Three-time world surfing champion Mick Fanning battles a shark on Sunday, July 19, during a surfing competition held in South Africa, according to reports.
The Australian-born surfer was one of the finalists in the J-Bay Open when a shark suddenly appeared nex to him as he waited for his first wave. This was caught live on television.
Reports say that while Fanning was about to take his first wave, he noticed that something was behind his back. When he saw a fin and noticed the animal in the last minute, Fanning immediately tried to paddle away but was dragged off his board.
The scenario became more shocking when a big wave covered Fanning as he was struggling to escape the shark. The commentators of the event were obviously shocked and one of them even whispered, "Holy Sh*t."
Nearby rescue boats arrived and Fanning was helped out by his fellow finalist, Julian Wilson.
"All of [a] sudden, I just had this instinct that something was behind me," Fanning said in his aftermath interview with the World Surf League. "And then all of a sudden, I felt like I started getting pulled under water. Then the [shark] came up, and I was on my board and it was like right there, and I saw the whole thing trashing around."
Fanning went on to say that when his leg rope broke, he started swimming and screaming away from the animal.
"I was getting dragged user my leg [rope], and then I felt like it kicked me off, but it was still there, and I was still attached to my board.", he said. "I felt like it was dragging me under water, and then my leg rope broke, and I started swimming and screaming."
Fanning also revealed that when he saw the fin and didn't see the teeth, he was waiting for the teeth to come at him as he was swimming and then he punched it in the back.
Despite his horrific experience, Fanning was still able to put a light spin on the situation, saying "I just can't believe it. I'm just tripping ... To walk away from that, I'm just so stoked."
