KEY BISCAYNE, FLA. (WSVN) - It was a frightening day on the water for a South Florida man and his family after a waterspout formed off Key Biscayne.
Boater Eddie Ortiz said the Sunday outing was interrupted when the weather took a turn for the worse.
When he saw the waterspout, he took out his cellphone and began recording the force of nature on video.
Ortiz then put his boat in gear and gunned it, speeding toward Stiltsville to find shelter from the storm.
“I kind of saw things get a little bit squirrelly out there, so I decided — you know, my 30 years of boating experience kind of kicked in,” said Ortiz, “and I said, ‘Might as well start heading towards one of the stilt houses.'”
Ortiz said the waterspout passed about half a mile away, but he and his two boys felt winds of up to 40 miles per hour. They were able to make it safely back on shore.
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