Don't keep me hanging - PHOTO

Professional surfer Bobby Okvist looks like he’s talking on the phone after being flung upwards by a wave in California.He was sent sky high because he did not have the speed to make it over the lip of the wave.The dramatic sequence was captured at Newport Beach by photographer John Falatea Salanoa, who lives at nearby Huntington Beach.The 47-year-old said: ‘The wave itself was one of the bigger waves of the day, hitting around 30 ft.‘Bobby got into the wave early and had an easy roll in.‘But as the wave hit the shoreline he had lost most of his speed and needed to get out fast or he would have been pounded into the sand.‘I saw Bobby change his line and head straight for the lip, he had to jump just before he reached the top because of his lack of speed.‘As he made the jump the face of the wave smacked his lower body which sent him much higher then he or anyone would have thought.’Thousands of spectactors flocked to Newport Beach to witness the giant waves - which only break in this way once every few years.Mr Salanoa had to shoot in rapid fire to capture the sequence like it was a video.He added: ‘The wave was around 30 ft tall, and Bobby was about 15 ft above that - so he would have been 45 ft above the sea level.‘Bobby said he had no control over his body and was just enjoying the ride.’(dailymail.co.uk)ANN.Az