Mick Fanning's Experience Breaks New Ground

[monkey man]

Well, I've never seen this in a final.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrt27dZ7DOA

Good ol' South Africa. As a kid I used to swim 30-50m from the rocks where several times a year fishermen (yes, they were all men) would flood into the area for the "milky runs". The rocks would be covered with blood (and all the pools red) for days on end as they reeled thousands (not hundreds) of the youngsters in. We'd tend to take it easy in the water around those times, but those warm waters around the north-east coast of South Africa are literally teeming with the buggers. The regular sardine runs were fun for all 'though, and a lot less bloody.

Glad Mick was OK.

EDIT: I reckon the fact that Jeffreys Bay is further south than the area I mentioned, meaning that the water's cooler, especially in winter, could have been Mick's saving grace. The limits of a fish's metabolic rate as well as "friskiness" are governed by water temperature.

[Shooshie]

CRIKEY!

Still catching my breath.

Shoosh

[HCMarkus]

Oy vey!

[monkey man]

He's Aussie-tough. He'll be back in the water in no time.

Personally, that'd be it for me; I'd be done with it, counting my lucky stars.

[davedempsey]

As frightening as it obviously was I doubt that it was a shark attack - more likely the shark became tangled in his leg rope whilst swimming past - with the punches and shouting it probably felt pretty lucky to get out of there LOL. Seriously ... those creatures attack from below.

[Tritonemusic]

I think he was saved by the new guy on patrol: