Frying Pan Tower is the namesake of Frying Pan Shoals… For many years before modern-day GPS, the light burned on top of the tower, warning mariners of the shallow and treacherous shoals. It was manned by the Coast Guard until it was decommissioned in 2004. In this video you can see waves breaking 12 miles offshore, showing the shoals in all their glory. No longer a navigational aid, the tower now stands as a testament to restoration and preservation and serves as a glimpse into maritime history.

107K views · 6.5K reactions | On a flight back in December, we see a pair of large humpback whales crossing the sandbars of the shoals | Frying Pan Tower | Facebook

A couple times per month we are deep underneath the tower doing our best to clean off the camera globe so that our good friends from explore.org can share the view all over the world. I was deep under a couple times today and did my best to get rid of the growth and barnacles with the assistance of a new DPV (diver propulsion device). We really want people to understand what is under the surface and it is a huge world of activity! With small fry to large sharks all a part of the eco system! Help

Here’s some exclusive drone video I just took of the Frying Pan shoals on the East Tip of Bald Head Island. | North Carolina's Weather Authority