Our Loch Ness Monster!

Ira Wesley Kitmacher

Earlier this month, my wife Wendy and I visited Loch Ness in Scotland. No, we did not see “Nessie,” the world’s best known “cryptid” (creature), but we here in the Pacific Northwest have always had our own cryptid sightings.

These include the ever-present Bigfoot (Washington has more sightings than any other state, although every state and many countries have their own versions), sea serpents and others. In fact, a half dozen sea serpents or monsters have been reported in the region.

These sea serpents include the Columbia River’s “Colossal Claude,” the Tacoma Narrows Bridge’s (“Galloping Gertie”) giant octopus some blame with causing the bridge’s collapse in 1940, Puget Sound’s own “Caddy the Cadborosaurus” and others.

Caddy is described as looking like Nessie; approximately 40 feet in length, with a humped back, long serpentine body, dark green or brown in color, a long neck, flippers, with a head shaped like a camel or horse. Indigenous Salish people have described these creatures for thousands of years.

It is said there are many reasons people believe in sea creatures or monsters. These include the influence of ancient folklore — stories passed down through generations, misidentification of known animals (the giant, serpentine-like oarfish — growing up to 36 feet, and the carcass of a basking shark), fear of oceans’ unknown animals, floating logs and driftwood, and others.

The Kraken, a mythical creature said to sink ships with a taste for human flesh, has been feared by sailors for as long as can be remembered. The Bible’s older "Leviathan” is a similar, much feared sea monster. Those who believe sea serpents are real say they may be Plesiosaurus, an extinct marine reptile thought to have died out some 66 million years ago. Those who believe they still exist say they have thrived and remained mostly hidden in the deep waters of Puget Sound (up to 900 feet deep in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, separating Canada and the United States) and other locations.

Caddy’s name is said to be derived from a combination of Cadboro Bay near Victoria, British Columbia, and the Greek word “saurus,” meaning lizard or reptile. It is estimated there have been 300 Caddy sightings over the past 200 years.

Several well-known Pacific Northwest sightings include 1855 when a Caddy near Olympia was reported in the Puget Sound Courier “evidently enjoying” the waters; the July 1937 discovery in British Columbia of what was described as a baby Caddy’s carcass in the stomach of a sperm whale (photographs were taken, but the body lost); also in 1937, captain Paul Sowerby reported encountering a long, undulating creature near Seattle swimming alongside his ship for 30 minutes; in 1963 two Tacoma fisherman claimed they saw a Caddy surface near their boat, almost capsizing them, with “eyes the size of dinner plates;” and an October 1992 incident in which a Washington state ferry captain and passengers reported a huge Caddy swimming alongside their ship on Elliott Bay.

Interestingly, and probably not coincidentally, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster took hold in 1933, followed the same year in October by front page news in British Columbia about Caddy.

Believers in Caddy the Cadborosaurus point to ancient Indigenous art and legend, as well as 19th and 20th century sightings. They also look to the work of zoologist Dr. Edward L. Bousfield (specializing in amphipod crustaceans) and oceanographer Dr. Paul H. LeBlond (who focused on oceanic waves, fisheries and coastal oceanography).

These prominent scientists published papers and a 1995 book, “Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the Deep,” presenting evidence and championing the existence of the creature. They described Caddy as a new species, Cadborosaurus willsi, a large, long-necked reptilian. They wrote, “Little of the Earth’s surface remains unexplored today, and one may presume that few large or conspicuous species … are left to be discovered and catalogued. Nevertheless, such animals continue to be found in the depths of the ocean.” Other scientists have remained skeptical.

Caddy has become a Pacific Northwest cultural celebrity and mascot, appearing in local brewery logos, in children’s books, and as the namesake for a yearly Elliott Bay paddleboard race. Every summer, the Seattle Aquarium holds a “Monster Weekend,” focusing on the folkloric stories of sea serpents and marine science.

Like other cryptids, although reported sightings of sea serpents are plentiful, there is little solid scientific proof of their existence.

However, as Thomas Edison (inventor of the light bulb, recorded sound, motion pictures and others) once said, “We don’t know a millionth of one percent about anything.”

That proved true when creatures once thought to be cryptids, including the giant squid, gorilla, kangaroo, Komodo dragon, okapi and platypus turned out to be real! So, the next time you look out on the waters of Puget Sound, keep an eye out for Caddy the Cadborosaurus!

Ira Wesley Kitmacher is an Olympia-based historian and author, writing “Haunted Puget Sound,” “Pacific Northwest Legends and Lore,” and other published books. He leads tours based on his books. Ira is a speaker at various public venues.  He is featured on television, radio, and other media. Ira is a Commissioner on the Thurston County Historic Commission. He is a professor, having taught at Georgetown University and other colleges. Ira is a retired senior federal executive and attorney.