An imposing waterspout tornado was seen tearing along the coast of Indonesia on Friday afternoon.

The scary natural weather phenomenon panicked locals when it happened on Slopeng Beach in Sumenep Regency, East Java Province on December 16.

'Oh my god, oh my God. Pray it doesn't move ashore,' says an onlooker in the video.

Resident Salim, 28, said the tornado occurred around 02.00 pm.

He added: 'Everyone here was panicking. Tornadoes appear when residents are doing their normal activities.'

There were no reports of casualties or damage from the waterspout tornado. The whirlwind lasted for several minutes and moved away from the settlement.

Head of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency in Sumenep, Usman Holid, confirmed the whirlwind in the video was a waterspout tornado.

He said: 'This is a common phenomenon and is caused by convective clouds of the Cumulonimbus type. But people still have to be vigilant and stay away from this phenomenon, especially fishermen.'

Waterspout tornadoes form when wind merges from opposite directions near the water's surface, creating a small area of spin. Warm air at the surface causes the spinning air to rotate faster and it starts to rise – picking up water at the same time and forming the distinctive elephant-funnel shape.

As warm air rises, the cooler air moves in below and then rises, too. Sometimes the air spins so fast that it stretches and a funnel appears from the water to the thunderstorm cloud above.

Waterspouts are generally not dangerous but they can be a risk for aircraft flying through the area and for coral reefs and marine life in the water immediately below. Sailors should also try to avoid waterspouts as the power of the wind can cause damage.

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