Boating Ogopogo or funny engineering prank?

A red and white boat being driven by the mythical Ogopogo was found swinging from a Kelowna, B.C. bridge on March 7, 2011. (Castanet)

A boat hanging from a Kelowna, B.C. bridge with a mythical Ogopogo sea monster at the helm has all the hallmarks of a university engineering prank, say police in the province's Okanagan region.

The white and red craft, with the name Maria spray painted on the stern, was found swinging from the busy W.R. Bennett Bridge Monday morning. A bright green sea serpent, a replica of a lake monster reputed to live in Okanagan Lake, is seen behind the wheel with its tongue hanging out.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the incident, many people believe it's part of a longstanding tradition of pranks executed to kick off engineering week at the University of B.C., at both its Vancouver and Okanagan campuses.

"They do a lot of hijinx – that's probably the case here," Const. Steve Holmes told ctvbc.ca in a telephone interview, adding that students hung a giant "E" from the same bridge deck last year.

That same red "E" is seen painted on the side of the Maria.

Police aren't launching a formal investigation, but say someone is going to have to pay to have the boat removed.

Holmes speculates the craft was hoisted up by students "under the cover of night."

Transportation Ministry officials call the incident foolish and are now figuring out how to get the boat down.

The prank is similar to several executed by Vancouver UBC students in past years.

In 2008, students hung a Volkswagen Beetle off the Lions Gate Bridge, saying they wanted to "draw attention to the masterful feats of professional engineers."

A year later a similar prank was derailed by police, who arrested a group of students as they hung a VW from the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge that spans Vancouver's Burrard Inlet.

It was the first time any students had been caught.

After the incident, the associate dean of engineering programs admitted he doesn't like answering the phone on the first Monday of February.

Other engineering pranks by students have included placing a giant version of the UBC engineers' coat on the stone Inukshuk sculpture in English Bay.

Several years ago, students crafted a sculpture of 6,400 cans of food that were later donated to a local food bank.

A VW was once hung from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.