World record-breaking swimmer Oly Rush has leapt into Loch Ness with a 15ft-long monster giving chase.
Percy the plastic Plesiosaur is made from 800 empty bottles collected on just one day from one beach. The Loch Mess Monster swim is designed to raise awareness about plastic pollution and is being organised by Oly’s Project Planet Earth charity.
The 39-year-old ‘human fish’ will be in the water with the monster chasing him for three days in a bid to open eyes to the damage that plastics do to the environment. He said:
“It’s a bit of fun and is aimed at raising awareness about pollution and also the Project Planet Earth charity. We want visitors to Loch Ness to come along and take some photos of Percy – we’ll be taking him to various places in the water."
“Percy is made from plastic found on an Isle of Wight beach and children really love it and it helps teach them about recycling and keeping the oceans clean. The Loch Ness Monster legend is such a compelling story we had to bring Percy here and who knows, it might flush out the genuine creature.”
Oly, from Upton, near Poole in Dorset, has completed a number of astonishing swims to raise money for anti-plastic charities and to raise awareness.
He has swum the length of the Jurassic Coast, is the fastest person to swim around the Isle of Wight and the only person to swim round the islands of Grand Cayman and Ithaca.
Oly’s monster was made by Glenn Martin and he is at Loch Ness with Roy Beal from Clean Jurassic Coast and photographer Lee Cooper.
The awareness-raising trip was sponsored by Greenfolk Ltd.