Epiphany breaks as Mick waits to hit surf

THE moment, when it eventually came, was something of an anticlimax.

Mick Fanning realised he could have been surfing anywhere in the world.

Instead he was sitting in a car park in Western Australia, waiting for officials to make a call on whether to run the Margaret River Pro.

Fanning officially announced his retirement less than a fortnight ago but the call had long been made.

“It’s been something that’s been growing inside me for a long time,” Fanning said after winning his opening heat at the Quiksilver Pro yesterday.

“Even getting ready and trying to psyche up, I just don’t have that fire any more.”

Ever since he took a break from the World Surf League tour in 2016, retirement has been weighing on Fanning’s mind. And last April, the moment of clarity came.

“It was when I was sitting in the car park in Western Australia last year for four hours waiting for a call,” Fanning said.

“I was like: ‘I want to go and do something fun.’

“That was a moment where I was like: ‘I could be surfing wherever I want whenever I want.’

“And it should have been one of those moments when I should have been fired up because I was surfing against Kelly (Slater) but it just wasn’t there.”

Slater wasn’t there yesterday either. The 11-time world champion had been scheduled to line up against Fanning and Jesse Mendes in the final heat of Round 1 but remained in Hawaii completing rehab on his injured foot.

Slater remains hopeful of making it to Australia in time to compete but will be replaced in Round 2 by South African Michael February if he does not show.

Fanning remains hopeful of lining up against Slater one more time.

Taking time off opened new doors for Fanning. It was scary and new – but he liked it. And it changed his priorities.

“Event wins just don’t mean the same as they used to,” he said. “It’s not the be all and end all anymore.”