Three-time world champion Mick Fanning isn’t a “shark counsellor”, but he’s more than happy to pick up the phone whenever someone has been affected by a shark attack
“He is a personal friend of mine, so I was ringing up to make sure he was OK,” Fanning said. “I’m not a shark counsellor or anything like that.”, survived an attack while surfing off Urunga on the NSW north coast.“People don’t know how to react,” Fanning continued. “They ask, ‘When should I go back in the water?’ There isn’t an answer for that. I just explain my story, what I went through and how I got myself back. They might take something out it. It’s not like it happens and I start calling.
“Here, on the Gold Coast, we thought we were immune to it, especially because of how many people are out all the time, so this week’s attack has definitely shaken up the community.” Mick Fanning gets up close and personal with a shark in the National Geographic documentary, Save This Shark.Save This SharkIt’s a fascinating insight as Fanning examines the apex predator from close range. The final scenes see him diving among enormous tiger and bull sharks.“It got to a point when there was so many sharks, and the tigers started getting aggressive,” he said. “What you didn’t see is when one of the sharks was gnawing one of the other diver’s air tanks.
“For me, I wanted to see if the things I’d done personally [since the attack five years ago], meant I was healed. I still have some hang ups. If I hear a splash behind me, it freaks me out. But when I see a shark, I don’t become a complete mess. I can control my emotions and observe the situation and calmly do the best thing possible for me.”“Ever since my incident in Africa, the WSL has done an incredible job in keeping surfers safe,” Fanning said.
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