This is the heart-stopping moment a terrified group of wake-boarders were rained down upon by hail stones the size of golf balls, leaving them scrambling for cover.
One man shouts out, ‘We’re under fire!’, as thousands of hail stones splash into the surrounding waters on Lake Tahoe, California.
The sheer force of the hail stones was breathtaking, one onlooker said, as they bounced off the boat and left dents in wakeboards.
One man shouts out, ‘We’re under fire!’, as thousands of hail stones splash into the surrounding waters on Lake Tahoe, California
The moment was captured by Trevor Donovan Ricioli, 31, on August 20.
Having headed out onto the waters to wake surf, Mr Donovan Ricioli said, the group were soon met with dark clouds.
The hail stones started splashing in the waters before they even had a chance to pull anchor.
Instead, the group hid and used whatever they had for cover – including seat cushions.
Speaker covers were smashed, boards dented, and the hail ripped through the material on the seats.
Mr Donovan Ricioli, who lives in South Lake Tahoe, said: ‘I was excited and a little scared at the same time.
The moment the hail rained down onto the lake was captured by Trevor Donovan Ricioli, 31, on August 20
‘It was an amazing display of power from Mother Nature, but, at the same time, we had little shelter and were stuck out in the water.
‘There was no way we could have swam, as we would have been knocked out by the hail. The hail was so crazy it was ripping the pine trees apart.
‘We could even smell the pine trees as the branches were being destroyed. A crazy day on the boat, but glad I got to experience it.’
Speaker covers were smashed, boards dented, and the hail ripped through the material on the seats