An elephant trunk tornado stretched from the clouds to the sea in the Gulf of Thailand.

Footage shows the curved twister whipping the water about three kilometres from a beach in Laem Talumphuk, Surat Thani province, on May 10.

Fishermen watched the weather phenomenon unfold from the shore. They said it lasted for five minutes before it dissipated.

Onlooker Subin Laemrungrueang said: 'I cautioned my neighbours and told them not to venture into the sea in the meantime.'

That day, the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) issued storm warnings for the East Coast of southern Thailand, including Surat Thani. The areas would experience hot weather during the day, and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Tidal waves could also reach more than 6.5ft high.

Two types of tornado form at sea - tornadic waterspouts and fair-weather waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts form from thunderstorms, just like land tornadoes, while fair-weather waterspouts are typically smaller and less powerful without the need for storms.

Both types of waterspout tornadoes are created when there is a strong difference in air pressure between the surface of the water and the air above it. This difference in pressure creates an updraft, which draws air from the surface of the water into the atmosphere. As the air rises, it cools and condenses, forming a cloud. The cloud can then rotate, forming a waterspout.

It is rare for waterspouts to cause severe damage. However, in August 2023 two tourists were killed and six injured when a waterspout tornado hit their boat on an estuary river in Phetchaburi, southern Thailand.