Mick Fanning on punching a shark and losing three brothers
The three-time world champion and 2015 shark puncher has endured the deaths of three brothers, his father, and recurring trauma.
Mick Fanning is 45 now, a three-time world champion surfer who won his titles in 2007, 2009 and 2013. In 2015, he punched a great white shark off South Africa and became a global meme.
Mick Fanning's real story runs deeper than headlines. Fanning's three brothers all died young: Sean in a car accident, Peter from a heart condition, and Ed from a badly infected wound.
His father John died earlier this year. His mother Liz lives nearby on the Gold Coast, where Fanning grew up.
He's dealt with night terrors and triggering moments in the water since the shark attack. Fanning is now remarried with two kids and still surfs at Snapper Rocks near Coolangatta.
- Three (2007, 2009, 2013)
- World titles
- 2015, South Africa
- Shark punch
- Sean, Peter, Ed
- Brothers lost
- Snapper Rocks, Gold Coast
- Home
Why it mattersFanning's story shows how elite athletes carry private grief alongside public achievement, and how trauma reshapes a life even after triumph.
AustraliaAn Australian surfing legend's openness about family loss and mental health reaches readers across the country who follow his sport and his life.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
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