A recent sighting on Lake Champlain has renewed debate over whether the United States has its own equivalent of Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster.
Visitors staying at Marine Village Cottages near Point au Roche said they saw an unusual object moving through the water while visiting the expansive lake on August 7.
Beth Haig said she was the first person to notice the strange sight, according to a report by the Adirondack Explorer.
‘It looked like a wave, but then you could see a serpent kind of thing going on. It would go up and down, moving across the lake and it was large,’ Haig said.
The sighting, reported near the New York–Vermont border, immediately revived speculation that the witnesses may have seen Champy—the legendary creature said to live beneath Lake Champlain’s surface.
Hailee Finkle, who was with Haig, recorded a 24-second video on her phone before the object disappeared.
‘I’m definitely more of a scientific person, but it was weird seeing it in person,’ she said. ‘I’m trying to believe it might be something besides scientific,’ she added.
Susan Sisti, Haig’s mother, said the mysterious object appeared to glide through the lake at roughly the speed of a small motorboat.
Visitors staying at Marine Village Cottages near Point au Roche said they saw a strange object moving through the water that may have been the legendary Lake Champlain monster, Champy
Susan Sisti said the mysterious creature appeared to glide through the water at the speed of a small motorboat
Legends of Champy have inspired businesses around Lake Champlain and helped attract visitors to the scenic lake
Champy is frequently compared with Scotland’s renowned Loch Ness Monster, another mythical creature known around the world
‘It was almost like there was an alligator partly under the water. The front part was like the top of the head. Then you saw a couple of raised areas behind it,’ Sisti said.
‘But it was at least three or four times the size of any alligator I’ve ever seen. Not that I’ve seen an alligator on Lake Champlain,’ she added.
Tales of Champy have circulated for centuries, inspiring themed cafes, merchandise and storefront displays around Lake Champlain while helping draw tourists to the picturesque region.
More than 100 alleged sightings have been reported. The earliest is often linked to Samuel de Champlain, the founder of Québec and the lake’s namesake, who is said to have encountered the creature in 1609.
The explorer described the animal as a 5-foot gar, ‘as big as my thigh, a head as large as my two fists, a body protected by scales of a silvery gray colour and so strong that a dagger could not pierce them.’
Other accounts have portrayed Champy as a ‘giant sea serpent’ or a dragon-like creature. In 1819, a man identified as Captain Crum told The Plattsburgh Republican that he had seen a 187-foot black serpent in Bulwagga Bay.
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According to the newspaper, the creature had a seahorse-shaped head, ‘three teeth… a white star in the forehead, a belt of red around the neck,’ and huge eyes ‘the color of peeled onion.’
Champy is often mentioned alongside Scotland’s famous Loch Ness Monster, a similarly legendary creature whose fame has endured despite the lack of credible evidence proving it exists.
Filmmakers Kelly Tabor and Richard Rossi allegedly captured the sea creature on camera in early June this year. Experts have suggested the image may be an optical illusion (Stock Image: Loch Ness Monster)
Filmmakers Kelly Tabor and Richard Rossi also claimed to have captured the creature on camera in early June this year.
Their footage appeared to show a huge, unexplained shape in Lake Champlain, leading some viewers to argue that it was evidence Champy is real.
‘To see our hometown legend of Champ being debated and celebrated from New York to Tokyo is an incredible honor for our entire lake community,’ Tabor told the outlet.
‘When I saw it, I saw it was like a skinny neck, and that the body got larger,’ Tabor told Our News Outlet.
‘It looked like the skinny neck was oscillating back and forth, as if it was grazing underwater. My eyes were just popping out.’
Rossi said footage from alleged sightings should always be examined by experts.
‘It’s exciting to hear about new sightings. We encourage all new sightings to go through a vetting process of having scientists with PhD degrees examine them as we are doing with our sighting,’ he told Our News Outlet.
The pair are now producing The Secrets of Lake Champlain, a sequel to their film Lucy and the Lake Monster.
The movie is currently in post-production and is expected to reach theaters nationwide in 2027. ‘We look forward to sharing it with all of you,’ Rossi said.
Despite the reported encounters, many people remain unconvinced that Champy exists.
Experts have told the Adirondack Explorer that large bodies of water can produce optical illusions.
Floating logs, swimming animals, clusters of seaweed and unusual lighting can all make ordinary objects appear to be something far more mysterious.
Still, officials in both New York and Vermont have said the creature ‘should not be disturbed, injured or harassed’ if it does exist.
As for the latest sighting, Haig said she does not think the object was Champy—but she remains intrigued by what she saw.
‘I grew up on that lake. I’ve never seen this before,’ she said.
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