Dolphins ride the waves off the coast of South Africa. (Greg Huglin/greghuglin.com).

Monster 25-foot waves can scare even the most experienced surfers, but the dolphins in these stunning images by Greg Huglin, taken off the coast of South Africa, glide and leap through the waves with the greatest of ease, as if performing a graceful dance.

California-based photographer and filmmaker Huglin, who has also released the 20-minute film "Surfing Dolphins," has long been fascinated by dolphins in the wild. "I grew up and still live with my wife and kids at Miramar Beach in Santa Barbara," Huglinsaid in an interview with DEEP Surf Magazine. "I see dolphins every day and everyone I know has a dolphin surfing story. Seeing something amazing and actually capturing it on film are a long ways apart. I'd had many experiences of riding waves while dolphins were in the area but never while I was on the wave with them."

Huglinsaid he was also tired of seeing images of captive dolphins in tanks or in the aquarium-clear waters of the Bahamas. "It all looked posed and somehow less than real," hetold DEEP Surf Magazine. "I wanted to get in there with the wild ones and see how close I could get. I wanted to film them riding waves from underwater and eventually I did get those shots. I wanted the viewer to forget about being a spectator and just be one of the dolphins."

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For six years, beginning in 2003, Huglin traveled to South Africa to photograph schools of dolphins up to 300 or 400. He procured a special permit and hired power catamarans to take him to where the pods of dolphins are located. To get the best shots, he would also swim nearby or underneath them, fly in helicopters to hover over them or photograph them from the shore.

Even with all the preparation undertaken to capture the perfect shots, however, Huglin was not always successful.More than a few times, he ran into bad weather, had equipment failures and chartered boats and returned empty-handed, he told the Santa Barbara News-Press. According toHuglin, dolphins -- like human surfers -- would also miss a wave. The photographer has also boated out to a pod, only to find the dolphins "sleeping."

Huglin'sphotos capture these creatures in the wild, seemingly enjoying leaping through the waves. According to Huglin, who's talked to dolphin researchers for his film, it is possible that the dolphins take to the surf for pure enjoyment.

"I believe they do it for fun but it may also have something to do with mating and chasing potential partners," Huglin told the Daily Mail. "'It might also be something to do with hiding from predators -- the wave sounds help mask their location.'"

Huglin has made a number of ocean-focused films, including "Fantasea," a surfing film and "Shark Alley," about great whites off the coast of South Africa.

For more information on Greg Huglin's photography, visit his website. The film "Surfing Dolphins" is also available on Amazon Instant Video.

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A surfer dives under a wave in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. (Sarah Lee)