Gates: On this episode of "expedition x..."
Whoo. Whoo-hoo-hoo.
Alright, champ! See what you got!
...Phil and jess investigate reports
Of a giant lake monster...
The thing looked long as my boat.
...Said to inhabit the murky abyss
Of vermont's lake champlain.
It was unlike anything I've ever seen before.
Is it a massive fish... [ gasps ]
Something's definitely trying to eat the light!
...A prehistoric beast lost to science...
Chobot: Look at this.
I mean, this thing must've weighed a ton.
...Or something even more dangerous?
I'm seeing something. Wait, wait, wait.
There's something in there.
Chobot: The visibility is so bad.
♪♪
Phil!
America's lake monster.
My name is josh gates.
In my travels, I've experienced strange things that defy logic
And made me question everything.
Oh, my god.
Now I've put together a team
To investigate the stranger side of the unknown.
Let's go!
Phil torres is a scientist who hunts for rational explanations.
Jessica chobot's paranormal research
Has made her a true believer.
Phil, do you see that?
I just saw something run across.
Together we're searching for answers...
What is that?
...To the world's most extraordinary mysteries.
This is "expedition x."
-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com
Captions paid for by discovery communications
Alright, phil, jess, I don't need to tell you
How difficult it is to capture photographic evidence
Of some of these strange things
That I send you to investigate.
Well, josh, it can be hard to photograph things
That aren't there. [ chuckles ]
That's not very nice. [ chuckles ]
Just because something's elusive doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Look, phil, I'm with you a lot of the time, right,
But there is one very famous photo
That I want to talk about today.
It was taken by a woman named sandra mansi in vermont in 1977,
The mansi photo! The very same. Here it is.
It depicts what many people believe is the head and neck
Of some sort of very large creature
Protruding from the surface of lake champlain.
This thing is legendary. Even I've seen this before.
Yeah, well, I mean, it's famous for a good reason.
This thing has held up to academic scrutiny
For well over 40 years.
And if I'm remembering correctly,
The university of arizona
Actually put it through a computer analysis
And deemed that it was authentic.
Well, they proved that the photo wasn't doctored.
Right. Yes, it's not a forgery,
But as to what's in the photo, that is still up for debate.
Well, it's the lake monster, josh.
It's obvious. It's obvious.
There's no question it's a compelling legend.
But the story of the creature that people called champ
Started way before this photo was taken.
Gates: The recorded history of champ sightings dates back
To the 1700s when the native abenaki tribe
Warns french explorers about a serpent-like creature,
Gitaskog, that inhabits lake champlain.
But the legend really takes off in 1819
When a man known as captain crum
Reports seeing a monstrous beast
Raising its massive head out of the water.
Subsequent sightings in the 1800s include a railroad crew
Who see an enormous serpent with silvery scales,
A local sheriff who swears he encounters a snake-like creature
About 30 feet long, and, the most intriguing report,
A mass sighting on the steamship w.B. Eddy
When at least 100 passengers and crew watch as the craft
Supposedly runs into the animal and nearly capsizes.
Then there's the famous mansi photo taken in 1977.
In 1999, an image analysis is conducted,
And it's proclaimed that the mansi photograph is genuine,
One of the few pieces of compelling evidence
For an unknown animal in any lake in the world.
Champ sightings have continued to this day,
With more than 300 alleged incidents and rising.
The lake borders new york and vermont
And both states have taken unprecedented acts
To legally protect this mysterious animal.
Whatever the truth is, champ isn't going away any time soon.
Believers speculate the champ could be anything
From the descendant of an ancient whale
To a relative of the prehistoric plesiosaur
Or even some other as yet unidentified creature
Of monstrous proportions.
Alright, jess, I take it you approve.
I approve this message.
I think it is super smart of the legislators
To protect the thing before they lose it.
And look, there is some precedent here for this, right?
I mean, take the megamouth shark --
Real animal, huge animal,
Wasn't discovered until the late '70s.
Sure, and you also have these cases
Of what are known as lazarus species.
They're animals that were presumed to be extinct
During the fossil record,
Then they reappear in modern times.
One example is the rat squirrel -- real thing.
-Really? -Yeah.
And it was thought to be extinct for 11 million years
Before being rediscovered in laos in 1996.
I feel like phil's making my point
That this thing could be real.
I'm not saying it's not possible.
I'm just saying we have to go through the scientific process
To really prove this. We got to find a live specimen.
Now may be the best time to do that.
