Post: #1

Mick Fanning was competing in Jeffreys Bay, on the eastern Cape, when one of the sharks approached his surfboard.
The final of the J-Bay Open had only just started when Fanning was knocked off his surfboard and into the sea.
Fanning, the defending champion, escaped injury. The tournament was called off soon afterwards.
"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, a three-time world champion, said he was able to "get a punch into its back" and startle it.




Theres only 3 things in this world that I am afraid of.. sharks, flying, and being fooled by a ladyboy (for the 56th time)

Post: #2

Yeaaaaaaah....I woulda shit myself.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Rudyard Kipling

Post: #3

Good on him for punching it.

There have been 2 deaths and 4 other serious bites about an hour north of me. In the last 4 years or so. Once serious attack as recent as Feb. that was almost a death.

When I am in the water and I look out to the oil rig and Channel Islands I know there are lots of Great Whites out there.

I don't get comfortable in the water until I start getting too tired to think about it .

That looks like clear water too, around me you may get 2-3 feet deep of visibility into the water around you often times.

Post: #4

School kids in Australia are taught to 'punch sharks in the back' just as American kids in the 1950s were taught to 'duck and cover'.

How else would anyone get any surfing done?

Post: #5

I think the shark recognized that this was something different than he expected. I don't believe a man can defeat a shark without weapons in the ocean.

Post: #6

^ There's some truth there, of course, but there are instances throughout history of men fighting back sharks. It's said that they're particularly senstitive in the nose and gills. And eyes I believe.

Yes, if a creature with that size and power wants you it'll have you, but even large predators, on land and in sea, will flee if a victim seems like a challenge.

At times cats will back down from mice and dogs will back down from cats - much like a big guy will sometimes back down from a pencil neck weakling with that fire in his eye.

Mountain lions are another great example. They say to play dead with bears but with mountain lions you're supposed to fight back hard. Mountain lions expend a ton of energy in an attack and after eating they lie around vulnerable for a long time waiting to restore energy levels, so they're especially not keen to deal with something that takes extra energy.

It's good to know how to handle the animals you come in contact with and most surfers know to punch a shark if it tries to or does bite them.

You are right, however, that usually they don't have it in mind to attack a human and so aren't quite as committed once they realize the mistake.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Rudyard Kipling

Post: #7

[quote='Cr33pin' pid='1068534' dateline='1437321624']

Theres only 3 things in this world that I am afraid of.. sharks, flying, and being fooled by a ladyboy (for the 56th time)

Post: #8

Post: #9

Yeah, striking is definitely the way to go if you get into a water fight with a shark.

You don't want to grapple with it, since you concede a weight advantage and his shark friends can take bites at your face while you're tangled up.

Post: #10

Didn't shark week just end? Is this the withdrawal thread?

Post: #11

I can only assume guys who think it's silly to entertain the idea of fighting back against a shark haven't spent much time in the water and don't understand nature very well, or man's relationship with it. In some circles this is common sense knowledge. Specifically, circles that spend a lot of time in the water.

It sounds crazy to think about it from the outside looking in, but when you spend a good deal of your life mentally rehearsing an aggressive reaction to something that would make most men (like me) shit their pants, you actually do often respond appropriately in the moment.

Remember, your brain doesn't know the difference between imagination and actual experience, so you actually build neural pathways for a specific reaction by imagining it over and over when laying out on your board or bullshitting with your buddies around a fire at the beach. This is one of the reasons humans get off on telling each other "war stories. " We are engaged in this very phenomenon right now as we speak, though it most likely wouldn't be enough on its own.

Guys get attacked by Great Whites every year up where I'm from and it's always impressive how cerebrally and calmly some of them react.

Go ask some native pearl diver in waters known for shark hits and let me know what he says about how to deal with the unlikely scenario. Guarantee he will say smack that fucker in the tip of the nose as hard as you can or something very similar. He may know that because he actually knows people who've had to use it, or he may know it because it's age old common wisdom passed around from generation to generation.

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Rudyard Kipling

Post: #12

If sharks wanted to attack people there would be many more shark deaths than we see. It's a relief to know that they generally aren't interested in humans even when they see us. Most these bites are just a case of mistaken identity. Punching the shark lets the the shark know that you aren't something that makes up its diet, like a seal.

I used to go swim way out beyond the waves when I was younger. I knew sharks were out there but I was carefree and didn't think much about my own mortality. I became way more cautious in later years.

Post: #13

Post: #14

One of the world's most well known players went through something similar:

Post: #15

Mick Fanning is one of the worlds greatest surfers of all time. He was already up there in the most elite group to compete. This will elevate him to luminary status in the sport. His life story is very inspiring and pretty amazing. And shortly before this today Kelly Slater produced one of his best runs ever.

