The work we do.

Because of our lookout's unique estuary position, we keep watch over all vessels, both motorised and under sail, in addition to kite surfers, windsurfers, jet skiers, fishermen, divers, canoeists, kayakers, paddle boarders, rowers, beach users and swimmers.

Our regime of continuous training ensures that watchkeepers are kept up to date with the required skills to be a watchkeeper as well as changes in regulations regarding the safety of beach and water users. Watchkeepers work double watches, or if necessary, single watches. Watch hours can be from 2 hours up to 3 hours, depending on the time of the year.

All watchkeepers are trained on Marine VHF radios to listen for routine and emergency incidents on the water. These radios automatically scan the emergency VHF channel 16 and other relevant channels such as Solent Coastguard's working channel 67.

CCTVs provide visual observations of locations that cannot be seen from the lookout covering our beaches and coastline to Orcombe Point, Budleigh Salterton and the River Exe as far as Topsham.

Coastal Safety – once qualified as a watchkeeper, a Coastal Safety briefing is provided to enable watchkeepers to liaise with the public on such matters as and when necessary.

A plotting table displays a chart of our area, Lyme Bay, from Berry Head around to Straight Point which is used, along with a more detailed chart of the Exe Estuary, on which to plot incidents. We have a multiscreen displaying wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, temperature, tides, swell as well as the current inshore weather and 24 hour weather forecasts for Lyme Bay.

Our web cam ,which provides excellent views of the beach and the estuary, is widely used by sailors, rowers, fishermen, other water sports enthusiasts and visitors as a visual aid to the conditions they can expect on Exmouth seafront.

Various optical aids are used to provide optimum visual capability from hand-held binoculars to stand telescopes for more detailed work, providing up to 45x  magnification.