A group of men got the shock of their lives when a massive bolt of lightning hit nearby right at the moment they were filming their escape from a Malaysian beach during a tropical storm.

The three men carrying snorkelling equipment were walking off a beach in the southeast Asian country as heavy rain is punctuated by a spectacular lightning strike illuminating the sky behind them.

Just as the drenched man films a video selfie style, the lightning appears to explode over his left shoulder.

A massive bolt of lightning strikes behind a man videoing himself on a beach in Malaysia

In a split second the clearly visible bolt appears like a crack in the sky before overexposing the footage as if Mother Nature was taking part in an incredible photobomb.

Such scenes aren't uncommon in Malaysian, where tropical storms are part of daily life, but it was too close for comfort for these gentlemen who step up their speed immediately.

The men in video can't be accused of being too worried though as the crashing noise of the lightning is followed by their laughter as they run away. Still filming, of course.

Some storm watchers place Malaysia among the nations with the highest instances of lightning strike in the world.

The lightning illuminates the sky after striking just as this man decides to take a selfie-style video

The footage is overexposed as a look of horror comes across the cameraman's face

American lightning expert Richard Kithil Jr told Malaysian English-language paper The Star: 'Your country records double the number of thunderstorms than Florida, which gets an average of about 90 thunderstorms daily.

'Lightning is considered the worst natural killer, causing at least 25,000 deaths worldwide each year,' said Kithil Jr, chairman of the US' National Lightning Safety Institute (NSLI) in 2010. 'It's not a laughing matter.

The man filming hits the ground briefly as his video is scrambled while he and his mates flee the beach