Terrifying moment tourist is swept away out to sea by huge wave while posing for photo

Rescue efforts in Indonesia are still attempting to find a man who was swept away by a large wave while posing for pictures on a beach.

Footage of the disturbing incident showed 21-year-old Rony Josua Simanjuntak standing on seaside rocks at Kedung Tumpang Beach in East Java, Indonesia on 13 October.

As the waves churned nearby, he and other friends were posing for pictures with their arms outstretched when a particularly large wave swept over where he was standing and washed him out to sea.

His body is yet to be found.

21-year-old Rony Josua Simanjuntak was standing by the sea (Asia Pacific Press via Viral Press)

There was little his friends could do to save Rony from being swept away as the water dragged him off the jagged rocks he was standing on.

Police said he'd gone to the beach with 15 other students and that the dangerous waves had made searching for Rony difficult.

A statement from Pucanglaban Police said that yesterday (15 October) was the third day of searching Kedung Tumpang beach and that three teams were working together to look for him.

They said that teams had concluded day three of the search at 5pm local time and would resume their efforts again the following day.

Search efforts for the missing Rony Josua Simanjuntak are planned to continue today.

A large wave swept over him and his body is yet to be discovered. (Asia Pacific Press via Viral Press)

Many people have fallen foul of dangerous waves and being taken by surprise while standing close to the shore.

Earlier this year, a woman in Sochi, Russia, was walking on a beach with her boyfriend while waves crashed into the shore.

She was then swept away with her boyfriend unable to help her, as footage showed him running up and down the shoreline in a desperate attempt to find her.

Search efforts were launched but ultimately proved to be unsuccessful when it came to tracking her down.

Search efforts continue into their fourth day (Asia Pacific Press via ViralPress)

Others who have been caught out by the sea include a model who was holding a photoshoot beside the Pacific Ocean.

All seemed to be going well before she was struck by an unexpected wave which swept her away into the sea.

She fortunately survived as the wave pushed her into a seaside cave rather than dashing her against the rocks, with her then able to stay put before a helicopter was sent out to save her.

In the end, she survived with only minor scratches and acknowledged that she'd been lucky to make it out with very few injuries, adding that 'a great lesson was learned that day'.