Nessie or Manatee?

Russ Sittloh from Madeira Beach, FL. is stating that what he has observed and captured on film in the canal behind his home is not a manatee. He’s video taped the creature on several occasions and assures the reporter that he has seen manatees and even swam with them. “I’ve swam with manatees, I’ve swam with sharks, I’ve swam with sea snakes, there is no way it’s a manatee.” said Rob Sittloh.
A biologist from Florida Fish and Wildlife thinks otherwise.

I would go with the biologists perspective on this.

Source: 10 Connects.com

Madeira Beach, Florida — Russ Sittloh says a mysterious serpent-like creature that’s at least 20 feet long has been swimming in the canal behind his Madeira Beach home and he wants to find out what it is.

“The head will come up and then it will disappear and then the next thing you know, you’ll see a couple rolls behind it,” Sittloh said.

Sittloh has named the creature “Normandy Nessie” after the road he lives on. The 78-year-old retired engineer has also set up a camera to capture video of the creature and so far he’s recorded “Normandy Nessie” six times.

Photo Gallery: Sittloh’s images of Normandy Nessie

“When I first saw it (in April) I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was so unreal.”

But Sittloh is not the only person who claims to have seen a mysterious serpent-like creature swimming around Madeira Beach. Bill Van Aken and his wife, Maria, say they have both seen it.

“I didn’t see the tail come out of the water like Russ did, but I could see the wake that it was leaving. It had to be at least 15-feet or longer,” Bill Van Aken said.

After watching some of the videos Sittloh has recorded, a biologist with Florida Fish and Wildlife says the creature in question appears to be a manatee.