This story was run in our sister newspaper, the North Coast Courier  It featured a video of Australian surfer and three-time world champion Mick Fanning fighting off an attack by a shark on live television during the final of the JBay Open surfing competition in Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape, on Sunday.

The World Surf League (WSL) called the contest off for the day after the attack on the 34-year-old surfer. It was later agreed that the two front-runners, Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson, would accept joint second place, with no winner being declared. Nobody was eager to get back into the water after the attack!

The incident, which was caught on camera during the live streaming of the event, sees the shark approach Fanning from behind and he reacts quickly to try and get away.

Fanning miraculously escaped uninjured, but the shark managed to rip off and snap the surfer’s leash.

According to Fanning, he was about to start paddling to catch a wave when he sensed something behind him. The shark grabbed the leash that tethered the surfer to his board and began pulling him under. The Aussie surfer punched at the shark as the leash snapped. Rescue personnel reached him within seconds and pulled him unharmed from the water.

View the replay from the WSL’s streaming below on a Vine that has over 17m views.

https://vine.co/v/e6ZO0dTw1JB

The four things Fanning did that saved his life:

1) He hit back at the shark, making the shark realise it could get hurt.

2) He used his board to keep the shark away.

3) Once off the board, he did not panic and tried to body surf to safety rather than splashing about. He even warned fellow surfer Jullian Wilson who was unaware of the danger.

4) Most importantly, he got out of the water fast!

See in-depth story HERE

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