Loch Ness Monster attack insurance listed among strangest policies ever taken out

With Nessie being so shy that she's only ever partially glimpsed above the waters of Loch Ness, it is unlikely that the mythical beast would ever attack any visitors.

People have been flocking to the historic loch in a bid to spot the legendary water creature for decades, with her first documented sighting dating as far back as the 6th Century.

And while some visitors claim to have spotted her down the years, these have only been fleeting glimpses and no one has reported any aggression from Nessie.

But despite this - and perhaps because of her rather unfair title as the Loch Ness Monster - it is clear that some people do fear that she may lash out at those trying to spot her within the water.

This has come to light because safeguarding against an attack by Nessie has been listed among the strangest insurance policies ever taken out.

In 2005, a group of swimmers were covered by a £1million policy against bites from the monster. And in 2013, a cruise company took out a policy to protect their vessels from up to $1.5million (£1.2m) in damages potentially caused by the mythical creature.

The discovery was made by Quotezone, whose research also unearthed unusual policies such as coverage for 'injury by fallen coconut', insurance for wedding day jitters, and even protection against alien abduction.

Greg Wilson, the founder of Quotezone, said that, with a willing underwriter, "it's possible to insure almost anything". He added: "It's truly fascinating to see some of the risks-less-ordinary that some policyholders are willing to pay a premium to insure themselves against though."

"While an argument can be made for why many of the most iconic celebrities are willing to pay to protect the assets that their careers may well depend on, it's a little more surprising that multiple different policyholders have taken out Loch Ness Monster insurance."

One insurance policy that may have seemed strange but ended up coming up trumps was the All England Lawn Tennis Club's pandemic coverage. The AELTC forked out £1.5m a year following the SARS outbreak in 2003.

And while that cost them £25.5m over the next 17 years, it paid dividends when the coronavirus pandemic saw Wimbledon - along with pretty much everything else - scrapped in the summer of 2020. The AELTC are understood to have received around £114m in a payout for their foresight.

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