Overnight, news broke that Aussie surfer Mick Fanning had miraculously escaped injury after a shark very nearly attacked him at the J Bay Open in South Africa.
Minutes into the competition, Fanning was knocked off his board by a shark, and rescue crews raced across the water to save him and fellow Aussie Julian Wilson from certain death.
Both were grateful to have survived, and in the aftermath of the event, a clearly-shaken Wilson spoke to the media about the moment he saw the shark come at his mate.
“I literally thought I wasn’t going to get there in time,” he said, thinking he could paddle over to help Fanning. “I was like, ‘I’ve got a board, if I can get there I can stab it or whatever, I’ve got a weapon.”
We’re still in awe that both survived:
.@Mick_Fanning wasn’t alone – @julian_wilson on the #JBayOpen shark encounter: http://t.co/Nwfr7XdCQC http://t.co/QbzddP2QNb
— #JBayOpen (@wsl) July 19, 2015Image via J Bay Open / Kristin Scholtz
Friends first. @Mick_Fanning & @julian_wilson share a moment of relief safely on the beach #JBayOpen ??@kirstinscholtz pic.twitter.com/pNU6NX1M6t
— #JBayOpen (@wsl) July 19, 2015
Image via J Bay Open / Kristin Scholtz
