Fans turn on semi-retired world champion… 

One of the most enduring effects of surfing is the way it grows our contempt for humanity. Far from being free-thinkers and guardians of the universe, the 21st century surfer must, in most instances, scrap and outwit and outmanoeuvre to get even a handful of waves to fight off feelings of irritability and frustration.

You really don’t need me to point out that Snapper through Greenmount is the worst joint on earth for it. There ain’t a way around it. To get waves you’ve gotta ignore every rule you were ever taught about surfing etiquette, about politeness, about empathy. I had a pal who flew up for the Winston swell. In two-and-a-half days he caught six waves. One wave, he said, was “alright.”

A little bonus, I always thought when I lived there, was how much pleasure it gave when a pro surfer dropped in on me. I could see what I thought was improbable, implausible. How important it was to turn sharper, harder, more in the pocket. Those closeout sections could actually be made if y’just ride a little higher, pump a little harder. A free lesson. Who could buy such an intimate angle on world-class surfing?

So why would you bum out when Mick Fanning, maybe the best-ever at Snapper, does a little wave share?

The UK’s Daily Mirror, a two-million-papers-a-day tabloid made for the lower-end of the IQ spectrum, blew air onto the social media embers today after Mick stuffed another local in the barrel.

The headline reads: ‘Did you get any waves where you didn’t burn someone? Greedy pig’: Furious locals accuse pro surfer Mick Fanning of stealing their waves at famous break Snapper Rocks

Let’s examine.

“Locals from Tweed Heads took to social media to call out the surfing pro: They say the three-time world champ is ‘greedy’ and ‘disrespectful: Many took issue with Fanning for tucking into a 24-second barrel this year: To do so he forced a younger surfer who was on the wave first to wipe out.

“Many took particular issue with an instance in January when the 34-year-old clearly pulled in on a younger surfer before tucking into an impressive 24-second barrel.

‘Did u (sic) get any waves where you didn’t burn someone? Greedy pig,‘ one of his critics wrote.

‘Hilarious, everyone’s got so much respect and admiration for Mick, yet he’s out there burning and disrespecting locals on a regular basis,’ another added.

‘I get that he’s a local and they should get there (sic) fill, but for someone that surfs the best waves on the planet all year round, it’s a bit greedy.’

“Tweed Heads, where Fanning grew up with fellow pro surfer Joel Parkinson, is a relaxed coastal city sitting on NSW’s north-eastern tip and a short drive from the Gold Coast.

‘Fanning has had the opportunity to catch so many amazing waves in the past year yet has no problem dropping in on what could be the ride of this guys life,’ one man wrote.

‘I think surfer mags and sites should boycott any clips where pros snake the average Joe to get the shot.’

‘I guess when you’re professional surfer Mick Fanning you can drop in on someone, snake their wave, and get the World Surf League to post a video and talk about how ‘well’ you’re doing in the off season. Unreal,’ said another.

“Others were less eloquent with voicing their disapproval.

‘I don’t like Mick Fanning because he’s a dirty rotten drop in snake,‘ one man penned.

‘Fanning is a dog drops in on so many people,’ wrote another.

‘What a deadset kn**, no respect for surf law, can’t wait to see the end of him,’ one man concluded.

What do you think about such a thing? Can you wait to see the end of Mick Fanning? Do you think surfer mags and sites should boycott any clips of pro’s dropping in?

Or,

Are you, like me, thrilled to ride in Fanning or Slater or whomever’s exhaust?

Read the story and see the video here.