Posted on 07/19/2015 12:19:42 PM PDT by nickcarraway
A surfing competition in South Africa was canceled Sunday after surfer Mick Fanning escaped a shark attack in the opening minutes of the final heat.
Organizers of the J-Bay Open, the sixth stop on the 2015 Samsung Galaxy World Surf League Championship Tour, canceled the remainder of the competition after clearing the waters.
Video of the incident appears to show two sharks circling the three-time World Surf League champion. The Water Safety Team pulled Fanning and fellow competitor Julian Wilson out of the waters.
Fanning made it out of the water unharmed and with a severed leash on his surfboard. Fanning told World Surf League TV that he “punched” the shark “in the back” to scare it away.
“We are incredibly grateful that no one was seriously injured today. Mick’s composure and quick acting in the face of a terrifying situation was nothing short of heroic and the rapid response of our Water Safety personnel was commendable,” WSL Commissioner Kieren Perrow said in a statement.
“The safety of our athletes is a priority for the WSL and, after discussions with both Finalists, we have decided to cancel the remainder of competition at the J-Bay Open. We appreciate the ongoing support we have in South Africa and once again want to express our gratitude to the Water Safety Team.”
Julian Wilson is balls out. Mick Fanning is a good friend of Wilson’s, even though they compete against each other, & when he saw the shark attacking Fanning he paddled toward Fanning to help him fight off the shark.
Just damn!
Man-o-man...that was close.
Did you see the size of that fin? That was a biggun.
Oh,man. I guess this is a first.
,
Chuck Norris has a Mick Fanning surfboard!
There’s an idea for a new version of the Olympic Biathlon... surfing and shark hunting all in one. /s
With a big fish fry at the end!
ping
Why cancel? The guy showed how to fight back...
He should get more points for this.
Shermans Lagoon
http://shermanslagoon.com
Another shark cartoon.
Mallard Fillmore
http://mallardfillmore.com
I was out with Huntintog Beach Lifeguards on their boat last week getting some good GoPro footage of the 8-12 footers (Great Whites) that are really massing at Tower 17 where the SUP guys are playing around. It seems that the sting ray population is way up in the shallow water which is bringing in the sharks - thing is - its summer and I doubt that any of the tourists splashing around in the surf reall know how many Great Whites are out there.
The whites were out in force at Manhattan Beach last year but it looks like they fished out the sting ray population and have moved down to HB. Who knew that SoCal is juvenile-central for Great Whites on the Pacific Coast.
Great White sharks are protected here. A real feel-good until some Jersey Shore bather or lifeguard becomes a snack...I’ve always thought of them as vermin.
Julian InterviewMick Fanning wasn't alone in the water - Julian Wilson comments on the #JBayOpen shark encounterPosted by World Surf League on Sunday, July 19, 2015
Wrong. They are all idiots.
Yeah, I saw the video. The shark “attacked OMG THE HUMANITY HELLLLPPPP!!!!!11111”
1.) The shark bumped him to verify what was in the water. It did not “attack” him. If this douchebag was attacked, then there wouldn’t have been much left.
2.) Homeboy’s surfboard was a blend of yellow and white, and I read that particular color scheme may have attracted the animal along with the surface splashing.
3.) The shark thrashed wildly because it was panicked when it became entangled in the surfboard’s cord.
4.) This crap about “heroism” and “bravery” is truly laughable. These fools were voluntarily splashing around in shark-infested waters to cash in on some prize money. To put these idiots into the same category as the Marines who were at Iwo Jima just proves how stupid and irrational society has become.
5.) One of the other idiots was “heralded” for “heroism” because he wanted to jump into the water with a knife to stab the shark. That’s rich. So society claims one is a “hero” for intending to destroy an animal in its natural habitat for the sake of winning prize money? Is that what heroism is these days?
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