nessie people have reported are actually the result of 'ship wakes'.

He suspects that movements in the water caused by passing boats and the fact that the Caledonian Canal runs through Loch Ness have been fooling people into thinking they've spotted the mythical creature.

The Loch Ness Monster expert has spent 52 years chasing the mythical creature (PA)

"The sightings are caused by ship wakes," Shine told The Sun. "Here, they develop this multi-humped form and that’s what people often see."

The longtime Nessie hunter said there are alternate explanations for 'other phenomena' witnessed on the water, too, including why people often believe they've spotted the elusive monster's 'long neck'.

Shine says that this is actually something of an optical illusion, which is usually the result of 'birds [gathering] on a calm surface'.

Backing up his theory, Shine went on to explain that he reckons the loch, which the mythical monster supposedly stalks, is far too cold for it to live in, while there also isn't enough fish in there for it to survive.

The expert also revealed that after weighing up the loch with a conjurer who studied classic art, the penny dropped for him.

Shine believes supposed sightings actually have mundane explanations - such as people mistaking rocks for Nessie (Getty Stock Image)

"They were all fakes and he showed us the explanations," Shine said of some alleged sightings.

Although most people would seriously get the hump if they spent their life chasing the Loch Ness Monster only to come to this conclusion, Shine hasn't.

He also isn't completely closing the door on the mythical monster, as he holds out hope that some compelling information could still come to light.

Shine added: "I’ve had enormous fun - and any new proof would be wonderful."

He previously detailed his theory about how boat wakes were possibly being misinterpreted as Nessie's 'humps' poking out of the water, saying this can create a 'fascinating illusion'.

"When a vessel is coming towards you, it is obvious what the wake is - you see it spreading out from the sides of the vessel approaching you, or indeed going away from you," Shine said.

"But if it's going across your front, it's quite different - you see the individual wave train, the individual wavelengths, as solid black humps.

"They will be short and many for a vessel moving slowly, and they will be longer and fewer as the vessel gathers speed.

"The wave lines can be almost continuous, and it is a fascinating illusion. It is very compelling."

However compelling it may be to witness, it isn't enough to convince Shine that Nessie is no more than a 'nautical lore reborn in Loch Ness' which stems from the mythical sea serpents.