Lake Monsters – Ogopogo of British Columbia

British Columbia, one of the most beautiful provinces in Canada is also home to a monster. Locals jokingly refer to the beast as Ogopogo, but the natives have known the creature as Naiaka for hundreds of years. Ogopogo makes his home in Lake Okanagan. This scenic lake located in the heart of British Columbia is both deep and wide. It covers an area of nearly 350 square km. It is here that, Ogopogo has been sighted swimming by hundreds of people throughout the years.

The very first sightings of the monster in the lake came from the local natives. They have been seeing a creature in the lake for perhaps hundreds of years. According to their legends, a long time ago a man became possessed by evil spirits and in his rage and delirium, he came across an old and much respected man by the name of Kan-he-kan. In his rage, the demon controlled-man killed Kan-he-kan. To pay for his sins the gods transformed him into a lake monster, so that he would live forever in the lake to suffer and atone for the crimes he had committed.

Natives first named the creature in the lake Naiaka or N’ha-ha-itq. Translated, this name literally means sacred creature of the water or lake demon. To appease the creature, natives who had to cross the lake would bring an offering, which they would throw, into the water. They believed that if an offering was not given, the beast would rise and kill again.

Ogopogo did not receive much attention until he was sighted by Mrs. Allison in the 1870′s. She saw a strange creature swimming in the lake while she was on the shore. Since that time, there have been hundreds of sightings of this mysterious monster. People who have seen the creature described him as being long and serpent like with a horse like head. The length of the monster varies between 50 and 100 feet and the color varies between grey and blue.

One of the strangest sightings occurred in 1926 when more than 26 cars filled with people all related seeing the same thing. The witnesses were all at Mission Beach. Another strange account tells the tale of a man trying to cross the lake with two horses. The man was slowly making his way across the lake when something began to pull his horses under the water. He struggled to get to shore with his horses, but was forced to cut the ropes between him and the animals as they were dragged under. The two horses never made it to shore, and no traces were found.

There have been many theories surrounding the monster. One theory suggests that he is a brachiosaurus, which is a type of prehistoric whale. Another, theory suggests that people have only misinterpreted what they have seen. Skeptics, claim that what these people saw was actually floating logs, other common lake animals, or debris on the surface of the lake. It has even been suggested that Ogopogo might be a type of large fish, perhaps a sturgeon. Whatever the case Ogopogo remains as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster. If however, you are like many others who believe in the legend of Ogopogo, do not try to chase or hunt this monster. The government of B.C. passed a law in 1989, stating that it is illegal to harm, capture, kill or disturb him in any way.

If you want to see the monster be quiet, careful, pack your camera and remember that if you do try to cross the lake, bring an offering…