Simply miraculous. Waiting for a wave during a professional surfing competition in South Africa, Mick Fanning was assailed in all likelihood by…a great white shark.
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The footage was picked up during live TV coverage of an earlier heat- ironically involving Mick Fanning- hours before the 34-year-old punched a shark that bit through the leg rope of his surf board.
Kelly Slater, from the United States, the 11-time world surfing champion, also consoled Fanning after the incident in the final of the J-Bay Open, drawing him into an embrace.
Fortunately, Fanning was able to avoid any injury, as the shark only snapped Fanning’s leash. The tournament was called off soon afterwards. “I’m just tripping… To walk away from that, I’m just so stoked”.
“I knew there was only one possible reason that would ever happen in a contest, and that’s if someone got attacked by a shark”, Slater said.
It’s hard not to look at this and be amazed by the realization that the toughest, gutsiest athletes in the world are, of all people, surfers.
The New York Times reports on one of the more harrowing sports moments in recent memory, which concluded, thankfully, with Fanning safely leaving the area of a shark attack with his appendages intact. We’ve seen football teams that play in domes come to Gillette and be unable to function in light snow and moderate cold.
Like many I have watched every shark documentary that has been shown on television, but I have never seen anything like this.
“I went over to the television nearly as though I could pull him out…to save him”.
Mr Cameron said he would like to see measures introduced to reduce the chances of shark attacks locally. But along with sharks, other non-threatening animals are trapped in the nets, making them an environmental hazard. Meaning, what? Up until recently they had nothing?
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Skullcandy Oz Grom event director and Le-Ba Boardriders secretary Tony O’Brien said there had been nothing like it in pro surfing before. @mfanno’s instincts kicked into high gear and his scramble to face the shark and keep the board between them may have saved him. Right. As soon as we’re sure every predator in the ocean is good and dead, we can get back to the important business of awarding the coveted J-Bay Open trophy.
