This is the terrifying moment a waterspout was seen forming off the coast near fishing boats in the Philippines.

The whirlwing was spotted swirling about 10 metres away from the boats during cloudy weather in Palawan province on June 14.

Resident Jonel Sese Arizobal said they were scared because the last waterspout that landed in their area wrecked their boats by the beach.

He said: ‘We were all afraid because when it happened last time, most of our boats were wrecked and nothing was left but planks.’

The waterspout dissipated after almost 15 minutes and did not leave any damage.

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.

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.