© The Independent, UKSonic boom rocks Australian holidaymaker's boat as he films the spectacle.
Philip McNamara was on a boat off the coast of Papua New Guinea filming Mount Tavurvu in the distance when the volcano exploded, sending up a plume of ash and smoke.
The brave Australian tourist, a taxi driver from Townsville, Queensland, held steady to capture footage of one of nature's most powerful and devastating spectacles.
The explosion happened on August 29, but the minute-long video was only shared on YouTube for the first time on Friday and has since been viewed more than 200,000 times.
In the footage, Philip can be heard saying "watch out for the shock, it's coming" before a sonic boom sound wave clatters the boat, eliciting a "holy smoking Toledos" from the impressed onlooker.
Speaking to the Brisbane Times, the 58-year-old said filming the volcano was a "spur of the moment thing" after he saw it erupting from a nearby beach where he was staying with friends.
"I thought I might as well try and capture something you rarely get to see," he said, adding the group "actually crapped themselves" when the sonic boom hit.
He added worldwide interest in the video had come as "a bit of a surprise".
Comment: Earth keeps changing, are you curious as to why? Check out Earth Changes and the Human Cosmic Connection by Sott's own Pierre Lescaudron