You know, with these recent sightings, credible sightings,
I think you should go to vermont,
Try to meet these eyewitnesses, figure out what they really saw,
Get out on lake champlain, get in lake champlain, you know,
See if you can come face-to-face with whatever that is.
Sounds good to me. Jess, what you think?
Let's catch a lake monster.
Gates: It's just a five-hour drive north from new york city
To burlington, vermont,
And the rumored home of a leviathan.
There's been so many reports here of champ.
So like, what's the thing that's living in the lake?
Maybe it's just a known species of fish
That gets particularly huge.
Or is it actually an ancient dinosaur
Or something that kind of got lake locked
And has managed to adapt and live?
Maybe there is still something in this lake...
Together: ...Waiting to be found.
...Or it's something that is known
That just keeps getting misidentified over time.
Just seems weird that we have a foot in each other's theories.
Like, I feel like that actually gives us a chance
To potentially solve this thing. Totally.
There's obviously something in the water.
Oh, pull over here. Pull over here.
Chobot: As we pull into champ territory,
I see the perfect spot to begin our search.
Alright, come on.
You can't investigate a legendary photo
Of a lake monster without taking a few of your own.
What? What do you mean "what?"
Take a picture.
[ camera shutter clicking ]
Nice. You done? [ camera shutter clicks ]
Not done. Okay.
Ooh, the swim. Nice.
[ camera shutter clicks ]
Nailed it. [ camera shutter clicks ]
Torres: Now that we're officially in champ's domain,
We continue north to carry bay
To meet with eyewitness kyle cortiana.
I'm actually excited to meet kyle.
I mean, he's a pro fisherman.
And if he thinks he's seen something,
That's pretty good evidence,
Got to say. Yeah.
Kyle's been fishing since the age of 3
And has since gone pro, reeling in trophy bass
On the fishing league world wide pro circuit
For the last four years.
And just recently, kyle spotted and filmed
A massive object in lake champlain,
Something of incomprehensible size that he believes
Was the famous champ.
Kyle. Hi, kyle.
How's it going? Good.
How are you? Doing pretty good.
Now, my understanding is you've got one heck of a champ story.
I do. I have quite the story.
I was here fishing for a professional bass tournament.
I was coming back in and it was last light,
And I was coming back through an area.
There was no wind. It was dead calm.
And I was actually on the phone with my father
And told my dad, I was like, "think I'm seeing this monster."
Kind of in disbelief.
There were times where the thing looked long as my boat,
And it looked like a log, but the thing was moving.
And I got off the phone and I started recording footage of it.
And I actually went past the object,
And when I circled back around, it actually allowed me to see it
Because before, the water was flat,
Then when the waves hit it,
The object started to show itself in between the waves.
I was like, "am I really seeing this?"
And at some point, did it go under?
It did. It went under right in front of the camera.
So you have like a video or tape of this thing?
Yeah, I sure do. I have it on my phone.
Here it is right here. I'll let you guys watch it.
Thanks.
Oh, wow. That does long.
I mean, that's something huge.
♪♪
Wow, that definitely is something big in the water.
So I'm guessing as a professional fisherman,
You've been to countless lakes, rivers, streams,
Ponds, everywhere, and you've never seen anything like this.
Never seen anything like it.
Are there any types of fish that could get that big
That live in this lake in the deep parts?
Now, the biggest fish that I'm aware of that's in here
Is a sturgeon.
Torres: There are more than 90 species of fish in lake champlain,
But the sturgeon is the undisputed heavyweight champion,
Growing to over 8 feet long and 300 pounds.
But kyle's convinced that what he captured on camera
Could swallow a giant sturgeon whole.
I'm an engineer by trade, as well,
So I've tried to scale the wave distances and get measurements,
And it's questionably as long as my boat --
Which over 20 feet.
I watched my own video over and over,
And I just can't come up with something that makes sense.
It's clear as day that you ran into something weird out there.
A million percent.
If you wouldn't mind, I mean, we'd love to get out to the spot
Where you actually saw this. You bet.
Yeah, I'll be happy to take you guys out there.
I got another tournament, so I can't stick around long,
But I'll be happy to show you where it happened.
Okay, perfect. Perfect.
Chobot: Kyle leads us to where he had his sighting...
Pretty rough out here today! Oh, yeah!
Chobot: ...And we finally get a sense of how big
This lake really is.
Lake champlain is 120 miles long,
Up to 400 feet deep,
And was briefly considered to be the sixth great lake.
