Mick Fanning Gets Lucky

**enf** · 20-07-15, 10:36 AM

Time for a Lotto ticket or ten...

**mtv** · 20-07-15, 10:45 AM

Just beat me to posting this.

Amazing footage.

I'm no shark expert, but that fin suggests it was a decent size.

Not sure about a lotto ticket.... reckon he's used his luck quota for a while.

**ol' boy** · 20-07-15, 10:53 AM

Yep, watched it Live last night.
One very very lucky man, in fact both were lucky.

When you look at the size of the fin and where Mick's leg rope was bitten through, you realise just how close to losing his lower leg he was.

Was only a matter of time before this happened in Pro Event at J Bay, enough locals get bitten there every year!
The local recreational fishermen fish for sharks straight off the beach along that whole coast, landbased, dragging them up on the beach!

Watch the replay here:

There was some talk of sharks being spotted further out the back during the Semi Finals too.
Looks like areal spotting will be at the event from now on.

Landbased Fishing in the area

**lsemmens** · 20-07-15, 11:45 AM

Saw that on the news this morning. He's one fortunate man! Good on his mate for paddling towards him, too. He deserves an award for bravery!

**gordon_s1942** · 20-07-15, 12:11 PM

Usually such an incident can be rightfully called a 'Brown Trouser' day and if that had been me, it would have only been the tightness of the wet/dry suit that stopped it happening.
And I would need to be under a shower when I did peel it off, let me tell you !!!

**ol' boy** · 20-07-15, 07:36 PM

Holy shit, Mick Fanning's Mum has already lost her other son to a car accident (Mick's Brother).
That poor women, must have been even more tragic for her to see happening to her other son!

**VroomVroom** · 20-07-15, 07:44 PM

he was very lucky thats for sure.
still , if the shark had really wanted to take him , it would have. might have been scared away by the jetskis , who knows

**Philquad** · 20-07-15, 08:26 PM

im not phased by it sadly
a lot of media hype
a lot of young kids & others out there that have actually been bitten
that go back out
he sure started swimming pretty fast but lol

**ol' boy** · 20-07-15, 08:40 PM

Originally Posted by Philquad

im not phased by it sadly
a lot of media hype
a lot of young kids & others out there that have actually been bitten
that go back out
he sure started swimming pretty fast but lol

Well Media Hype, because there was footage!
And it was on the WCT or WSL as they call it now with a World Audience watching Live, as myself and family were.
When was the last time you were watching the Finals in anything, when the contestant got attacked by a Shark!?!?
There's been no shortage of Surfers being killed by Sharks in Oz in the last several years and this is South Africa, where its easily twice as bad.

Its all about the Lucky Escape i think Phil, as in Mick's words, he started getting dragged under, then the leg rope was bitten through.

Do the Math on the photo above.... Ya not phased you say.... I bet you would be if you were on Fanning's board.
Cos judging by that fin, i know exactly how big the head is!

**Godzilla** · 21-07-15, 01:06 AM

Mate thats one huge dorsal fin, i recon it was big enough to swallow him whole.

**VroomVroom** · 21-07-15, 08:18 AM

i would guess 5m or so , a shark that size could feed all of south africa

**ol' boy** · 21-07-15, 08:32 AM

I bet you its struck fear into any female competitor that has to compete in South Africa while she is on her period!

One thing i noted, is that Mick's board was sprayed Yellow on the underside.. The whole board was Yellow underneath, as opposed to the more popular all white surfboard.
Apparently Yellow is a High Contrast colour in the water for Sharks, especially noticeable to them in murky water, such as where the surf is breaking.

**bob_m_54** · 21-07-15, 09:22 AM

Originally Posted by oceanboy

Well Media Hype, because there was footage!
And it was on the WCT or WSL as they call it now with a World Audience watching Live, as myself and family were.
When was the last time you were watching the Finals in anything, when the contestant got attacked by a Shark!?!?
There's been no shortage of Surfers being killed by Sharks in Oz in the last several years and this is South Africa, where its easily twice as bad.

Its all about the Lucky Escape i think Phil, as in Mick's words, he started getting dragged under, then the leg rope was bitten through.

Do the Math on the photo above.... Ya not phased you say.... I bet you would be if you were on Fanning's board.
Cos judging by that fin, i know exactly how big the head is!

That's not the dorsal fin, it's the top half of the tail fin. You could see the dorsal just before that frame, and it's much smaller and triangular shaped. Could be a white or a very large bull shark. The white has a slightly concave trailing edge on the dorsal and the bull shark is straighter. It is pretty hard to tell given the short time of visibility. Actually it looks like you see the dorsal fin again when he is completely in the water an looking from left to right in the frame. The fin appears to move from right to left behind him.

**ol' boy** · 21-07-15, 09:41 AM

good video here, yeah spot on Bob, lucky for Mick it went the Legrope for the first bite!

Personal Account here:

**Thala Dan** · 21-07-15, 02:37 PM

That's not the dorsal fin, it's the top half of the tail fin. You could see the dorsal just before that frame, and it's much smaller and triangular shaped.

Yep. Here's the dorsal fin:

Considerably smaller - but still big enough to encourage walking on water

**ol' boy** · 21-07-15, 03:09 PM

What ever case, or whatever fin, it was still big enough!
I've caught plenty of sharks up to 5ft, most being 3 to 4ft, and their tail fins are tiny compared to the one behind Mick Fanning.

If i saw a tail fin that big, i'd be shitting bricks and expecting to loose a limb.

**admin** · 21-07-15, 05:40 PM

Originally Posted by lsemmens

Good on his mate for paddling towards him, too. He deserves an award for bravery!

He has been nominated for one. Which I disagree with. And by the Queensland Government who seem to have overlooked this guy !

Bravery and Courage awards are being given out for basically nothing these days. All the guy did was paddle a few meter towards the area.

He was prepared to show bravery, but was not required to and didnt.

Awards are being thrown around like confetti.

**lsemmens** · 21-07-15, 07:39 PM

Noah Galloway, rightly, deserves an award. He may well have only paddled a short way but would have kept going had the jetskis not moved in. He acted first without thinking of his safety and ignored the call to get out of the water until the Jetski picked him up.

**Philquad** · 21-07-15, 08:13 PM

**ol' boy** · 30-07-15, 07:38 PM

Oh dear, Mick Fanning is on 60 Minutes this weekend.
And he spots a shark.

Well... I hope you got paid well Mick, hopefully you have a good manager that wangled you $150,000 for the appearance.