Australian surfer Mick Fanning has had many victories in various world competitions. But he became especially famous after a collision with a shark in July 2015.
The famous surfer had to fight for a more severe award than any cups and recognition – his own life during the competition.
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Fight with a shark with a happy outcome
On July 19, at a competition in South Africa, the famous surfer, three-time world champion Mick Fanning was attacked by a massive white shark, the fight with which was captured by all photographers present at the J-Bay Open.
The shark took a bite of the leash, but the surfer kicked it off and swam to the shore, hoping that the duty jet ski would pick it up along the way.
Fortunately for the athlete, the shark did not pursue him. He managed to emerge as an absolute winner from the fight, fighting off the sea predator and without losing his limbs in this fight.
Unfortunately, Mick, the famous model Karissa Dalton, married for more than ten years, is not a widow. But the video of the battle with the sea predator scattered across the Internet, and Mick himself became a real star, gaining the fame of “shark storm.”
As Mick Fanning later said in an interview, when he met a shark, he initially felt that something was pulling him to the bottom; he did not notice his teeth – only fins. He could not believe that all this was happening to him next to a formidable sea predator.
There are many cases of shark attacks on surfers. One of the saddest examples is the well-known one-armed surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost an arm when meeting a shark, but did not lose interest in such a dangerous water sport.
But a collision with a shark right in the competition is a rare case, and Miku is extremely lucky that everything ended so well for him.
How it all began, or victories in memory of a brother
The multiple future world surfing champion Mick (Michael) Fanning, also known among surfers under the nickname “White Lightning,” was born on July 13, 1981, in Australia in a family of immigrants from Ireland.
Having first started surfing at the age of 5, he became addicted to surfing forever and, together with future pro surfer Joel Parkinson, ran the waves of the Australian coast.
In 1996, Mick Fanning first declared himself a talented Australian surfer who shines a lot of victories and achievements. And over the following years of his professional surfer’s career, he has repeatedly proved this.
Together with his brother Sean, Mick dreamed of becoming a professional surfer and traveling the world. But the dream of only one brother was destined to come true: Sean died in a car accident.
Miku was 17 then, he was apprehensive about the death of his brother, but after a prolonged depression, he decided to achieve everything that they always dreamed of and devote all his victories to the deceased Sean.
And Mick Fanning has plenty of achievements. By their number, he seeks to catch up with the recognized leader in the world of professional surfing – Kelly Slater.
Catch up with Slater
In 2001, Mick won one of the leading Australian surfer competitions, and it turned out to be a real breakthrough for him in the world of professional surfing.
The Australian surfer finished the 2002 season with the title of “Best Newcomer of the Year” and did not tire of demonstrating a successful ascent to the top of fame in the future.
But in 2004, his career as a surfer almost ended after receiving a severe injury – a ruptured hamstring. After undergoing surgery, Mick Fanning decided to re-surfboard and triumphantly returned to the ranks of the best surfers in the world, winning the ASP World Tour.
At the 2007 competition in Brazil, Miku even managed to bypass Slater and win the championship title. But a serious injury sustained in 2008 prevented the surfer from returning to his laurels of fame.
At the end of the year, he was only the eighth in a row among the best surfers. But in 2009, Mick Fanning was already able to climb the winner’s podium again, win the champion title at the next ASP competition.
Mick Fanning wins
In addition to hard training on the water, Mick devotes a lot of time to the practice of correct breathing, which divers usually learn, and meditation.
The latter allows the surfer to develop endurance and remain calm even in the most challenging situations and contributes to the development of attentiveness and concentration, allowing him to concentrate as much as possible on achieving the desired results and remain among the leaders in the world of professional surfing.
