October 23, 2004

Lake monster Ogopogo may have been filmed - Ogopogo is a rather quaint name given to a creature, or group of creatures, said to inhabit British Columbia's gorgeous Lake Okanagan. Since ancient times the native Salish people reported 'the devil in the lake' they called N'ha-a-itk as a frightening serpentine creature of immense size, and they regarded it with dread. Now given a churlishly 'Nessie-like' tourist appeal, the creature is regarded as mythical, of course, despite many sightings every year by credible witnesses. Skeptics might happily dismiss the legend, except a family has come forward with a remarkable video of something, or several somethings, in the lake which definitely seem to be large, living, and anomalous.

What is it? Well, it could be a giant mollusc, a specie of huge fish like a sturgeon, a monster eel, or some-such. But it seems unlikely that it is totally imaginary, due to the regularity & quality of reports (unlike its more famous brethren in Loch Ness which doesn't seem to get seen very often or offer reputable evidence). You can find many pages about Ogopogo all over the web, some more sober than others.

posted by Nostrildamus 20 years ago
  • Wasn't sure where to post this, as it regards two posts... but I'll just put it here because I am already typing in this box. (That made no sense). Anywho, Nostril, funnily enough, the first thing I thought when I read your link was that it was viral advertising for the Sci-Fi channel (plug at the end of the article.) I'm almost certain it's not, but I have a very suspicious mind. I would also love to see that video.
  • Great post. I eat this kind of crap up. There is no reason not to believe that there is some sort of eel-like thing in some of these lakes that is larger than anything previously documented. I mean, look a the giant squid. A dinosaur-looking thing like Nessie seems a bit less likely, but as long as I know that the driver shot Kennedy, then I will keep the faith in just about anything.
  • Yeah, the story reads almost completely like a plug. If there was anything substantive to this video it would certainly be getting a lot more attention than a December offering on the SciFi Network.
  • BC's other aquatic mystery is the Cadborosaurus. Link to a Discovery Channel video about him at the bottom of the page.
  • An Ogopogo Song from 1952 complete with a "red men" reference. A more recent funny/ridiculous kids' tune at the bottom of this page. Don't go in the water!
  • I've heard that each fall, Ogopogo crawls out of the Okanagan at Penticton and winters in Skaha Lake. As it flops across the land with its large flippers, it emits a signal which disrupts electronics, making it impossible to record the event. The slime that it leaves in its path has an effect similar to a skunk's spray, but much stronger, rendering people temporarily blind for kilometres around. The locals, of course, will always know the truth, but any attempt to capture this miraculous migration for the record results only in more grainy video and photography taken from miles away, outside the perimeter of this amazing creature's defense system. Ogopogo has granted an interview only once, to a Salish journalist (circa 1820). He stated that being unknown is an under-utilized evolutionary niche, but it gets kind of lonely.
  • Given this new evidence, maybe the city of Kelowna will have to change the colour of Ogopogo again.
  • That's great, outrigger. :D
  • Thx Jerry. I used to visit the Okanagan often and wanted to ... indulge.
  • sea serpent not quite unseen or are you ripples in a lake? old frisker in the deep no need to be so camera-shy you heartless flirt you shouldn't tease come show yourself old water snake do let me take your picture please
  • I had a smoke a bit earlier. It is true-ish that it makes you stupider But I am coming off a low base And now I wish I had some more.