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.

On a flight back in December, we see a pair of large humpback whales crossing the sandbars of the shoals | Frying Pan Tower

FRYING PAN CAM: FryingPanTower.Com is a Coast Guard Light Station located 34 miles off the coast of North Carolina that is being restored. Here's the view this morning. | WRAL TV

Here's some more video of Frying Pan shoals I took about 30 mins ago with the drone. The ocean is already running along the beach about 2 hours before high tide, Storm Surge is expected along the entire coast; the worst conditions will be in Brunswick County. | North Carolina's Weather Authority