Tom Pickles and Sarah Harrington said the mystery creature swept through the still waters at around 10 miles per hour (16 km per hour), creating ripples in the lake. They saw it for 20 seconds before it vanished into the mist, The Sun reported.
The photograph they clicked has been hailed as the best proof for “something” that lives in the 10.5 miles long and 220 feet deep Windermere.
One lake ecologist said: “If this thing is as big as they say it was, we’re in Loch Ness monster territory.” Tom, 24, snapped the creature on his mobile phone while on a team-building exercise with 23-year-old company colleague Sarah in Cumbria.
They were near the Lake’s Belle Isle when they saw the “monster”. “At first I thought it was a dog, then I saw it was much bigger and moving really fast. Each hump was moving in a rippling motion. I could tell it was far bigger underwater from the huge shadow around it. Its skin was dark black or browny and like a seal’s - but its shape was not like any animal I’ve ever seen,” Tom said.
“It looked about the length of three cars. It was petrifying.” Sarah said: “It was like an enormous snake. It freaked us out. All I could think about was that I had to get off the lake.” Lake ecologist Ian Winfield, of the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, said the creature could be an eastern European catfish - but added: “If that size is accurate, I’ve no idea what it is.”
Sceptics remained unconvinced by the “beast”. Nigel Wilkinson, director of Windermere Lake Cruises, said: “We carry millions of passengers and none has ever brought Bownessie (the creature’s nickname) to our attention.”(IANS)
