Mick Eugene Fanning, who is nicknamed “the white lightning”, was born on June 13, 1981 in Penrith, NSW, Australia. He started his path of becoming a surfing rock star at the age of 22 when he received the ASP Rookie of the Year Award after finishing 5th in the world. The Professional Australian surfer has survived a lot of challenges along the way to become the success that he is now. Perhaps one of the most challenging was when he survived an encounter with what is thought to be a great white shark at the finals of the 2015 J-Bay Open which took place in Jeffrey’s Bay, South Africa.
Mick Fanning Shark Attack
Fanning also went up against one the most competitive dynasty in the world of surfing in the form of Kelly Slater. His incredible performance in the year 2007 made him the very first Australian to usurp Kelly Slater for a world title in 15 years. Mick was also able to put together one of the most impressive competitive seasons of all time in surfing when he won three events. He also finished as a runner up in another event which brought him into four semifinals.
Mick Fanning Freesurf TV
In the year 2009, Fanning made his way from the bottom to catching the runaway rating leader Joel Parkinson, who is also one of his best friends, leading him to bring home the world title the second time around. He then surfed his way up to the peak of the wave when he collected his third world title in the year 2013 competing with Kelly Slater once again, giving the enthusiasts and fanatics on the most exciting showdowns for the title.
Mick Fanning dedicates his performances and achievements to his beloved brother who died in a tragic car accident when he was just 16. He is also the first person that Mick thinks of every time he wins.
