Aussie world champion boarder Mick Fanning nearly found out to his cost as he was attacked by a shark live on TV during the J-Bay Open on the country’s Eastern Cape.
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Australian surfer Mick Fanning has been in many competitions all throughout his career, and has been privileged to have won three surfing world championships.
As he was knocked off his board and desperately punched the shark to keep it at bay, Wilson paddled towards him in courageous actions that prompted his home state Queensland to nominate him for a bravery award.
Play video “Surfer: Shark “Dragged Me Down”. “We nearly just watched our friend get eaten by a shark and I’m just blown away that there’s no damage at all”, he said.
“At that stage I was just screaming and telling Jules to ‘get in, ‘” Fanning told a press conference in Sydney, Australia.
A professional surfer was attacked by a shark on national television last Sunday and, thankfully, lived to tell the tale.
Fanning admitted Tuesday he was now dealing with “an emotional mental sort of trauma” that would probably take weeks, if not months, to get over.
“I had this thought, ‘What if it comes around for another go at me?'” he added.
The three-time world champion shouted to his fellow finalist Julian Wilson to get to safety, but instead his friend and rival swam toward him.
The World Surf League, which organised the J-Bay Open, said the surfing world was still in shock and while the rescue teams did a great job, the situation could have been much worse. “Like, the thing was so powerful and was, yeah, just moved so fast and I was just trying to manoeuvre my way around it”.
Fanning was picked up by basic safety boats and was unharmed. “I just just can not think it”, Fanning claimed.
Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson and Red Bull and Rip Curl. That is how I felt when the shark attacked me.
“I don’t know if I would have made it back to shore if the boats or Jules didn’t come, I think we maybe scared it a little bit”. “A big ol’ fish popped up…it was a lot bigger than him and I froze, I honestly froze”, Wilson said. “I bet Mick Fanning is one hell of a relieved surfer”.
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It was from one feeding frenzy to another for Fanning as he landed in Sydney, mobbed by the media and supporters after returning home from his close encounter.