BB you are absolutely right; there is a lot of shark voodoo out there from Hawaii and other places that a lot of these watermen preach about e.g. they never eat shark. Luckily I've never encountered one but havent spent much time in the water in the last 5 years.

Post: #16

Scares the shit out of me .

Post: #17

Typical Aussie response. Get in the shit, punch on.

Post: #18

Good thing that was an Aussie, likely would have been a rather more tragic news story otherwise

Post: #19

It was bound to happen sooner or later, the cape in SA is known as a breeding ground for Great Whites.

Like they say, the Landlord came knocking.

Post: #20

Does that count as a Donkey Punch?

Post: #21

(07-19-2015 02:47 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  I can only assume guys who think it's silly to entertain the idea of fighting back against a shark haven't spent much time in the water and don't understand nature very well, or man's relationship with it. In some circles this is common sense knowledge. Specifically, circles that spend a lot of time in the water.

It sounds crazy to think about it from the outside looking in, but when you spend a good deal of your life mentally rehearsing an aggressive reaction to something that would make most men (like me) shit their pants, you actually do often respond appropriately in the moment.

Remember, your brain doesn't know the difference between imagination and actual experience, so you actually build neural pathways for a specific reaction by imagining it over and over when laying out on your board or bullshitting with your buddies around a fire at the beach. This is one of the reasons humans get off on telling each other "war stories. " We are engaged in this very phenomenon right now as we speak, though it most likely wouldn't be enough on its own.

Guys get attacked by Great Whites every year up where I'm from and it's always impressive how cerebrally and calmly some of them react.

Go ask some native pearl diver in waters known for shark hits and let me know what he says about how to deal with the unlikely scenario. Guarantee he will say smack that fucker in the tip of the nose as hard as you can or something very similar. He may know that because he actually knows people who've had to use it, or he may know it because it's age old common wisdom passed around from generation to generation.

Visualisation is a technique that has been used by sportsman for their respective disciplines for some time...because it works.

Post: #22

As an avid scuba diver with over 600 dives before I stopped logging them I've seen my share of sharks. In a few instances, like on a dive in Palau I've been surrounded by hundreds of small to medium black tip, white tip and others there's nothing especially frightening about them. A pair 10-12ft bull sharks less than 20 ft away did make the pulse quicken a bit momentarily but under normal circumstances there's nothing terribly frightening about sharks as long as you can SEE them.

As a surfer the idea of a shark somewhere under me is something I've actively tried not to dwell on. It's scares the fuck out of me. On more than a few occasions I've had a fin pop up near by and the instant between that happening and the realization that it's just a dolphin is a visceral sphincter tightener to say the least.

In 2006 I was surfing alone on a Tuesday morning at the cliffs in HB. I'd just caught short ride on a crappy wave and was about to climb back on my longboard when something big but rubbery bumped my shin. Never knew what it was. Needless to say I got out of the water and that was the last time I ever surfed alone.

I can't imagine what went through Fanning's mind in those moments that this was occurring but holy fucking shit!

Post: #23

(07-20-2015 10:53 AM)kaotic Wrote:  It was bound to happen sooner or later, the cape in SA is known as a breeding ground for Great Whites.

Like they say, the Landlord came knocking.

Welcome back
:cheers:

Post: #24

Sharks make good pets!

Post: #25

another perspective...

http://newsthump.com/2015/07/20/shark-su...an-surfer/

Quote:Shark survives attack by Australian surfer

Shark Simon Williams has spoken of his relief at surviving a potentially life-threatening encounter with Australian surfer, Mick Fanning.

Williams was minding his own business at Jeffreys Bay off the coast of South African, when a chance encounter with professional surfer and full-time Aussie Mick Fanning left him facing a series of potentially lethal blows.

He told us, “I was just swimming along thinking about stopping for something to eat when the next thing I know I’m being sucker-punched by this Aussie – right in the small of the back.”

“I was stunned, but thankfully after a couple of punches he left me alone and I could make good my escape.”

“Everyone knows Aussies are ridiculously dangerous creatures, but the oceans are massive so the chances of bumping into one out here are tiny – it’s not like it should stop us swimming near the coast.”

“I don’t really blame the Aussie himself, I mean it’s in their nature so I know he wasn’t necessarily being vindictive or needlessly lashing out – he just doesn’t know any better.”

“I just consider myself one of the lucky ones who lived to tell the tale.”

Williams went to say the media interest in the incident has left him something of a celebrity in shark circles.

“This one female asked how I got that big bruise on my back, and when I told her I was punched by an Aussie she just hung on every word before asking if she could touch it.”

“Thanks mate.”