There ever was a place for an elusive lake monster to survive,
This is it.
Whoo. Whoo-hoo-hoo.
Alright, champ! See what you got!
♪♪
So this is the spot, huh?!
Yeah, this is the spot! It's where I saw him!
Perfect.
Think we're gonna try to spend a couple hours
And see what we can find!
Good luck! Hope you find him!
Okay, thanks! I'll let you know!
Please do!
♪♪
Chobot: Kyle's recent sighting took place in this area.
There's about 350 feet of murky water
Between us and the lake bed below,
Easily enough habitat to hide a giant.
♪♪
Even though the sun starts to drift below the horizon,
We came prepared for an all-night investigation.
He might be nocturnal, so we might just not be out yet.
You know, I'll take that theory.
Like there are animals like squid
Will spend day in deep waters,
And then at night, they come up to feed.
Yeah, I've always liked the idea that, you know,
Maybe it's an ancient plesiosaur
That had to adapt to a new way of life.
But that doesn't necessarily mean
That there is a plesiosaur living in here
Because plesiosaurs went extinct like 60, 70 million years ago.
You said it yourself before.
What about all those stories
About animals that people thought were extinct
And then they find it? Yeah.
So why couldn't they find a champ?
Gates: While rediscovering a living, breathing, prehistoric creature
Such as the plesiosaur sounds like a tall order,
A number of long-lost animals
Have actually risen from the dead.
Well, kind of.
Take the coelacanth,
A large prehistoric fish that can grow to over 6 1/2 feet
And weigh 200 pounds.
It was believed that they went extinct 65 million years ago
Until it was rediscovered again in 1938.
As far as a place where ancient animals could be hiding,
Lake champlain is somewhat ideal.
Scientists have discovered fossils here
That date back over 400 million years,
And the teams come equipped with gear
To investigate the lake's mysteries.
The fish camera, huh? Yeah.
I mean, this thing's amazing.
I mean, you could send this hd camera deep into the water...
To get fish selfies.
It's a very cool fish camera.
It is cool. It is cool.
Torres: Tonight, this high-definition camera
Will be our eyes underwater. And since bright lights
Are known to attract underwater animals like squid,
Maybe this will help bring more action our way.
If champ is real and as big as eyewitnesses claim,
It would need to consume potentially
Thousands of pounds of food to sustain itself.
♪♪
I'm thinking what I can do is toss in the bait
And maybe if it doesn't attract champ to eat it,
It'll at least attract other fish that might attract champ.
Yeah.
Ah, jess, take a look at the camera.
Oh, check that out.
Getting a pretty good view of the bottom of the lake here.
Mm-hmm.
Our camera has descended 350 feet down to the lake bed.
From here, I'll move it around to get a 20-foot panoramic view
Of anything that's enticed by the light on the camera
Or the bait.
Oh, did you see that little fish jump?!
Ooh.
That was a good on right there. Yeah.
Oh, we're getting some activity.
Yeah, it was a huge fish.
♪♪
Whoa.
Something's definitely trying to see the light!
Holy crap.
Right there. It did it again,
Something was definitely interested in our camera,
But it's impossible to tell what it was.
Is it just a large fish
Or something else?
I start thumping the water to draw it in closer
Because vibrations at the surface make fish curious.
And just make loud noises on the surface of the water.
It's known to just draw things in.
♪♪
[ loud thump ]
[bleep]
Something just hit our boat.
I'm gonna go and turn on the lights.
♪♪
Wait, wait, wait. Back left, back left.
-Back left? -I'm seeing something.
We got something. Do you really?
Down, down, down,
Went too far. Down, down.
Little more.
What do you see?
There's something in there.
♪♪
Where is it now?
It just went under the boat.
Gates: My team is on lake champlain
Where the mysterious lake monster named champ
Was reportedly seen by professional fisherman
Kyle cortiana.
And the team's efforts to lure something
Seems to have worked....
It just went under the boat.
...A little too well.
There's something in there.
Oh, where is it? It was really hard to tell,
But it was definitely big right in this area.
Okay, well, I'm gonna run back and move the light.
Keep your eyes on the water. Alright.
♪♪
What do you see?
So, I don't know. I'm kind of thinking
Whatever I just saw up here, I think it's gone.
Seriously? Yeah.
Something definitely caused
A big thud against the boat.
This whole boat shifted,
So something big hit us.
We had light in the water... Mm-hmm.
...And I was thumping,
Kind of sending those vibrations throughout this area.
