Fanning was attacked by what was believed to be a Great White Shark on Sunday at the J-Bay Surfing Competition in South Africa – and while the surfer was dragged underwater by his board rope, he was otherwise unharmed physically.
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Bethany Hamilton is a surfer, wife, mom, and now, a concerned (but grateful) friend.
Australian surfer Mick Fanning has posted an emotional message thanking his rival mate Julian Wilson for his bravery and declaring he will return to the beach where he fought off a terrifying shark attack in South Africa.
I WOULD like a dollar for every time the awesome footage of Mick Fanning fighting off a shark will get aired again.
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“Did you get a few punches in?” a commentator asked. As a surfer I was gripped by the whole story and watched the aftermath as Fanning and his opponent Julian Wilson were hauled to safety in the patrol boat. I was waiting for teeth. “It just kept coming at my board…I punched it in the back”, Fanning said.
“I got an email from a friend tonight who said he clearly saw a shark figure in a wave during the quarter-finals from a drone shot”, Mr Slater said on Instagram.
“There was nothing raised with me”, he said.
Like many I have watched every shark documentary that has been shown on television, but I have never seen anything like this.
“I saw it taking my board away and I just started cracking it”. I’m halfway between crying and laughing because he [Fanning] got so lucky. “I thought we’d lost him …” She said, “I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing, really …”
The 43-year-old said she didn’t expect World Surfing League organisers to cop any heat over the incident because everybody knows Jeffreys Bay is a “sharky environment”. And I’ll take Mick Fanning over any American in his sport.
The contest at Jeffreys Bay was abandoned following the attack, with both Fanning and Wilson to receive second place points and share the prizemoney.
“Mick’s composure and quick acting in the face of a terrifying situation was nothing short of heroic and the rapid response of our Water Safety personnel was commendable – they are truly world class at what they do”.
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The next stop on tour is the Billabong Pro Tahiti starting August 14th.
