"The most brutal conclusion imaginable wrapped inside an ocean monster six metres long, weighing two tonnes, with an open mouth that is red, the colour of blood, and white, the colour of teeth."
It’s a quirk of fate that Mick Fanning, three-time world champion, will be remembered, forever, as the surfer who was almost cleaved in two, live, by a fifteen-foot White at Jeffreys Bay in 2015.
In a profile in today’s The Weekend Australian, the decorated journalist and author Trent Dalton works his lyrical alchemy, wrapping the attack around the death of two brothers, a divorce and a new documentary Fanning stars in called Save This Shark.
Five years on, Fanning tells his interlocutor that he still dreams about the hit.
The nightmare is mostly the same every time. He’s back in the water on his surfboard and he’s waiting for a wave and he knows it’s Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, where all the madness began in 2015 and if he knows where he is in the dream then he knows what’s coming. Death. A splash behind him because that’s how it happened in real life. He turns around on his board and what he sees is the end of the ride. The end of all good things. A finale to an impossibly full life of only 39 years. The most brutal conclusion imaginable wrapped inside an ocean monster six metres long, weighing two tonnes, with an open mouth that is red, the colour of blood, and white, the colour of teeth.
And then he wakes and he realises he’s still alive. Still in one piece. Same ol’ unassuming, uncomplaining, knockabout, sun-bleached Gold Coast surfing genius Mick Fanning, flat on his back and sucking deep breaths in the darkness of early morning, sweaty head full of dreaming, beating heart too full of muscle remembering.
The most brutal conclusion imaginable wrapped inside an ocean monster six metres long, weighing two tonnes, with an open mouth that is red, the colour of blood, and white, the colour of teeth.
“I mean, it’s like I’m in the actual position I was in,” Fanning says. “It’s a reality dream. You sort of learn your body can do so many things to make things real and not real and I just had to learn, ‘OK, that moment’s been done. It’s not real. These dreams are just coming back’.”
He shakes his head in the cool winter air of Coolangatta, shivers with his hands in the pockets of a black winter coat, seated at a cafe table beside the footpath of a bustling post-morning-surf dining precinct. “I still have this PTSD where, if people splash behind me, it freaks me out,” he says. He chuckles when he says this. It’s not the laugh of a man trying to put on a brave face. It’s the laugh of a man trying to make sense of the absurd; a man grappling with a trauma that he realises he avoided confronting for close to five years.
Most of The Weekend Australian’s stories are shackled by a paywall.
This ain’t.
I heard the Shark spat him out and was heard to exclaim and i quote said Shark ” that little cunt tasted like shit” end quote.
“He’ll hop on the sled and reset…”
Yeah nah.
If I’m not mistaken the photo is of tiger sharks not great whites.
Fake news?
https://www.instagram.com/r…
Does anyone think Ke11y is angry because of the attention Mick gets without trying as hard? Mick is everywhere, Stab’s new mate, now BG, some article in Aus, prolly many. Dude is a great watch too on video as he eases into well documented retirement from the dance.
Ke11y is working every angle to get attention. Rolling in the muck with the social zoo, noting too low to be involved in and always on his phone.
Second thought… cheers on Julian for paddling to Mick’s rescue though who knows what he could have done if the shark (S) really wanted a lunch. Balls out JW.
There’s also a Mick story on the Aus version of 60 Minutes tonight. Rip Curl’s new owners are stoked.
Fanno is one of the nations most recognisable sportspeople. Jules forever will be considered a fucken legend for his selfless act, should be celebrated equally. K11 is probably on the phone to Sal trying to work out how to “pivot” to a sympathetic surflebrity.
It was such , a god dam shame ….. That semi with Slater was Epic ….. the last 9 was surfed at light speed …. An all Australian Final
I don’t care who wins , I’m sitting on the floor with my German Nephews and my son , the rest of the german family is creating a song to sing at the parents in law 50th Wedding Anniversary …. I got a Becks , cold , green in my hand and that Selfish Shark , Jumps The Fence , Swims onto the playing Field and ruins my day ,…. The beer flies out my hand , The wave covers the action , I think he is dead or being eaten alive … JOE lost , Pottz not much help …. At least Giggs , the kneeboarder is screaming on the contest site mic to get Mick out of the water , Julian paddling over …. I am thinking it is going to get worse if we lose 2 Surfing greats from Oz in one heat .. I am trying to cover the eyes simultaneously of 3 kids under the age of 5 ….I ‘ll never be the same again …. . Bugger I think I might sue that shark
Ps it is very hard trying to find footage of the 2015 JBay Open Semi Final 2 featuring two of the greatest of all times ( 14 world titles between them ) but so easy to see the final that never was …. can someone find it for me to soothe my soul … please ?
