World famous surfer, Mick Fanning, escapes shark attack. A surfing competition in South Africa was cancelled when a surf competition almost turned deadly. Mick Fanning escaped a shark attack in the opening minutes of the final heat.
Organizers of the J-Bay Open, the 6th stop on the Samsung Galaxy World Surf League Championship Tour, called off the remainder of the competition after the attack. “We are incredibly grateful that no one was seriously injured today. Mick’s composure and quick acting in the fact of a terrifying situation was nothing short of heroic and the rapid response of our water safety personnel was commendable,” Commissioner Kieren Perrow said in a statement.
The incident, which was all caught on film, shows at least one shark fin circling the Fanning, who spots it and begins to quickly paddle away. A wave obscures what happens after Mick begins to paddle away, but when he comes back into view he’s moving just as fast as he was beforehand. Safety boats arrive quickly on scene and scoop up Mick from the water.