11:24 PM PT-- Akon just set the record straight -- saying he fell on purpose to crowd surf and get extra close with his fans -- he also posted a video from an alternate angle to support his claim.

Akon fell for Canada ... and he really struggled to get up.

The singer was in the middle of a performance Sunday night at The Ranch Roadhouse in Edmonton when he decided to do a little crowd surfing.

No big deal ... it's what artists do -- but when Akon hopped up on the shoulders of a couple fans things started going downhill fast. We can laugh now, because he eventually resurfaced ... unscathed. We think.

And his reaction to getting swallowed up by the crowd was the best -- Akon just tried to catch another wave! If at first you don't succeed ... eh?

Still way safer than XXXTentacion's crowd interaction ...