Skullduggery!
Just over a decade ago, the professional surfing world experienced its most shocking moment. The year, 2015. The scene, South Africa’s J-Bay. The actors, Julian Wilson and Mick Fanning. As the two bobbed in the final frame of the event, a big ol’ great white shark snuck up behind the latter and gave him a tussle while cameras rolled.
It was, of course, impossible to see what was happening, as water and Joe Turpel’s voice were in the way, thus surf fans were left wondering. Some thought the shark was really wanting to eat the three-time world champ. Others thought the shark meant no real harm but was simply Fanning-curious.
Now, finally, the man himself has cleared it all up in his new memoir All Heart, which is set to be released in the spring of ’27. According to an excerpt obtained by The Guardian, Fanning was “locked in” in the heat when he hears a big splash behind him and a jolt of fear grips.
Instinct kicks in and I haul myself up on to my board to shield my body. There’s a violent lurch directly beneath me. Suddenly, I’m yanked off by a wild tug on my leg rope. I quickly scramble to get back on my board and that’s when I see it. The unmistakable fin of a shark.
There’s a split second of full-body panic. Then: THWACK! The shark’s tail whips out and wallops my left cheek. My head jerks back as a white flash of pain explodes in my skull. Then I’m being dragged down into the churning water, the force almost tearing my leg from its socket. Consumed with terror, I’m suddenly released and break through to the surface, gasping for breath. Has the shark got tangled in my leg rope and bitten through it?
Suddenly, the shark jackknifes around. It’s like a torpedo hurtling straight towards me. That’s when I begin to scream.
Skull pain and a nearly dislocated leg? Certainly worse than I thought, as I was in the shark-was-merely-Fanning-curious camp.
In any case, very excited for All Heart (pre-order here).
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/conversations/mick-fanning-world-surfing-champion-shark-punching-grief-family/107227724
Fucking hell gang any of yous seen what Als ex has said about him and all this? I can’t post it cuz I’m not on Gayagram but go over to the SN article and head to the bottom of the comments for the link. What a cunt
Heavy shit and some people on here might be eating their words.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DeZ2B19CPIi/?img_index=1
Or at least retracting them…
Bottom line is that opining either way on this is a bad fucking idea at the moment.
Like I said, never seemed like that.
My only opinion here is this shit is going to get ugly.
Sad to see.
You got insta?
Any chance of posting all of it?
Link only gets you so far.
Not sure it works on here but try this
Last page
One thing for sure, that second to last sentence is 100 percent true.
It is a culture that has been there since the beginning.
You can take boy out of mexico…
You ever going to be normal or are you just 100% role play now?
Wow
It was an Ashkenazi shark. Mick hit the Jew shark, sreaming at the top of his longues: “Jew! Jew! Jew!”
I’m not very good at multi tasking and was just hoping to get an Al Felon Jnr update before I head off to work?
I bet he did a wetsuit warmer prior to the attack. Chuck Norris ain’t got shit in Fanning!
That shark made him a lot of money.
White(shark) Lightning 🌩
“water and Joe Turpel’s voice were in the way” 😂
Mick knew what to do because he got lessons from a shark defense expert…
the verdict is still out?
blame it on Rio. or mo’ betta, blame it on Jaws and Peter Benchley. Said: “We’re gonna need a bigger shark!”
re: sexual misconduct. “Are we men or are we Devo?”
shark response: “I have a seriously keen sense of smell. I backed off ’cause Mick didn’t have enough estrogen.”
The GW frat boyz club agrees. Fem sharks will argue that!
Friday evening I was surfing at dusk, in fall, in a notorious white shark zone. Without warning, a big seal nudged my leg, then slowly circled me, and swam off. I resisted the urge to scream, the surfers near me had no idea of the trauma I’d just experienced.
I was surfing a well known surf spot in Big Sur about 26 years ago. First session on a brand new board. Mid way through the session I jump off my board as the wave closes out and feel my leash pull then pop. I come up and start paddling as hard as I can as I watch in agony as my board tumbles over boulder after boulder. I finally make it to the beach to find my new board not so new anymore. As I walk up to our truck there was a guy sitting on a boulder widdling wood. He goes on to tell me that an elephant seal the size of volkswagon bus was following right behind me all the way in. Took a little of the sting out about the busted board.
Would that be a mostly right-hander with a bunch of itchy scratchies hanging beneath the bridge?