Shark Week may have ended last Sunday, but that doesn't mean they just hibernate and leave our oceans alone for the next 51 weeks. Pro surfer Mick Fanning certainly already knew that, but this morning he was given a reminder anyway when he encountered arguably the greatest fear of seals and surfers alike. During the first few minutes of the World Surf League's J-Bay Open (off the Eastern Cape of South Africa) Fanning came within inches touched what appears to be a great white that briefly made him think he had a future as shark shit.
Luckily this morning's shark didn't seem too serious about making Fanning a meal, as evidenced by the fact that he's still alive. He gave a few words about the event afterward where he told an interviewer that he "punched it in the back":
The adrenaline pumping confrontation also prematurely ended the rest of the day's events, because nothing ruins everyone's fun like an apex predator potentially ripping a competitor to shreds:
Sharks are in the lineup. @Mick_Fanning is OK. The #JBayOpen Final is on STANDBY http://t.co/Kq8bZ5eIA7 http://t.co/FusEoR2EHM
— #JBayOpen (@wsl) July 19, 2015
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com
