By Inga Ting
- Mick Fanning attacked by shark
- Surfers react with shock
- I thought we'd lost him: mother
- Fanning very fortunate: Beachley
Australian surfer Julian Wilson has been hailed as a hero for swimming towards his friend and fellow world title competitor Mick Fanning when a shark attacked him during an event final in Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.
Remarkably, Fanning emerged unscathed after the shark swam up behind him and lunged at him as he sat on his board.
The extraordinary courage and camaraderie of the pair, who were locked in a world title battle when the horror unfolded, has been applauded around the world as a show of true sportsmanship.
Wilson paddled towards Fanning when he saw the shark attack and later broke down during a media interview, saying he thought his friend was "gone" when a wave washed over him.
Julian Wilson (in red) hugs Mick Fanning, who was attacked by a shark during the fInal of the J-Bay Open on Sunday.Credit: World Surf League/Kirstin Scholtz
"It came up, and he was wrestling it, and I saw the whole thing, and then I saw he got knocked off his board, and then, like, a little wave popped up and I just thought, he's gone, he's gone under," Wilson said through tears.
"I felt like I couldn't get there quick enough."
Asked during the World Surf League interview whether the world title still "meant anything" to him following the traumatic encounter, Wilson replied: "No, not at all. I'm just happy that [Fanning's] alive.
"I literally thought, paddling for him, that I wasn't going to get there in time. Especially when I came over the wave and his board was over here and he was swimming that way and I was like, 'Oh no, it's going to just grab him and take him under.'
An emotional Julian Wilson speaks about how he tried to get to Mick Fanning as the shark lunged. Credit: World Surf League
"I was like, I've got a board, if I get there I can stab it, whatever, I got a weapon and I don't know.
"And then he started screaming and I remembered that the boats and stuff were there and we both just started screaming. I was paddling for him.
Mick Fanning (in blue) and Julian Wilson (red) are taken to the safety boat after Fanning was attacked by a shark during the final of the J-Bay Open on Sunday.Credit: World Surf League/ Kirstin Scholtz
"I'm just very happy that he's here."
The World Surf League cancelled the competition soon afterwards and announced that the competitors would split the prize money.