Exmouth National Coastwatch Institution logs record traffic

September was a record month for the Exmouth National Coastwatch Institution.

Volunteer watchkeepers logged 2,750 vessels passing the Queen's Drive lookout - more than 400 vessels higher than last year and the highest September figure in the station's 22-year history.

The number of responses to potentially life-threatening incidents from May through to September was also at a record high.

During this period, watchkeepers responded to 32 incidents involving boat users, kite surfers, paddle boarders or swimmers. Since May, watchkeepers have logged 12,685 vessel movements.

This compares with 13,684 for the same period last year.

"Since the lifting of the Covid lockdown, Exmouth NCI has been on duty every day since 16 May," explained Station Manager Ivor Jones.

"Because of Covid, watches are maintained by a single watchkeeper, rather then the usual two.

"These figures show how vital our service is to the safety of Exmouth's water users."