DESTIN, Fla. — Early risers Tuesday morning along the Florida Panhandle caught an incredible view of a waterspout moving just off the Gulf of Mexico coastline.
It was a sight to behold right on the beach at Silver Shells Beach Resort & Spa, with the twister churning out on the horizon and lighting flashing nearby.
@boo_freeman on Instagram took some video of the waterspout just before 6 a.m. from the resort, located at 15000 Emerald Coast Parkway.
He tracked it moving east along the coast.
"Alright guys, good morning," he said in his Instagram video. "Look at that dude. That's a biggin." He told 10 Tampa Bay, "I prayed it did not hit my beach with all my equipment!"
The National Weather Service officially confirmed the waterspout in a storm report.
There are two types of waterspouts, according to NOAA. One is a fair-weather waterspout, which someone might see hanging off a cloud on an otherwise partly cloudy day. Another is a tornadic waterspout, which is similar to land tornadoes.
There are no reports this waterspout moved onto land, which then would be considered a tornado.