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Waterspout gives hotel guests a jolt

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A waterspout at Grotto Bay sent beach furniture flying this morning

Guests at Grotto Bay Beach Resort got a stormy surprise this morning as a waterspout made landfall.

The vortex formed just off the dock in the bay and dissipated as it hit land — but not before sending furniture flying.

The hotel’s duty manager added: “The good thing is that no one was hurt.

“We were able to retrieve all the furniture and the sun is shining again at Grotto Bay.”

The duty manager said the waterspout hit the hotel property as a squall passed through the area around 11am.

She said: “We could see it coming. We tried to get the guests off the beach and away from the windows.”

The manager added that some guests were worried but most just wanted to see the waterspout and film it.

Footage of the waterspout shows the beach at the hotel being lashed by wind and rain.

An umbrella can be seen taking to the skies, followed by a deck chair lifting off as guests scream.

Michael Stevens, owner and operator of Blue Hole Watersports, helped alert guests on the water.

He said: “It formed just off the dock here and came ashore. It happened really quickly. We tried to get everyone off the water.”

Mr Stevens said it was over and done in “maybe a minute” but added that it came right ashore before it dissipated.

Mr Stevens added that he had seen waterspouts in the bay before but had not had one come ashore.

Andrea Pedrini, forecaster at the Bermuda Weather Service, said: “From our location in St David’s we were able to record a waterspout near the Grotto Bay area at 11.27am local time.

“We subsequently received a few feeds about another possible funnel cloud/waterspout that we cannot confirm at this stage.”

According to the BWS website, a waterspout is a tornado over a body of water. They most frequently form in the subtropics during the warm season.