I find it interesting how much Aussies root for Aussies…. I don’t why nationalism doesn’t work for me, I just like one surfer over another. Can’t remember a time I rooted for yankee’s or against em. Root in the American definition, dirty minds.
Hard to believe too that it was that long ago.
Julian was balls out and Mick got lucky, “devastating” punches nonwithstanding.
Joe and Potter were caught off guard and took them waaaaay too long to grasp the situation. Made me sure that they watch a monitor from the “studio” while reading their scripts. Craziest moment in pro surfing history and they missed it.
Imagine if Rosy was interviewing Keanu Asing and the camera men missed the whole thing?!
Hi Hippster .. I think the fact that we never ruled the world . We are not British or American and were not brought up being told we ran the world . Times were a changing and we were starting to question our role in the world , making our own decisions , telling our own stories , laughing at our own jokes , making our own films etc ….. and as Australian Surfers , we were outsiders , looked down on by the powers that be in our own country, so it’s possible , when from nowhere , we started to rule a sport , which was definitely not our own ,we were extremely proud and felt a part of something bigger than ourselves , almost a religious experience , and got behind our champs , and brands , in a way which is obviously some what strange to someone outside , ( though no stranger to ) the Australian Surfing Culture .
The shark keeps Kosher so that was a no go.
I‘ve heard the shark prefers Hal-Al Merricks ?
Inshalla!
Clearly that shark was Jewish was looking to settle a score.
Shud dup
Mazeltov!
Oooh A Loan Shark ?
Very anti Semitic…well done!
Was thinking of Old Shylock … The Merchant of Venice Beach ? Some would say they had the role of money lenders thrust upon them , when Christians were banned from lending money for profit …. ?
While I was living in the Medoc one of the local Rothschilds , walked into a mate’s surf shop and walked out with a second hand bodyboard …
Ah Mick. Your XPA has the aroma of embalming fluid. But I bet it’s put an extra floor on your house(s). Your IPA is pretty good. But your limited release beers are off the hook. Glad the shark missed ya mate
Beautiful cans.
Found a few in Dan’s clearance.
Meh.
Yeh I want dat drug talk. I’m a no one. Dat what Dey showed me.
16 can slabs. No real man hearing dat shit is buying dat shit. 16 can don no make 2 slab. So fuk off beets.
So many ups and downs, trials and tribulations – circumventing the Australian’s paywall.
Was sipping a pot
And some cunt from Ballarat
Glassed me, I still drink
Coz u a mans. Fuk dem Fatty AR-15s. Ya can’t let yer bro’s down. You a bro’s now. You’s a beemer boy. I love u beemer boy. Yeh yer in yer zone now. Ya can’t let yer bro’s down.
beautiful. I hope you are saving these and will be releasing a book.
Had a one arm abbo (sorry Maurice) come up to me in the street in Broken Hill and ask “Hey mate … can you shoot me up?”.
I figured he still had is ankles and thought having only one arm wasn’t that much of a handicap for a mugging … so I passed on the opportunity.
Billy …. he was armless
Mick’s shark was more like 10 foot or what’s commonly known as 5 foot Hawaiian, or 2 Jason Stathams…
Not everyone id a muscle man like u id mans. In a pro now. I’m never coming Down now. Yeh I’m in my zone now. I’m a pro now. They want that drug talk. They want that real shit.
[splash] [splash]
[legrope tug, tug, yank]
Hahahahar
Mick currently has a newborn and is milking it.
Looks well behind a paywall to me.
Try this: Google the article title “Mick Fanning faces his demons”, then click the link from Google… Worked for me.
Thanks. The article’s link sent me to a paywall as well. Then followed your advise and was able to read that article. Was really well written. A good, long read.