Surf champion Mick Fanning's mum
watched "terrified" on live television
as her son was attacked by a shark in
South African waters.
Fanning, 34 was competing at an event in
Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape on
Sunday when a black fin appeared behind
him.
He punched and kicked the shark and was
soon rescued by a jet-ski.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I
thought we'd lost him." his mum Elizabeth
Osborne told ABC News.
"I was absolutely terrified. I went over to
the television almost as though I could
pull him out... to save him," she told the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation from
her home on Australia's Gold Coast.
Ms Osborne had already lost a son to a car
crash 17 years ago and she said those
memories came back to her.
"When Sean was killed in the car accident,
I didn't see it," Ms Osborne said. "I saw
this just in front of me. It was just
terrible."
Fanning, the defending champion at the
tournament and a three-time world
champion, escaped without any injuries.
"I was just sitting there and I felt
something just get stuck in my leg rope,
and I was kicking trying to get it away,"
Fanning told Fox Sports. "I just saw fins. I
was waiting for the teeth."
Fanning said he was able to "get a punch
into its back" and startle the shark.
The World Surf League (WSL), which
organised the J-Bay Open, said two shark
were seen in the water near Fanning and
another competitor, Julian Wilson, also
from Australia.
The two surfers are rivals but also friends
and Wilson paddled towards Fanning to
help him.
Wilson was emotional afterwards telling
the Sydney Morning Herald that he felt as
if he couldn't get to Fanning quickly
enough.
"It came up and he was wrestling it, and I
saw he got knocked off his board," Wilson
said. "I was like, 'I've got a board, if I can
get there I can stab it or whatever, I've got
a weapon.'"
Wilson's mum was also watching on TV
and told reporters: "I don't know if he's
crazy or a hero."
The commentators said it was the first
time they had seen a shark attack a
competitor during an event, according to
the Herald. The WSL cancelled the
tournament after the incident.
"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," it said in a statement.
A video of the incident can be seen on
the WSL's website Reuters says the waters are some of the
most shark-infested in the world, and that
a surfer was killed by a Great White shark
close to Jeffreys Bay in 2013.
watched "terrified" on live television
as her son was attacked by a shark in
South African waters.
Fanning, 34 was competing at an event in
Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape on
Sunday when a black fin appeared behind
him.
He punched and kicked the shark and was
soon rescued by a jet-ski.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I
thought we'd lost him." his mum Elizabeth
Osborne told ABC News.
"I was absolutely terrified. I went over to
the television almost as though I could
pull him out... to save him," she told the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation from
her home on Australia's Gold Coast.
Ms Osborne had already lost a son to a car
crash 17 years ago and she said those
memories came back to her.
"When Sean was killed in the car accident,
I didn't see it," Ms Osborne said. "I saw
this just in front of me. It was just
terrible."
Fanning, the defending champion at the
tournament and a three-time world
champion, escaped without any injuries.
"I was just sitting there and I felt
something just get stuck in my leg rope,
and I was kicking trying to get it away,"
Fanning told Fox Sports. "I just saw fins. I
was waiting for the teeth."
Fanning said he was able to "get a punch
into its back" and startle the shark.
The World Surf League (WSL), which
organised the J-Bay Open, said two shark
were seen in the water near Fanning and
another competitor, Julian Wilson, also
from Australia.
The two surfers are rivals but also friends
and Wilson paddled towards Fanning to
help him.
Wilson was emotional afterwards telling
the Sydney Morning Herald that he felt as
if he couldn't get to Fanning quickly
enough.
"It came up and he was wrestling it, and I
saw he got knocked off his board," Wilson
said. "I was like, 'I've got a board, if I can
get there I can stab it or whatever, I've got
a weapon.'"
Wilson's mum was also watching on TV
and told reporters: "I don't know if he's
crazy or a hero."
The commentators said it was the first
time they had seen a shark attack a
competitor during an event, according to
the Herald. The WSL cancelled the
tournament after the incident.
"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," it said in a statement.
A video of the incident can be seen on
the WSL's website Reuters says the waters are some of the
most shark-infested in the world, and that
a surfer was killed by a Great White shark
close to Jeffreys Bay in 2013.
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