This is the stunning moment a waterspout forming on the fish lakes by the foot of a mountain in Taiwan's east coast town Chishang.

Cai Zhewen had spotted the weather phenomenon while he and friends were driving on the highway in July 19.

He said: "We were all surprised when we saw it. I was not able to capture the whole thing because I was in a sort of daze while watching."

The town is most famous for its rice harvest which is regarded as having one of the highest quality in the country, but it also has a number of ponds near the train station.

The funnel-shaped waterspout stretched from a large dark cloud into the water below before dissipating after several minutes.

Waterspouts 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.