This is the nerve-wracking moment tourists struggled to disembark from a boat being rocked by the choppy sea.

Delight Garrovillo and her friends found it difficult to step off the watercraft amid rough conditions at Itbayat Island, Batanes, in the Philippines.

Dramatic footage shows crew members carefully assisting passengers, waiting for the right moment to gently pull them from the vessel on August 8.

The tourists and crew can be seen steadying themselves as the boat sways, with waves crashing against the massive rocks in the background.

Delight said: 'Forget the red carpets. Itbayat's welcome mat is a cliffside port where the runway is the restless Pacific. It welcomes you with a leap of faith. A 100 per cent proof that you've arrived somewhere that doesn't do ordinary.'

Strong currents between the small islands are caused by the powerful exchange of water between the Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea.