Three-time world title holder Mick Fanning talks about the day surfing took over the world.

Barely 3 days ago in South Africa, the final of the surfing world competition, J-Bay Open was just 4-minutes old when three-time world surfing champion Mick Fanning was pulled from his board by a Great White shark.

The surfing world watched in horror.

Soon, the whole world watched in horror. The competition was playing out on a live broadcast with Fanning’s family, friends and fans, all watching.

“I’ve watched it(the footage) so many times. It’s surreal watching it play out. It’s like, “Did that really happen to me?” I just can’t believe I’ve come through this completely unscathed physically. Mentally I’m a bloody mess, but I’ll come good in time,” said Fanning in an exclusive chat with Redbull.

“That’s one of the scariest factors, and what really gets me emotional. From all reports the WSL broadcast team handled the whole situation very well, and constantly ensured everyone I was safe and coping. I’m super thankful to them for that, because it really was a crazy situation to deal with,” continued Fanning.

Not 100 feet away, Fanning’s fellow finalist Julian Wilson watched in disbelief as his mate and mentor went below the surface. Wilson reacted like a warrior and pushed thoughts of his own safety aside to scramble frantically to his friend’s aid, fearing the worst.

“Paddling for him, I thought that I wasn’t going to get there in time. I came over a wave … his board was over here and he was swimming that way, and I thought it was going to grab him and take him under,” said Wilson.

The pair spoke briefly on the webcast in the aftermath (see video below), shocked at what they’d just experienced.

https://youtu.be/xrt27dZ7DOA

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