'Nessie spotted' in Cornwall

Video footage of a creature swimming in the sea off Gerran's Bay has been captured by local man John Holmes and has confounded experts.

The 49-year-old from Sticker had been filming his wife swimming in the sea when he spotted what he described as a "snake-like" creature.

On Thursday he told BBC Radio Cornwall: "I was filming my wife and had climbed on a rock to admire the view across the bay and I thought I heard a splash.

"A bizarre movement caught my attention about 250 metres off shore and this thing appeared to be standing about one metre above sea level."

Mr Holmes thought he was looking at the fin of a shark or a killer whale at first.

"I then saw a snake-like head and neck which appeared to be raised out of the water. I was so shocked by what I saw that I almost fell off the rock.

"I screamed to my wife and she climbed out of the water. I only saw it in the water for a brief amount of time."

'Living fossil'

The video was taken in August 1999 but has only just been released by Mr Holmes because he feared he would be ridiculed.

Video expert Tim Farrow, of TJF Productions in St Austell, has studied the footage with a forensic scientist and has confirmed that it is "100% genuine".

"This footage has not been doctored in any way," he said.

"The images are genuine and the video is genuine. It shows an animal type object in the sea.

'Zoological discovery'

"I don't know what it is but I have never seen anything like this before. There has to be an explanation but at this moment in time, I don't have one."

Mr Holmes, who worked for the National History Museum in London for 19 years, has his own theory.

"I have gone through all the text books to try and work out what this may have been and my theory is that it could be a living fossil.

"It appeared bird-like at times but was very uncharacteristic of any diving birds.

"I really do think there is some sort of zoological discovery around the coast of Cornwall."