Cameras were tracking the 34-year-old in the water during the JBay Open in Jeffrey’s Bay as a shark surfaced behind him and pulled him off his board.
The world number three managed to get ashore after the apparent ‘shark attack’, but told reporters the contact was made first with the rope strapped to his ankle.
“It came up and got stuck in my leg rope,” Fanning told news.com.au “I instantly just jumped away. It kept coming at my board and I was kicking and screaming. I just saw fins. I didn’t see teeth. I was waiting for the teeth to come at me. I punched it in the back.”
Once back on dry land, a tearful Fanning added:
“I was just about to start paddling again and all of a sudden I had this instinct that something was behind me. Then I started getting pulled under water and the thing came up and I was on my board and it was right there and I saw the whole thing, it was right there. I was getting dragged under by my leg rope.”
Jaw-dropping scene as pro surfer fends off shark during competition
AUSTRALIAN SURFER MICK Fanning emerged from a extremely scary run-in with a shark during a World Surf League meet in South Africa today.
Cameras were tracking the 34-year-old in the water during the JBay Open in Jeffrey’s Bay as a shark surfaced behind him and pulled him off his board.
The world number three managed to get ashore after the apparent ‘shark attack’, but told reporters the contact was made first with the rope strapped to his ankle.
“It came up and got stuck in my leg rope,” Fanning told news.com.au “I instantly just jumped away. It kept coming at my board and I was kicking and screaming. I just saw fins. I didn’t see teeth. I was waiting for the teeth to come at me. I punched it in the back.”
Once back on dry land, a tearful Fanning added:
“I was just about to start paddling again and all of a sudden I had this instinct that something was behind me. Then I started getting pulled under water and the thing came up and I was on my board and it was right there and I saw the whole thing, it was right there. I was getting dragged under by my leg rope.”
The competition was suspended after the incident.
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