The J-Bay Open surf event in South Africa has been halted after Australian world number four Mick Fanning clashed with a shark. The clip of Mick Fanning being attacked is embedded below.
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Remarkably, the three-time world champion escaped practically unscathed – only his leash and his board showing any signs of damage.
“I was just sitting there and I felt something just get stuck in my leg rope, and I was kicking trying to get it away”, Fanning said of the encounter with a slight laugh while in the safety boat immediately after the attack. In the live footage a massive dorsal fin appeared behind him as he sat on his board in the lineup, before Mick realised and dived from his board and started kicking and lashing out to try and scare the sharks away. “I was waiting for the teeth”. While it’s not that clear in the video, reports suggest that he punched the massive shark on its back. Competition has been suspended for the day though since there’s a freaking shark lurking in the waters underneath the surfers competing.
Being a professional surfer certainly has its perks.
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“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a surfer come that close to being, literally, attacked in the water”, Potter said.
