Plane passengers were stunned as they flew near a waterspout tornado stretching from the clouds to the sea below.

Thongchai Montree was on his way to the island of Phuket with his family for a vacation when they encountered the weather phenomenon in Thailand on April 25.

Footage shows the dramatic view from the tourist's window seat with the twisting column of water reaching up into the sky while the aircraft passed by.

The thin, rope-like funnel was estimated to be at least 100ft (31m) high, snaking between the ocean and the horizon.

Thongchai said they saw the column as they approached Phuket Airport in the afternoon onboard an AirAsia Airbus A380.

He said: 'It happened around 12:39 pm. I was taking my family on a trip.

'As the captain was preparing to descend and land, I recorded the view of the sea and the islands along the flight path.

'After a short while, the clouds began to turn black and rain fell. A tornado swept by, and we were shocked. It was the first time I had seen a waterspout that close.'

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.