A vacationer from Australia has captured an awe-inspiring video of an explosive eruption from the massive Mount Tavurvur volcano in Papua New Guinea and the remarkable sonic wave that followed.

Tavurvur belched out a thick tower of ash thousands of feet into the skies above the island of New Britain early Aug. 29 while Australian taxi driver Phil McNamara, visiting the area with his wife, documented his front-row view of one of nature's greatest shows, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

When they heard the volcano was close to bursting, the Queensland couple made a quick decision to jump on a hotel boat and take a closer look.

"I thought I might as well try and capture something you rarely get to see," McNamara said in a story by the Brisbane Times.

From the video, it appears McNamara was taken off-guard by the powerful sound wave -- sonic boom, actually -- that hit his boat after the dramatic blast.

According to scientists with the United States Geological Survey, a quake of magnitude 5.1 was fregistered at the exact time of the eruption.

The shock wave can be seen in the video rippling across the land, water and even sky, distrupting the white clouds hanging over the island.

McNamara didn't mince words when he admitted how he and the other sightseers on the boat "absolutely crapped" themselves when the boom hit.

The McNamaras posted the video on Facebook and it has since received more than 30,000 shares from around the world.

The ash from the volcano, reported CNN, reached upwards of 60,000 feet above sea level, as nearby communities had to be evacuated.

As well, the Guardian reported international flights were re-routed around the blast area.

Tavurvur, one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in Papua New Guinea, destroyed the nearby township of Rabaul in a 1994 explosion.