Did This Sea Serpent Really Exist??

What Is the Cadborosaurus?

The Cadborosaurus is a legendary sea creature believed to live somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Its name originates from numerous sightings in British Columbia’s Cadboro Bay, combined with “saurus”, which means “lizard”. The Cadborosaurus is often imagined as a giant, dinosaur-like reptile or sea serpent that is occasionally spotted from Alaska and Canada down to California. 

What Does the Cadborosaurus Look Like?

Descriptions of the Cadborosaurus vary widely. Some say that it looks a bit like Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster or a plesiosaur, while others claim its head resembles a camel, horse, or polar bear. Reports estimate that its length may range anywhere from just 18 feet to 80 feet, with a slender body in shades of green, brown, or blue. Conflicting reports describe the creature as scaly or hairy, and no one can seem to agree on how many flippers or fins it has. 

The Origin of the Cadmorosaurus

Myths and legends of colossal sea creatures in the Pacific Northwest date back centuries. The First Nations people, for example, passed down stories of Haietlik, a mythical lightning serpent, and Ogopogo, a legendary lake monster. In addition, petroglyphs across the coast depict a strange creature that may potentially have been the Cadborosaurus. 

Caddy Sightings

Over the past 200 years, at least 300 sightings of the Cadborosaurus have been recorded. While the first official encounter is often debated, news reports began popping up in 1933 — the same year Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster became a public icon. Several local sightings were reported in early October, prompting consultations with zoological experts.

Despite their best efforts, however, the creature’s true identity remained a mystery. In 1937, a sperm whale brought to the Naden Harbour whaling station reportedly contained the remains of a young Cadborosaurus. While some claim the remains were merely those of a baby baleen whale, eyewitnesses from that day disagree. In truth, it remains difficult to ascertain the identity of the unusual carcass, particularly as the only remaining evidence is a rather unclear 1947 black-and-white photo.

Capturing the Cadborosaurus

Over the years, fishermen claimed to have caught young Cadborosaurus specimens, but as they were so small, they returned them to the sea. Captain William Hagelund, for example, claimed to have captured some sort of baby sea serpent in 1968. However, a 2011 identified Captain Hagelund’s “Caddy” specimen as a pipefish.

The Cadborosaurus in the 21st Century

The mystery of the Cadborosaurus has continued to persist into the twenty-first century throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2003, even a trained biologist was shocked upon encountering an unidentifiable sea creature in the area. Reports in 2005 from Galiano Island, British Columbia, described an enormous creature with a dog-like or horse-like head with an “Irish retriever”-colored mane. In 2009, Kelly Nash recorded what he believed to be the Cadborosaurus. His video was later shared in 2011 by Discovery. Even now “Caddy” sightings continue to come in, with reports in Port Townsend as recently as 2019. 

Is the Cadborosaurus Real?

It’s hard to say for sure if the Cadborosaurus is a real-life creature or just an enduring cultural legend. Could Caddy actually be a modern-day dinosaur that somehow eluded extinction? Even members of the scientific community cannot fully agree on a consensus. For instance, Zoologist Edward Bousfield and oceanographer Paul LeBlond began studying Caddy in the 1990s, officially classifying the elusive creature as Cadborosaurus willsi. A compilation of their work can be found in their book Cadborosaurus: Survivor From the Deep.

What Other Animals Could “Caddy” Be?

Other scientists argue that the Cadborosaurus is simply a case of mistaken identity. A common explanation suggests that viewers confuse pieces of floating debris for the infamous Caddy, especially when seen from a distance.

Additional theories suggest that numerous marine animals in the Pacific Northwest could easily be mistaken for the Cadborosaurus, such as pipefish, giant oarfish, eels, seals, sea lions, and basking sharks. Even the characteristic “humps” of the sea serpent’s elongated body could be attributed to groups of animals like sea lions, dolphins, or orcas swimming in synchronized patterns. 

Until concrete evidence proves otherwise, the true nature of the Cadborosaurus will remain a mystery.