A high-tech hunt is underway at a Scottish lake for signs of the mythical Loch Ness monster.

The Loch Ness Centre said researchers would try to seek evidence of Nessie using thermal-imaging drones, infrared cameras and a hydrophone to detect underwater sounds in the lake’s murky waters.

The two-day event that began on Saturday is being billed as the biggest survey of the lake for 50 years, and includes people from around the world watching the waters remotely on webcams.

Alan McKenna of the Loch Ness Centre said the aim was “to inspire a new generation of Loch Ness enthusiasts.”

McKenna told BBC radio the searchers were “looking for breaks in the surface and asking volunteers to record all manner of natural behaviour on the loch.”

“Not every ripple or wave is a beastie. Some of those can be explained, but there are handful that cannot,” he said.

The Centre is located at the former Drumnadrochit Hotel, where the modern-day Nessie legend began.

In 1933, manager Aldie Mackay reported spotting a “water beast” in the mountain-fringed loch, the largest body of freshwater by volume in the United Kingdom and at up to 230 meters one of the deepest.

The story kicked off an enduring worldwide fascination with finding the elusive monster, spawning hoaxes and hundreds of eyewitness accounts.

Many believe the sightings can be explained by floating logs or strong winds, but the legend is a boon for tourism in the picturesque Scottish Highlands region.

— AAP