An amateur photographer caught a “spectacular” waterspout on camera when it appeared off North Shore yesterday.

Adrian Cunningham rushed to grab his zoom lens after he was alerted to the phenomenon by his wife, Victoria, at their home in Smith’s.

The 40-year-old software developer said: “It’s not often you get to see some weird weather like that, so it’s a very rare opportunity when you get the chance to take a picture.”

He added: “I’ve seen a few this year, but that was the most spectacular.”

Andrew Bufalino, a Bermuda Weather Service meteorologist, said: “What occurred was an isolated thunderstorm that tapped into perfect conditions to produce a waterspout.”

He explained: “What commonly causes this localised phenomenon is when two primary wind regimes move towards each other. If these wind regimes continue to strike one another and begin to interact, they can produce a localised circulation of air over the water, sometimes compared to a merry-go-round or carousel.

“If these circulations get caught up in an updraft that is linked to nearby building clouds, showers or thunderstorms then they can help promote a concentration of rising air that circulates, thus a waterspout.”

Mr Bufalino added: “Today’s waterspout was a perfect example of how benign and inactive weather conditions can quickly change.”

He said the opposing wind systems stemmed from the wind flow typically found in everyday weather — which was forecast, and another wind regime that developed from a nearby shower.

Mr Bufalino added: “These small-scale events are almost impossible to predict, particularly in Bermuda.”