Latest News & Sightings

Please bear in mind that the 999 emergency phone on the outside of our building is still out of order. If we're not on duty, hopefully you'll have a signal on your mobile phone.

In an emergency, always ring 999 and ask for the Coastguard. Only they know how to gain access to our area and which emergency services are needed.

We change our hours towards the end of the year because we have no mains electricity in the building, so there's little we can do once it gets dark.

It is a picture we have used before as a 'Friday Photo', and it certainly shows the Worm at its spectacular best. We're sure it will be a big talking point with all our visitors.

Very many thanks, Gary, seen here with Watchkeepers Gillian and Lorraine.

Recovering anybody who's been injured out on the island is almost impossible without using a helicopter - both incidents happened while walking over the rocky areas, which are, after all, the seabed.

It's always worth wearing walking boots or sturdy shoes for some support over the rocks. We see a lot of flip-flops, and even the occasional pair of high heels - all we can do is advise against it (though we don't believe that was the cause of either fall).

As always, thanks to HM Coastguard South and West Wales for the helicopter, and to HM Coastguard Rhossili's cliff rescue team.

Thanks to Watchkeeper Nigel for the photo.

Sarah fell in love with our knitted seals, lovingly made by Watchkeeper Mariza. She had to have two.

A few days later, Sarah got in touch again to say how much she'd enjoyed her visit, and asked if she could name her two seals after the watchkeepers who'd shown her around. So please say hello to Ernie and Tony!

Thank you, Sarah, for your generosity — it helps keep the Station operating 365 days a year. And thank you to everyone who donates throughout the year.

The times that the causeway is open are shown in the windows of our building and on a large board at the top of the path leading down to the causeway — you have to walk past it.

Please, if you're crossing to the island, come into our hut — we can give you all the information you'll need to help keep you safe. Then take a photo of the times board so you can refer to it when you're on the island. Then head back in plenty of time, ideally 30 minutes before the stated closure time.

On the 9th, six people were spotted on the island as the causeway was flooding. Three waded back — something we strongly advise people not to do — while the other three turned out to be fishermen who hadn't told us they planned to stay out there.

On the 11th, a lady was reported to have taken a nasty fall. We reported it to the Coastguard, and a Coastguard helicopter from Newquay was used to fly her to hospital.

On the 13th we had two separate incidents. First, we spotted five people stranded on the island — they were safely brought back to the mainland by Horton and Port Eynon RNLI, helped ashore by members of HM Coastguard – Rhosili. Later the same day we spotted an apparently wrecked boat, which we reported to Milford Haven HM Coastguard — it turned out to be a boat wrecked some days earlier at Mumbles.

On the 15th we were tasked with searching for two missing swimmers off Rhosili beach. Happily, they were found safe on the beach some time later.

And one more: yesterday afternoon a gentleman and his wife came into the hut after he'd slipped on rocks and gashed his leg — thankfully all he needed was our first aid kit.

We've still got 14 days left this month, so fingers crossed for 14 quiet ones. The causeway times are published on this site, on the boards in our hut windows, and at the top of the path down to the causeway — you can imagine what it would be like if we weren't there to make those times available.

Thankfully we have Horton and Port Eynon RNLI to come to the rescue when it's needed.

The causeway times for the coming week are published every Saturday on our Facebook page, so please check before you cross.

We don't get many visitors from Russia, so there was plenty of space on the map for them.

There was a third lad with them too, but unfortunately we couldn't decipher his name in the visitors book!

It's from the Samuel, a Norwegian collier that was carrying a cargo of 100 tons of coal from Cardiff to Santos, Brazil, in 1884. She was driven ashore onto the causeway in a fierce gale and sank.

Her cargo of coal was sold to local farmers, who created a track to get to it — it kept them and local villagers warm for many winters afterwards.

If you look carefully around the anchor, you can still see particles of coal in the rocks.

The reality in Wales: one person loses their life to drowning every week. There were 260 water-related fatalities between 2019 and 2023, representing 1,071 years of life lost every year, with males aged 20–29 most at risk. Every number represents a life lost, a family affected, and a community affected.

Tomorrow marks World Drowning Prevention Day. Everyone can help reduce drownings — not just in Wales but around the UK, at the coast or on inland waters — by following the water safety code.

Stop and think: is your activity safe? Are you doing it in a safe location — ideally a lifeguarded beach?

Stay together: don't go near the water alone. Always go with friends or family, so there's someone to raise the alarm if needed.

Float: over half of the drownings between 2019 and 2023 were accidental. If you find yourself in trouble, try to float on your back in a star shape, tilting your head back so the water is over your ears — this helps keep your face clear of the water. Try to breathe normally for 60–90 seconds, which is how long it takes for the body to overcome cold water shock. Even in hot weather, the water around our coast is still cold enough to cause it.

Call 999 or 112: if you see someone in trouble, call the emergency services. If you're out on the water, carry a means to call in a waterproof pouch. At the coast, ask for the Coastguard; on inland waters, ask for the fire service.

Across our stations in Wales and England, National Coastwatch volunteers are looking out for the safety of those in, on, or near the sea and coast — reporting to the Coastguard whenever we see something wrong.

She's now been moved into Swansea Dry Dock, where — hopefully — she'll be restored back to how she used to look.

Marina photo courtesy of Watchkeeper Grant.