Lake Norman

Lake Norman, North Carolina’s largest manmade lake, is about 20 miles from Charlotte. Its 520 miles of coastline make it a popular destination for recreation and its shores and placid waters are home to a host of aquatic species like box turtles, catfish, and yellow perch.

But there may be much larger creatures swimming in what is sometimes called North Carolina’s “inland sea.” Rumor has it that there’s a proper sea monster.

A website set up to track sightings has recorded more than 70 “Normie” appearances. Descriptions vary. The monster been described as “crocodilian,” as “a sturgeon-looking thing,” as a 15-foot-long “Nessie-like sea monster,” and as “a dang fish” that “looked dang 200 pounds!!!” Several witnesses were unable to catch a glimpse, but remain certain that something must be out there. They recall seeing enormous wakes with no boat around to cause them, a wave on an otherwise quiet lake, or hearing a thundering splash with no apparent origin.

Apart from snatching a fisherman’s catch or two, Normie seems friendly—just one more companion on a pleasant lakeside day.