Waves can be at once mesmerizingly beautiful – and terrifying – as these incredible pictures show.
They capture waves rolling in beautiful sunlight to form near-perfect tubes.
And engulfing lighthouses in a show of mindblowing force.
Some daredevil surfers test their derring-do against giant waves, with some of the images here capturing their efforts as they’re dwarfed by towering walls of water.
One brave soul – Australian stunt rider Robbie ‘Maddo’ Maddison – even surfs ginormous waves on a dirt bike.
Here MailOnline Travel presents a gallery of the most impressive wave scenes you’re ever likely to see from Hawaii to the African coast.
A surfer faces his worst fear as a giant waves speeds towards him off the coast of Nazaré, Portugal
Australian stunt rider Robbie ‘Maddo’ Maddison, 34, surfed the giant waves of Tahiti – on a dirt bike
A daredevil surfer braves a giant wave in Portugal’s Praia do Norte – a beach famed for its record-breaking waves
The wind blows strongly creating a mist over the top of this back-lit wave on West Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, in a stunning photograph by surfer Clark Little
Andrew Cotton, a 36-year-old plumber from Devon, is pictured here surfing in Ireland for a film by Red Bull called Beneath the Surface, in which he scoured the country for giant swells
A lighthouse in Ouessant, France, is engulfed by a massive wave during an 85mph storm. Photographer Mathieu Rivrin said the waves were so powerful he could feel the sea spray from inside the helicopter
Monstrous waves batter the harbour wall at Seaham in County Durham and dwarfed the black-and-white lighthouse
Darrick Doerner, known by the nickname Double D, is seen in this image tow surfing a very big wave in Hawaii
South African photographer Marck Botha showcases the power and colour of waves through photography
This image was taken off the coast of Durban, the most populous city in the Natal Province, famed for its outstanding breaks and stunning seascapes
The combination of the surf’s beauty, being immersed in nature and the raw power of the ocean keep bringing Botha back
Australian pro surfer Mick Fanning seen riding a wave off the coast of Mentawai in Indonesia
A wave smashes into a wall at the entrance of the Douro River harbour in Porto in January 2013 during a storm that saw winds peak at 90mph
A huge waves smashes into a wall in Donostia in San Sebastian, Spain, sending spray high up into the air
A woman uses her smartphone as a wave crashes in Marseille, southern France
The Royal New Zealand Navy’s offshore patrol vessel HMNZS Wellington sailed to Antarctica to undertake sea trials. It charged through some of the world’s roughest waters
Passers-by watch high waves hitting the waterfront in Marseille, France. The sea front proved particularly rough this November
A surfer rides a giant wave that rises up like a huge hand behind him in this glorious photograph
Many surfers try to conquer giant waves but sometimes nature gets the better of them, with the walls of water being unpredictable in size, shape and form