So something about that combination
Or one of those factors
Seem to have caused some reaction.
I say we stay out here
And try a few more times and see what happens.
Yeah, give it a couple more thuds.
See if it comes back. Okay.
Chobot: We continue to chum the water
And try to lure back the creature
With light and vibrations into the early morning,
But the waters of lake champlain have calmed,
So as dawn breaks, we head back to shore.
We'll need help to track down champ in such a massive lake,
So we've traveled south to meet with local champ expert
Katy elizabeth.
Hi, katy. Nice to meet you guys.
Nice to meet you, too.
Katie is an author, investigator,
And the founder of champ search.
For eight years, she's been actively combing
Every inch of lake champlain,
Gathering evidence of the monster
And cataloging reported sightings.
And she believes the lake monster frequents this marsh.
What got you interested in champ in the first place?
In 2012, I took a trip to lake champlain.
I saw this object pop up to the surface of the water.
I would estimate it was around 15 feet in length,
Black, blackish-brown in color.
Were you out on a boat? Were you walking on the shore?
No, is actually sitting on a bench, eating my breakfast.
I'm looking at it and I'm like, "well, maybe --"
I'm trying to be logical, you know.
I'm like, maybe it's an otter.
Maybe it's a big snake."
I didn't know what to think,
But it was unlike anything I've ever seen before.
Wow. Okay, interesting.
What's your theory on what champ might be?
I believe that these animals are an ancient species.
My idea is that these animals are either reptile or amphibian
Or perhaps a very strange hybrid of both.
In the wintertime, the lake can freeze completely over,
So these animals need to be breathing somehow to stay alive.
They could be breathing through their skin
Or, like the common snapping turtle
That's here in the lake champlain region,
They actually breathe through specialized skin cells
Beneath their tail.
Torres: Katie's theory is actually based in science.
Both reptiles and amphibians can stay underwater
For extended amounts of time due to their unique anatomy.
Amphibians are able to absorb oxygen
Through their permeable skin
While reptiles have an extremely efficient lung capacity.
If katie's theory is correct,
This could explain how they survive in the lake
And why they aren't seen often.
But I'm not necessarily buying
There's a giant hybrid frog-reptile thing
The size of a dinosaur.
There's been many reports in the marsh systems,
Particularly at night.
Ooh. So you think
There's a possibility that champ actually comes onto land?
Yes, matter of fact, that's why I had you guys
Meet me here in this location.
There's been prints and tracks found here -- drag marks
Right here? Yes, right here.
Oh. Why would they favor this area?
It's a great place to feed because you have snakes,
Turtles, frogs, little fish.
They could be opportunistic feeders
Because there has been reports of them
Snatching seagulls off
The surface of the water. Interesting.
Eyewitness statements are one thing,
But have you ever managed to actually get some evidence
Of their potentially being a giant lake monster living here?
Yes, I have.
These are sonar images that I obtained
On August 5th, 2019.
My research partners and I were in the boat
And we noticed these strange anomalies
On the bottom of the lake.
And once I enlarged it, I saw that horse-like head
With the horn-like protuberances on top.
Chobot: Katy's sonar captured an image
Of what could be an unidentified animal underwater,
Resting on the lake bottom.
The shape matches previous eyewitness descriptions
Of a long-necked creature.
Further north... Mm-hmm.
...I saw strange anomalies at the surface.
Oh, my gosh, you're right!
There's the animal and then there is its wake.
Yes.
Torres: I have to admit, that does look similar
To what we saw in kyle's video.
There's definitely something in here
That people are calling champ.
Absolutely.
Chobot: If katie's right, champ comes to this marsh to feed.
And for me, the discovery of strange tracks or drag marks
Coming out of the lake strengthens her theory.
If this lake monster is a night predator,
Then our best chance of an encounter is right now.
Seeing a lot of frogs. Yeah, a lot of frogs out here.
Katy was right. Definitely a lot
Of food here for champ.
Chobot: And in the dead of night, this place is looking like
A monster buffet.
Got one.
Oh, look at that leopard frog.
So this is the classic amphibian.
Mm-hmm. And, you know,
Katy was thinking that champ could be amphibian
'cause this thing can breathe through its mouth,
Also through its skin,
Which would be why champ doesn't come up to the surface
Very much because essentially,
He doesn't need to. Yeah.
This is the spot where multiple people
Have claimed to see champ not only in the water,
But on shore. Yeah.
So I have the camera traps in my bag.
