Loch Ness monster hunters say they heard mysterious 'gloops' underwater — but forgot to plug in their recorder

• This weekend about 200 volunteers joined the biggest search in 50 years for the Loch Ness monster.
• Volunteers searching for the creature widely considered a myth heard mysterious noises underwater.
• However, they were disappointed to find that their recorder was not plugged in.

Volunteers searching for the fabled Loch Ness monster said they heard mysterious underwater noises, but were disappointed to find their recorder was not plugged in.

This weekend about 200 volunteers joined the biggest search in 50 years for the elusive creature, affectionately nicknamed "Nessie," in Scotland.

Alan McKenna, a search leader from Loch Ness Exploration, was on a boat on Friday using a hydrophone system to record sounds underwater, British newspaper The Telegraph reported.

"We did hear something," he said. "We heard four distinctive 'gloops'. We all got a bit excited, ran to go make sure the recorder was on, and it wasn't plugged in."

The recording mistake meant that the sounds could not be further examined and organizers later conceded that the "blubbing" sounds could have in fact been ducks, per the newspaper.

McKenna said that despite the "horrific" weather, volunteers from around the world had banded together to search for the monster, per The Telegraph.

Volunteers were each given sections of the 23-mile long loch, just outside Inverness, to search for any signs of the creature.

Many came equipped with flying and underwater drones, although bad weather meant they were difficult to use, per The Telegraph.

Thousands of people also tuned in to watch a livestream of the loch and were told to report anything "inexplicable."

One of the volunteers, Craig Gallifrey, said that some at the loch and some watching at home had reported unusual activity, which was being collated, The Telegraph reported.

The mythical Loch Ness Monster has captured modern imaginations since a photograph was published in 1934, which appeared to show the creature's head and neck rising out of the water.

It was published in the Daily Mail newspaper and many have since been fascinated with the idea of finding the monster, despite most now agreeing that the photo was a hoax.

Although made popular by that photo, there have been rumored sightings of such a creature in the loch for centuries.