This week is National Park Week and to kick-off the celebration Outer Banks Forever, the local nonprofit partner of the Outer Banks national parks, has partnered with the National Park Service, Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and Surfline to launch a new webcam at the top of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
The new webcam is the first of three to be installed in each of the OBX national parks through this partnership.
“Webcams are popular in our area as a way for both locals and visitors to stay connected to our OBX community. This partnership brings a new way to experience our OBX national parks, particularly this first webcam that allows those who can’t physically climb the lighthouse a glimpse at the amazing view from the top.” says Jessica Barnes Green, Director of Outer Banks Forever.
The Outer Banks Visitors Bureau approached the National Park Service with the idea of expanding visitors’ park experiences through webcams several years ago. When Outer Banks Forever launched in early 2019, NPS leadership suggested they help make this project a reality.
“The Outer Banks is such a special place,” explains Outer Banks Visitors Bureau Director, Lee Nettles “We take great pride in being able to connect visitors with the destination in deeper ways. The webcam partnership with Outer Banks Forever and Surfline is a fantastic opportunity to share the beauty of our National Park Service sites with visitors year-round.”
After exploring several companies who install and manage webcams, the decision was made to work with a reputable company that also has local connections. Surfline has installed state-of-the-art webcams in Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, offering real-time views of surf conditions, as well as wind, wave and weather forecasts around the world. Surfline has a local office and currently manages 33 webcams in the Outer Banks, from Kitty Hawk to Ocracoke Island.
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is currently undergoing an extensive restoration which may cause the webcam to be unavailable intermittently over the next few months. The webcam can be viewed exclusively at the following partner websites: