Tourist Captures Rare Waterspout Creating a Giant Hole in the Sea Off Corfu

A tourist captured a spectacular weather phenomenon off the coast of the Greek island of Corfu, and the dramatic footage quickly spread across the internet. A powerful waterspout formed near the village of Kassiopi, creating the illusion that a giant hole had opened in the surface of the sea.

The video was recorded as storm clouds and strong winds swept across the northern part of the island. As the waterspout rotated above the water, it pushed the sea outward, producing a rare visual effect that lasted for about five minutes. Meteorologists confirmed that the footage is authentic, despite many social media users initially questioning whether it had been created with CGI or artificial intelligence.

The Ionian Sea is considered one of Greece's most favorable regions for waterspout formation due to the combination of warm sea temperatures and intrusions of colder air. Similar events occur there relatively often, and in 2018, as many as 32 waterspouts were recorded around Corfu in a single day.