Clad in a yellow vest, little Efruz balances himself on the front of the surfboard as waves foam around him and his companion as they skim over the Pacific waters off Peru.

Efruz is a four-year-old Jack Russell terrier and he is a common sight these hot days of the southern hemisphere summer.

“He loves the sea,” says his owner, Mauro Canella, a surfing instructor at the beach in San Bartolo, 30 miles from central Lima.

Mr Canella says they began surfing together about a year ago.

They are not the only dog-human duo surfing the waves off San Bartolo – a dozen or more can be seen at weekends.

Although Efruz gets cold as the hours go by, he appears to enjoy his new sport, planting himself at the front of the board while Mr Canella crosses the waves standing, kneeling or lying flat.

As happens to all surfers, dog and owner occasionally are tumbled into the water when they fail to negotiate a wave.