Many people might have walked past the fish and chip shop on Imperial Drive, without looking up and seeing what is above them.
Above them is a large watchkeeper which houses a special group of volunteers who have kept their eyes and ears on the coast 356 days a year since 1998.
I was invited to have a look at the tower on Friday (March 22). I met their press officer who showed me around the Coastwatch House, which is used for training volunteers and publicity of the work they do.
After that, we walked behind the fish and chip shop, up a set of steep steps and into the tower, where I met Coastwatch volunteers who had come on shift before my arrival. They explained the work they do in the tower and the equipment in the tower.
They showed me their equipment, and talked through their job role which to provide 'passive eyes along the coast' and use optical equipment, ship identification, and CCTV cameras to monitor the beach, sand bars and weather. They also work alongside HM Coastguard and Exmouth RNLI during an emergency.
It is a mix of traditional methods of watchkeeping they use, cameras positioned at Sideshore and on top of the tower and at Orcombe Point allows them to keep an eye on the parts of the beach which cant be seen by the tower. And a bank of screens which tells wind direction and speed and the Met Office website allows them to give a forecast to mariners.
The old-fashioned part is a large map under the TV screen, where they can plot the position of boats in the sea and plot bearings.
I arrived at the tower at around 12pm, and I was able to witness a broadcast the NCI do at 12:20, which goes out to anyone on their frequency or in the vicinity, this updates mariners on the forecast wind speed and the hours of NCI. These calls are carried out very couple of hours and allows boats to ensure their radios are working.
During the summer months, which starts on March 31, they will be on duty from 08:30 to 6.30pm - 10 hours of continuous watch keeping (by three teams of two watchkeepers) 7 days a week.
The charity have around 60 volunteers which work on shifts during the opening hours of the station. As well as watchkeeping, they also hold community initiatives throughout the year to inform tourists and locals the dangers of the sea, and how to prevent drowning.
They are a registered charity, which means they rely on fundraising events and public donations. Exmouth NCI is available by hailing Exmouth NCI on VHF Channel 65 or by telephone 01395 222492 for Radio/AIS checks, local conditions at Exmouth approaches and Exmouth Docks.
Exmouth NCI is accepting new volunteers to join their team, if you are interested email recruitment@exmouthcoastwatch.co.uk. Or visit their website.
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