National Coastwatch Worms Head

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Your Safety

Sea & Shipping

Live sea conditions off Worms Head, water quality for Rhosili Bay, the ships passing the lookout, and what we offer mariners on VHF Channel 65.

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Modelled data via Open-Meteo · a guide only, not for navigation

Water Quality

Rhosili is an official bathing water. Natural Resources Wales tests the water through the bathing season (15 May to 30 September) and publishes the results. Pollution can rise after heavy rain at any time of year.

Tip: avoid swimming for a day or two after heavy rain, especially near streams running onto the beach.

Live Shipping

Who's Out There?

Larger vessels, and many fishing boats and yachts, broadcast their position by AIS (Automatic Identification System). Our watchkeepers use AIS alongside binoculars, a visual watch and the radio to keep track of what is moving off Worms Head. Many small craft such as kayaks, paddleboards and small boats do not show up on AIS at all, which is one reason a visual watch still matters.

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For Mariners

Calling Worms Head NCI

Callsign
“Worms Head NCI”
Working channel
VHF Ch 65
Lookout phone
07392 327216

What we can offer

  • Radio checks on VHF Channel 65.
  • Local weather, sea state and barometric pressure from the lookout.
  • A listening watch on Channel 65 while the station is open, and a visual watch over Rhosili Bay, the causeway and Worms Sound.

When we are on watch

Every day from 10:00. Closing time changes with the seasons, from 16:00 in midwinter to 19:00 in summer. If walkers are still out on the Worm when the causeway closes, we stay on watch until everyone is safely back.

In an emergency

Call HM Coastguard on VHF Channel 16 or by DSC. From a phone, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard. We are not a rescue service ourselves; we pass what we see straight to the Coastguard.

More on activity safety and VHF →
Along the Coast

Our Neighbouring NCI Stations

Our nearest National Coastwatch neighbours are either side of us along the coast: Porthcawl to the east in the Bristol Channel, and Wooltack Point to the west, at the tip of Pembrokeshire looking out to Skomer. They keep watch on VHF Channel 65 too.