78-year-old Florida resident Russ Sittlow has spotted something big swimming in the canals of Madeira Beach at the coast of Pinellas County in western Florida.
The retired engineer first spotted the creature in April, and has now seen two of them – one bigger and one smaller. He estimates the largest to be at least 30 feet long.
“His head come up out of the water, and then he rolled up in a double roll behind him and he was long he was huge,” he said of that first sighting.
Sittlow think it might be a sea serpent and has nicknamed it Normandy Nessie since he lives on Normandy Road.
“This is a snake I guarantee you, or a serpent like thing that looks like a snake,” he explained, adding that it might be an anaconda or a python or “a mutation there of.” He believes the creature to be dangerous and doesn’t recommend anyone swimming in the canal until the thing has been positively identified.
In order to capture the creature on film, Sittlow set up a surveillance camera and has now recorded “Normandy Nessie” three times. (see the video here) The video shows a dark form that appears to be 30 feet long swimming close to the surface. There is also a sequence where the creature is splashing in the water.
Sittlow’s neighbour Maria VanAiken and her husband have also encountered the elongated animal in the canal.
“I looked up and I saw this like huge-looking creature,” VanAiken said, adding that it wasn’t a manatee or dolphin.
She spotted the creature from her back porch which overlooks the canal. “This huge thing just came out of the water,” she said.
State wildlife officials that have seen the video do not give much for the sea serpent theory; they believe the animal is a manatee.