These acroatic dolphins prove that you don’t need a surfboard to ride the waves.

The pod of 40 dolphins was caught in the wake of the breaking waves that rolled toward shore.

Despite facing waves of up to eight feet, some of the most aggressive marine animals were seen jumping six feet out of the sea.

Who needs a surfboard? This pod of 40 bottlenose dolphins was spotted riding 8-foot waves as they made their way up the eastern coast of South Africa.

Acroatic: Despite facing waves of up to eight feet, some of the most energetic marine animals have been seen jumping six feet out of the sea.

The dolphins were photographed by Mark van ColƖιer as they made their way north along the east coast of South Africa, near Port St Johns.

Marк floated next to the capsule and was amazed to see so many dolphins ‘snorting’ in unison.

There were no human surfers around to take note of the skillful dolphins as that part of the coast tends to be frequented only by a few local fishermen.

Wildlife photographer Mark, 36, from Cape Town, South Africa, said: “This was a very large pod for dolphins.

Like a living room: Photographer Mak van Collier said: “Most of the dolphins were fairly conservative with their leaps, but one or two occasionally reached for the sky.”

Septaculɑɾ: Bottlenose dolphins are known to jump up to 16 meters out of the water

Going high: Dolphins can reach speeds of up to 18 mph in the water and their pods are typically between 10 and 30 metres long.

“Most dolphins are quite careful with their leaps, but one or two occasionally reached into the sky and leaped six feet over the side of a surf break.

They seemed to be enjoying themselves, sleeping quietly in the waves that rolled into the many small bays along the coast.

‘I’ve seen dolphins do this many times in groups of one and two, but to come across such a large group that joined in the dive was truly amazing.

“I consider myself more of a water photographer, so I’m extremely pleased with these images.”

Although these dolphins did display some spectacular jumps, nosenose dolphins have been known to jump up to 16 feet out of the water.

The mammals are graceful swimmers and can reach speeds of up to 18 mph in the water; their herds typically range between 10 and 30 metres.