Talk about a near death experience! An Australian surfer, Mick Fanning, has made headlines today, July 19, after the surfer was attacked by not one, but two, Great White sharks during a competition in South Africa.
Mick Fanning was competing in Jeffreys Bay on the eastern Cape when two Great White sharks attacked Fanning during the final of the J-Bay Open. The craziest part of all of this is that there is actual video footage of the attack and it is scary.
In the video, you can see one of the sharks approach Mick Fanning while he is on his surfboard. The shark then knocks Fanning off the board and into the sea. At this point, Mick Fanning is underwater and you cannot see what is happening, but there is a deep sense of panic and the entire crowd is watching hoping for a positive outcome.
Mick Fanning, the defending champion, eventually emerged from the water unharmed after two boats came to rescue him. The tournament was called off after this shark attack, as the J-Bay Open did not want to risk an injury for any of the competitors.
Mick Fanning spoke with FOX Sports after the incident and said, “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. I just saw fins. I was waiting for the teeth.” Fanning goes on to tell FOX Sports that he was able to “get a punch into it’s back,” which startled the shark.
The event at Jeffreys Bay was being aired on live television and after the incident went down, footage cut to Fanning and fellow competitor Julian Wilson, of Australia as well, safe and sound on a rescue boat. The two surfers were brought to safety on jet-skis and the crowd clapped and cheered for Fanning and Wilson.
Jeffreys Bay is one of the most shark infested waters in the world, and back in 2013 and surfer was killed by a Great White shark not too far from where the competition was taking place.
Hopefully The World Surf League will decide to hold their competitions somewhere else in the future. We are happy to hear that both Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson are safe after such a terrifying experience.
Would you ever surf again if this happened to you? Let us know in the comments below.
