Just as Troy Huston was about to finish surfing for the day at Henderson Bay in the Far North, half-a-dozen bottlenose dolphins appeared and caught a wave with him.
The friendly dolphins frolicked in the shallows with Mr Huston and his fiancee Stacey Smith, giving him the perfect opportunity to snap the winning picture in the Herald's summer photo contest.
About 40 other beachgoers joined the couple and the pod which had grown to around 30 dolphins.
"It was Stacey's first time swimming with dolphins and we were just stoked to have the photo published, so to win is incredible. It really tops off the whole experience," said 36-year-old Mr Huston.
Close to 7000 entries were received by the Herald's photographic desk after the competition began on Boxing Day.