Loch Ness Monster Allegedly Spotted Off Australia's Magnetic Island

The eyes of the world turned to Magnetic Island, Australia because of reports of a strange object in the seas that some suggest is the Loch Ness Monster -- or a relative.

Beachgoers first sighted what looked like "a distinctive long, curved neck bobbing up and down off the coast" on October 25, International Business Times reported.

Some of the eyewitnesses immediately noticed a resemblance to Scotland's most famous cryptid, Nessie.

Others believe the object is not necessarily the mythical monster and more likely the half-sunken hull of a boat.

A man named David “Crusty” Herron photographed what he is calling "Lost Nessie" from nearly 600 feet away.

“It was bobbing up and down in the water and at first I thought, what’s that? Someone yelled out, ‘It looks like a Loch Ness monster,’" Herron said, according to The Australian. “I've never seen anything like it - it could be anything. We are all wanting to know what it is.”

Whatever it was, it's probably not the Loch Ness Monster -- or even an animal, according to marine biologist Glen Chilton, who suspected the so-called sea serpent was more likely a piece of a tree or boat.

Australian cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy said that "Lost Nessie" is most likely a dragon boat which sunk off the nearby city of Townsville earlier this month.

He is keeping an open mind, though, especially since there have been at least a few sightings of reptilian creatures with long necks and football shaped heads near Magnetic Island, most recently in October, according to Yahoo! Australia.