Fanning managed to retreat to the safety of a boat and amazingly was unhurt after the shark attack
Pro surfer Mick Fanning got the scare of his life when he was
attacked by a shark during the Word Surf League’s JBay Open in South
Africa.
34-year-old Australia Fanning was seen wading out on his board at
Jeffreys Bay when a daunting fin appeared immediately behind him in the
water, and the Penrith-born surfer immediately knew he was in trouble.
As
the shark made a lunge for the triple-world champion, Fanning leapt off
his board and attempted to use it as a shield between himself and
predator in a bid to save his life.
Australian pro surfer Mick Fanning
Somehow, Fanning – nicknamed ‘White Lightning’- managed to fight off the
shark and get himself to safety in the form of a boat hat came rushing
to his aid, and he emerged from the ocean somehow unscathed. Even his
board appeared to be in one piece.
Watch the video below…
"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
afterwards.
"I just saw fins. I was waiting for the teeth."
Fanning
was competing in the final against fellow Australian Julian Wilson when
the attack happened. Organisers cancelled the event after two sharks
had bee spotted in the area due to the risk of another attack being "too
high".
