Waterspout filmed off Broome coast

Local weather enthusiast Richard Young got more than he bargained for when he captured a spectacular waterspout off the Broome coast while monitoring a storm yesterday morning.

The Broome Adventure Company tour operator said he was woken by thunder early in the morning and decided to grab his digital camera and head down to Gantheaume Point to take a look.

“It was a pretty lightning active storm so I was just hoping to get that really nice lightning shot with the morning sunrise coming up on it,” he said.

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“I was just watching it when suddenly there was a bit of a severe squall line happening on the water. I had a closer look and I’m like ‘wow, that’s a water spout.’”

He readjusted his camera to the video setting and captured the waterspout activity for three minutes.

Mr Young said he believed the spout was about three kilometres off the coast.

“The funnel itself was possibly over 100 metres wide I reckon…it was quite a thick one.”

Mr Young, who has lived in Broome for 14 years, said it was exciting to film the phenomenon.

“As a weather enthusiast I’ve been out there trying to capture these moments,” he said.

“I spotted one previously off Cape Leveque about 10 years ago but this was a first one for Broome and it’s something that we always talk about…

“You hear stories of them being around and I think they are a more regular thing than what we actually imagine, that they do happen, it’s just that they’re not seen or not captured