Okay. I think we should find
A good place in the mud
Where we can really dig these posts in.
I just want to make sure we're not gonna lose these cameras.
Okay, works for me.
Torres: We've brought a dozen infrared waterproof cameras
To spread throughout the area.
If this is a potential camp hot spot,
We need to keep the cameras rolling in case
Something decides to emerge from the water.
♪♪
[ loud splash ]
Ohh... What was that?
The heck was that?
That sounded like something big.
Oh, I see the ripples. Holy [bleep].
Let's go check that out.
♪♪
Chobot: Look at this. That's a drag mark.
Oh, my god, that's huge!
♪♪
Chobot: Look at this.
That's a drag, mark.
Oh, my god, that's huge!
Some marks on this side.
Oh, yeah, lookit. Look at that.
That's so bizarre.
Are you thinking that whatever just made that splash
Is the same thing as this? It's in the same exact area.
I think that splash could accommodate
Something that is this big. I don't know,
But it stayed shallow.
Like, we would've seen something in the water.
We would've seen a wake. Where did that thing go?
I don't know. I'm checking for eye shine.
No, I'm not saying any eye shine.
Okay, I've got the flir camera, so let's take that out.
Okay.
[indistinct] the scan.
I don't see anything over there.
Nothing there? Nothing there.
[ thunder rumbling ] the rain's starting.
Yeah. I want to lose the tracks.
I think we got to take photos of that
Before it gets washed away. Oh, that's a good idea.
Torres: There's no sign of whatever made that splash
Or these fresh tracks, but we need to move fast
If we're gonna collect any evidence.
I mean, this thing must've weighed a ton
And been super strong
Because it took you quite a while
To pound those stakes into the ground.
The mud is way more dense than I thought it was gonna be.
I've seen sea turtle tracks that look like this
On ocean shores, but this is a lake,
And I don't think that snapping turtles get quite this big.
The largest ones grow to just over a foot.
Alright, well, let's go put up the cameras
And see if it'll come back.
Chobot: If a large creature does frequent this marsh to feed,
We need to know.
So we're going to keep our infrared cameras rolling here
In case the animal that just fled the area
Makes another appearance.
-That looks good. -Come take a selfie, champ.
♪♪
Torres: It's day three of our investigation,
And while we've met some compelling eyewitnesses
And had an interesting encounter of our own out on the water,
I don't think we're any closer to solving this mystery.
A big part of this for me is trying to figure out
What is biologically possible.
We have the big lake, so how could this thing feed?
How could it have a sustainable population?
How could it stay underwater
For all this time and not be seen?
There's just all these questions I have.
What exists out there that this could be similar to?
So we're headed to the leahy center,
A science and nature museum near the lake,
For what I think this investigation
Desperately needs --
A rational, scientific point of view.
Welcome to the leahy center for lake champlain.
I've arranged a meeting with director of programs
Nina ridhibhinyo,
Who's an expert on the local ecosystem and the champ legend.
I'm loving the champ stuff here!
I know, aren't they cute altogether?
They're so cute.
Well, and that's actually why we're here
Is we're actually kind of seeing if we can't find champ.
Ah, an excellent quest.
Do you have anything a little less adorable
And more in the vein of, like, hard champ evidence here?
We do, actually. We host the famous mansi photo.
Oh, that's cool. Like the photo?
The photo. Can we see it?
Yeah. Oh, yes.
Torres: The original mansi photo is so much more detailed
Than the low-resolution replica we've seen before.
You can see that the body's clearly defined.
It doesn't look like an optical illusion caused by a shadow.
Oh, wow! Check that out!
What do you think is the most convincing evidence that exists?
Do you think it's this? I think it really depends
On what you consider evidence.
Until you have a live, live animal,
It's really hard to confirm the existence of something.
What do you see in it? Alright.
So I see two possibilities --
Either a hump and a neck
Or maybe an animal on its side with a flipper in the air.
So you're convinced definitely animal?
Yeah, I'm convinced animal.
Torres: I mean, it looks a lot like an animal.
I'm trying to tell if that's like a fish diving out
And we're kind of catching a little arch of it.
I mean, it looks a lot like a giant lake monster,
I got to say. Yes, it does.
It's convincing. So what do you think it is?
It could be a wake of a boat,
Or it could be different animals -- large animals,
Collections of animals.
How big do you think this thing is?
From a photo, it's impossible to tell,
But we know people usually report champ
To be between 10 and 40 feet.
