Waterspout hits Brazilian beach

Brazilian beachgoers were sent scrambling for safety as a waterspout struck a large beach, tossing umbrellas around like cocktail parasols.

The phenomenon occurred at Guararapes, Grande Recife yesterday afternoon at around 1pm after the sky became dark and the wind begun to blow wildly, Globo reports.

Talitha Sampaio who filmed the chaos at the beach said it started with a "small tornado at sea" that quickly approached the shore.

"I was in Jaboatão, looking towards Recife, and there was a dark cloud," she said.

"Suddenly, the clouds cleared and came here. .. and looked like a whirlwind into the sea from the sky."

The strong winds easily uprooted umbrellas, scattering them all over the shore as frantic bathers ran to avoid being hit.

Meteorologist Edvania Santos, of the Pernambuco Water and Climate Agency, said the chaotic scenes were caused by a waterspout.

"We have two systems working in this moment here in the state," Ms Santos said.

"The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ZCIP), which comes from the ocean bringing moisture, and the Vortex Cyclonic of Advanced Levels, which was already in the state."

"The two bring more humidity and dense clouds. This may have contributed to the occurrence of the phenomenon, because they generate strong winds. From the videos I've seen, this is a waterspout."