A monster waterspout has been spotted churning up the sea off the UK coast. The towering twister was seen spiralling towards the water's surface as dark storm clouds loomed overhead. The weather phenomenon was spotted by shocked Anna Blake.
She said it was the first time she'd seen a waterspout. She saw it near Hythe, Kent. "It was pretty cool," she said "I have never seen one before.
I'm a sailor too, so I spend some time on the water. It must have been pretty big. For it to be so clear, despite me being on shore, shows you how big it was.
" Waterspouts are similar to tornadoes over water . They are generally broken into two categories: fair-weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts are simply tornadoes that form over water or move from land to water.
They have the same characteristics as a land tornado and are relatively rare around the UK. Last week, witnesses reported seeing a terrifying tornado-like phenomenon hit the Bayesian superyacht at sea before it went down. The 56-metre luxury yacht, carrying 22 people, sank off the coast of Italy during a violent storm in the early hours of Monday morning.
Fifteen people were initially rescued and one person, chef Recaldo Thomas, tragically died. Six passengers remained missing until two bodies were pulled from the water today. Their identities have not yet been revealed.
Italian emergency services continue to look for those who have not been accounted for as the sunken vessel sits fully intact on its sid.