We have animals here that are approaching that 10-foot size,
But 40 feet's pretty big.
Torres: Lake champlain is swarming with 90 known species of fish,
But there's no way any of them can grow to 40 feet.
But there is one kind of freshwater fish here that, well,
Let's just say if it was swimming by
And you didn't know what it was,
Your heart might jump out of your chest.
Oh, my gosh. Look at these things.
Aren't they amazing? So these are the sturgeon?
This is the largest fish we have in lake champlain.
They can get up to eight feet. How long do they live for?
They're really long-lived fish. They can live 80, 100 years.
To me, you see an eight-foot one of those guys
Jumping out of the water -- giant lake monster.
So a possibility, but not a total yes.
Torres: Not only are these sturgeon huge,
They're hardly seen because they're bottom feeders,
Except in the rare instance when they breach the surface.
Oh, [bleep]!
Which could resemble the head of a lake monster
To a casual observer.
It explains why champ sightings seldom occur
And why they cause such a stir when they do.
But just when I'm thinking this case is closed,
Nina drops this nugget on us.
This is the charlotte whale.
Torres: Ooh, look at those teeth.
-That lived in lake champlain?! -Yeah, it's unusual
Because vermont has no coast.
Yeah, so how'd the whale get here?
Lake champlain's been here about 10,000 years.
But right before that, there was something called
The champlain sea
That was connected to the atlantic ocean.
So at that time, we had whales
Able to move into the area. Wow.
So that's an example of a pretty large animal,
Even whales larger than this,
That would've been in this area.
Chobot: Hearing that lake champlain was an inland salt sea
Strengthens my belief that there could still be
A large aquatic creature living in these waters.
We do have these examples of animals that have been able
To move between salt water and fresh water,
And there have been plesiosaurs that have been found
In brackish waters,
And brackish water's where you start to see
This mixing of salt water and fresh water.
Interesting! So you're saying there's a chance!
Evolution does some weird stuff.
I mean, there's always a possibility,
But the sturgeon is a 65-million-year-old species.
There you go.
It sounds like this is feasible.
Something to be further investigated.
Yeah. If champ did exist
The way that people are reporting their sightings,
Is there anywhere in lake champlain
That would be a good habitat for it?
Well, a lot of champ sightings
Happen in the deepest parts of the lake.
Torres: I'm shocked to hear that nina doesn't rule out
That a giant unknown creature
Might actually be living in the darkest depths of the lake.
While I'm keeping an open mind,
I'm not sure where jess and I go from here.
So we're checking in with josh for some guidance.
Hey, phil and jess! How are you?
Hey, good. Good, how are you?
So you find a lake monster yet?
[ exhales heavily ] not quite yet.
Listen, we've talked to some really compelling witnesses,
But we've also talked to some experts here.
And I'm really thinking that what people may be seeing
Out here could just be a sturgeon.
They don't come to the surface very often,
But when they do, you could imagine someone
Mistaking that for a giant lake monster.
Lake champlain is huge.
I mean, they have found whale skeletons there.
This thing used to be connected to the ocean.
In my opinion, there is a really good chance
That something like a plesiosaur
Or some sort of other ancient creature got stuck in there
And then now has evolved over time
To be the thing that people are reporting is champ.
So that's kind of similar to what you hear
About loch ness, right?
This other body of water connected to the ocean.
And there's always been this idea among believers.
Nessie is somehow using underwater caves
Or tunnels as a kind of sanctuary.
I wonder if that might be an interesting approach here.
I mean, I think you should really dig into,
No pun intended, the geology of the lake itself.
Are there any geological features below the surface
That could provide a kind of long-term underwater habitat
For this creature? -Yeah, I think that makes sense.
It wouldn't surprise me at all
To find out that there's some caves down there.
To that end, I'm gonna be sending you an underwater r.O.V.
We really want to get a look at the underside of this lake.
We're gonna need eyes to do it.
So you'll have that at your disposal
To help with the investigation.
Awesome. Perfect. I call dibs!
Dang it. I think we got to go diving,
And by "we" I mean you.
Don't get eaten by a lake monster.
Yeah. Good advice.
Good luck.
Thanks! Alright, thanks!
Torres: According to a 2012 study,
It's believed that large fish prefer to hang out in coral
Or rocky overhangs,
Possibly to protect themselves from ultraviolet sunlight
Or to lie in wait for prey.
Assuming champ is no different,
Jess and I pored over maritime maps of the lake,
Lining them up with hundreds of champ sightings,
And check this out --
Here in the heart of the majority of sightings
Is a geological landmark called ferris rock,
An infamous maritime hazard
That has claimed more than its fair share of shipwrecks.
It's a massive underwater mountain
That easily could shelter the lake's largest animals.
If champ is real, then ferris rock
Is just the kind of place we're gonna find him.
Okay, so we're anchored in at ferris rock,
So are you ready to go?
If there is some sort of lake monster around here,
And that's a big if,
My thought is it's probably something
That's either at depths or in some of the natural places
To hide out at in this lake.
I'm gonna be looking out for different crevices,
Different tracks that could lead to a bigger chamber down there.
And you, with this underwater r.O.V.,
Can basically be backup.
Why don't you take the south side of the rock formation?
I'll take the north side.
That way, if you scare anything out,
I have a chance of capturing it on the r.O.V. Camera.
Alright. Well, I feel like
This is our shot to find champ.
Yeah. You excited?
You know...
You'll be up here safe on the boat.
I'll be, um, down there
Looking for a giant lake monster.
Chobot: As phil gears up,
I prep our remote-operated underwater vehicle,
A submersible robot with a high-definition camera
That can descend to a depth of 650 feet.
If a large unidentified creature is hiding in these depths,
We have the technology to document it.
Alright. You good?
Okay, well, good luck.
Be careful.
♪♪
Alright, you good?
Okay, well, good luck.
Be careful.
♪♪
Chobot: Eyewitnesses have spotted champ over the centuries,
But it is rare, which means it definitely has found
A good hiding spot deep in the lake
And ferris rock is our best bet.
Phil will explore the south side of the formation,
Looking for any crevices that may lead to a larger chamber
While I navigate the r.O.V. On the north side.
While phil's gear and physiology can only safely handle
A depth of about 150 feet,
This remote-operated vehicle
Can explore much deeper into the abyss.
Yeah, I can hear you clear.
Alright, do see anything like that?
♪♪
It's really tricky to maneuver this.
All the spaces are pretty narrow.
R.O.V.'s at 60 feet.
Looking for schools of fish and any crevices large enough
To fit the r.O.V.
Copy that. Descending to 150 feet.
♪♪
I can hear you.
♪♪
Big enough to hold a champ?
♪♪
Torres: I've got to find an entrance that's large enough
To safely enter.
If my equipment gets snagged on these rocks,
This potential underwater haven
Could become extremely treacherous.
I mean, the visibility is so bad.
Phil would have to be on top of anything
That was living down there before he even noticed it.
Chobot: It phil spots something,
I hope he's at a safe distance.
♪♪
What'd you see? What'd you see?
[bleep]
Oh, my god. Where did it go?
Torres: Whatever that was, its descent was fast.
If we have any chance of capturing it on video,
We'll have to use the r.O.V.
Since it can move much more quickly.
My descent always needs to be slow and deliberate
To avoid organ damage from increased water pressure.
But whatever I just saw is speeding down
To the deepest part of the lake.
♪♪
Yeah, I saw you with the r.O.V.,
So just grab it and point it where you want it to go.
Alright, got it, copy.
♪♪
Torres: I'm pushing the limits of nitrogen narcosis at this depth,
Which can bring intoxicating effects
And lead to a loss in consciousness.
This happens when you breathe compressed gas
At depths over 100 feet.
That's why recreational divers are advised
Not to descend beyond 140 feet.
I've got to ascend
Before I start feeling even more disoriented.
Phil, are you okay?
I just went too deep, too fast
After whatever that thing was.
The r.O.V. Is gonna have to take it from here.
♪♪
Chobot: As phil takes off his scuba gear,
I man the r.O.V. For any sign of the animal.
The depth gauge indicates we're already at 250 feet.
Alright.
What did you see?
I don't know what it was... Uh-huh.
...But we we're swimming basically along that ledge there
Underneath one of the overhangs,
Just a huge, huge cloud of silt just gets kicked up.
Just something took off that was big.
I kind of got a glimpse of it.
But visibility -- once something gets
10 feet, 15 feet... Uh-huh.
...You just kind of make out a little bit of something.
Film anything?
Let's take this down. 100 more feet.
How different it looks down there.
Shadow, so hard to see.
Oh, my god.
I just keep seeing stuff on the left and right.
I don't think that's --
[ gasps ] what's this?
Do you see that?
It looks big.
What is that?
30 before the iconic mansi photo was taken,
Another famous photograph was snapped across the pond.
