A rare waterspout was spotted in the offshore waters of Pakistan on 21st January 2019, as reported by a WWF-Pakistan trained fisherman.

According to The News International, Captain Saeed Zaman reported that he was fishing for tuna about 57 nautical miles from the coastline in offshore waters at Ghora Baro, Sindh coast when they captured this rare waterspout.

What is a Waterspout?

A waterspout is a column of cloud-filled wind vortexing over water bodies. It descends from a cumulus cloud and the water inside a waterspout is formed by condensation in the cloud.

They are pretty common in tropical and subtropical waters. A similar weather phenomenon was previously reported by fishermen on 28 February 2016 near Sakoni, Balochistan.

Video of Waterspout Reported in Pakistani Waters

The captain who recorded this massive waterspout said that it was coming towards his boat but he managed to move away from it. A large patch of cloud was observed the next morning and Saeed Zaman speculated that the waterspout could be descending from it.

Other fishermen operating in the same region also witnessed this rare natural phenomenon but avoided approaching it.

WWF-Pakistan has been training fishermen to record such rare events including the release of endangered marine animals and it appreciated the alertness of fisherman to capture this moment.

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Technical Advisor (Marine Fisheries) of WWF-Pakistan, Muhammad Moazzam Khan said that waterspouts are not generally associated with thunderstorms which usually dissipate in a short time. They have been recognized as serious marine hazards and can pose threat to small boats.

He recommended the local fishermen to keep a considerable distance from it. He added that waterspouts can last for up to one hour, though the average lifetime is just 5 to 10 minutes.

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