A terrifying waterspout formed dangerously close to a boat floating at sea during a storm in the Philippines.

The twister's funnel curved as it descended from a mass of dark clouds and touched down off the coast of Tanjay City in Negros Oriental province on June 2.

Locals who saw the vortex said it lasted for around 15 minutes before dissipating. There were no reported injuries.

Shocked onlooker Jose Marie Royo said: 'The waterspout was long and stretching from the clouds into the like an elephant trunk.'

State weather agency PAGASA said the waterspout formed because of a thunderstorm affecting the area.

Waterspout tornadoes are intense columns of swirling tornado clouds that form over a body of water.

They are most commonly found in subtropical areas and disappear shortly after they come into contact with land.

Scientists believe they are formed when pockets of warm air near the water surface rise suddenly.

Cooler air is then sucked into the low-pressure air, which picks up water and rises towards the clouds in a rotating motion.

They very rarely damage buildings as they dissipate when they reach land. However, they are dangerous if boats are caught in their path or aircraft fly through them.