Fanning’s scary love of bay
IT was the scene of a nightmare but Gold Coaster Mick Fanning says he now feels “relaxed” and “at home” in the waters where he was attacked by a shark in South Africa.
And Fanning is hoping JBay, the scene of his attack in 2015, helps breathe life into his bid for a fourth world crown.
The winner of the event last year – just 12 months after his close encounter with a shark on live-to-air TV – has failed to pass the quarter-final on the World Surf League this year.
But despite the attack while he was surfing against fellow Australian Julian Wilson in the 2015 final of the J-Bay Open, Fanning says he always feels at his best at the SA surfing spot.
“I really feel at home here and so relaxed,” he said yesterday, before a lay day was called.
“The people are so nice and the wave is amazing. When you come to a wave you love, then the excitement level really goes up and I feel much more motivated.
“I get up early in the dark each morning to check the surf and I can’t wait for things to get under way.”
Wilson is loving South Africa too – he fired a hole-inone in a social game of golf yesterday.