‘That’s when I begin to scream’: Mick Fanning on punching a great white shark

The Australian surfing champion was famously monstered by a great white shark while competing against fellow Aussie Julian Wilson in the 2015 world tour event final at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa. The attack was broadcast live on TV. Here, in an extract from his memoir, All Heart, he relives the encounter

I’m locked in on my take-off spot in the J-Bay lineup, scanning the horizon, biding my time. Assessing my position against the rippling lines of the oncoming set, I decide to move slightly further inside.

As I move, there’s a big splash behind me. Glancing over my left shoulder, I catch a glimpse of a huge dark shape in the water. A jolt of fear grips me. What the hell is that?

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