And unless you've been living under a lake, you've seen it.
It came to be known as the surgeon's photo,
And it purportedly depicted champ's scottish doppelganger,
The loch ness monster.
For decades, the photo was considered
The high watermark of evidence
Of a bona fide lake monster.
But in 1984, a tangled thread of lies started unraveling.
A photo analysis was performed
That determined the object was only two or three feet long.
Then, in 1994, the nail in the coffin,
A man named christopher spurling
Outed everyone involved on his deathbed,
Confessing that the creature in the photo
Was just a mottled sea serpent head
Attached to a small toy submarine.
Whoops. By comparison,
To this day, the mansi photo depicting champ
Has held up to scientific scrutiny.
Sorry, nessie.
♪♪
What's this? Do you see that?
Torres: What is that? That looks big.
Gates: Phil and jess are chasing a large creature
That could be the elusive champ
Using an r.O.V. Piloted into the murky depths
Of lake champlain.
Oh, we got something coming up. Absolutely.
Ohh, look at that!
What is that? Get closer. Get closer.
That's a shipwreck.
Wow, that's a shipwreck. We found a shipwreck!
That is huge!
Check that out.
This lake has got all sorts of things down below, wow.
Okay, whatever I saw
Led us straight to the shipwreck.
Yeah, I mean, maybe it's using it as shelter.
Yeah. Let me see how close I can get.
Gates: For more than 250 years,
Lake champlain has been a hub of commerce.
And on this heavily trafficked lake, accidents were inevitable.
To date, there's approximately 300 shipwrecks
That provide shelter for creatures of the deep.
I don't know how old this thing is,
But it looks super old. Super old.
Look how much it's decayed. Mm-hmm.
I know a lot of fish use shipwrecks as refuge.
So, easily, whatever I saw could be in there right now.
I mean, this would make a good hiding place or a home
For our champ.
Torres: In 2020, scientists completed two research projects
That revealed large aquatic predators
May actually prefer artificial habitats,
Like sunken ships, over a natural environment.
If the large unidentified creature people called champ
Is also a predator,
It's very possible it would frequent this wreck, as well.
Maybe just settle it right here. Right over there?
Let's just see if anything happens.
Okay, here, let me park it.
♪♪
Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do we got?
It's like a hurricane down there!
It's throwing the r.O.V. Around like a rag doll.
Chobot: Something just turned the lake floor into a washing machine
And kicked up a 30-foot cloud of muck.
There has to be something here.
Where is this thing?
Whatever it was, it has to be close.
We pivot the r.O.V. In every direction
And continue to patrol the lake floor.
♪♪
I think it's gone. I think we lost it
And I'm not seeing anything.
We continue to scan the lake bed
Using up every bit of charge on our r.O.V. Unit.
Whatever we encountered earlier seems to have evaded us.
With no way to further explore the depths,
We have no choice but to call it a day.
♪♪
Gates: Water covers 71% of our planet's surface,
But its mysterious depths remain a world of their own.
Many scientists call this underwater realm
The final frontier of our planet.
But has champ, a colossal creature,
Managed to elude our detection for thousands of years?
After retrieving and reviewing the footage
From the infrared cameras left rolling in the marsh,
My team found no further evidence
That a large creature made landfall,
Though phil did share the photos of the drag marks with his peers
And no one could identify what could've made them.
And after enhancing the footage caught on the r.O.V. Camera...
Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do we got?
...The animal that kicked up a massive cloud of sediment
Could not be identified.
We came out here looking for a champ experience
And we got one.
I just wish we would've gotten a better look at it.
If a champ experience is seeing something giant
And unknown swimming in the water, then absolutely.
If I had to make a bet,
I would say maybe it's a giant record-breaking sturgeon
That are taking people by surprise, myself included.
A frightening-looking fish in its own right,
Sturgeon sightings are nearly as elusive as the lake monster
It's undoubtedly sometimes mistaken for.
But for centuries, highly-credible reports of champ
Have persisted. There's even that famous photo
That scholars are unable to explain,
Luring many to a more fantastic explanation.
I think that it's an ancient creature of some sort
That, in my opinion, has managed to adapt to the area,
Got stuck in their back when it was part of the sea
That they haven't been able to identify
That people refer to as champ.
I don't know.
With so much of the underwater world
Hidden from our curious watch, don't be surprised
If one day the mystery of champ finally breaks the surface.
For more information on "expedition x,"
Head to discovery.Com/expeditionx.