Mick Fanning opens up on loss, family and shark attack
Exclusive: Champion Aussie surfer Mick Fanning has revealed how he has dealt with the loss of his three older brothers and the memory of his near-death experience when he was attacked by a shark while on tour.
Fanning has experienced massive highs as a three time World Surf League champion, but has also had to deal with devastating tragedies in his life.
Mick Fanning during his encounter with a shark at the J-Bay Open in 2015. World Surf League via Getty Images
In 2015, while on tour at Jeffreys Beach in South Africa, he was attacked by a suspected great white shark, with the horrifying ordeal caught on television.
Speaking to Today, he revealed how he thought of how awful his family must have felt in that moment.
“When I really think about it, it’s still one of those moments I wish never happened,” he said.
“Mum would watch everything as would most of my family, and it was sort of just ‘I need to let them know I’m okay’, I’m sure it would have been harrowing for her sitting there.
“She tells the story about how she wanted to jump through the TV and rip me out of there. It’s not something you would want to watch your children go through for sure.”
Mick Fanning said he chooses to celebrate the lives of those who he has lost. Today
He has also tragically lost three of his older brothers.
Sean Fanning died aged 20 in a car crash in 1998, before another brother, Peter, died in 2015 in his sleep due to an enlarged heart.
In 2024, a third brother, Edward, 48, died after a cut on his foot became infected in Madagascar, and he wasn’t able to reach hospital in time.
Fanning said he chooses not to be defined by these tragedies, however.
“Loss is something that we all go through, I guess you’ve got to celebrate those good times though,” he said.
“I’ve lost brothers and good friends, but I like to look at it as celebrating those amazing moments that I had with them.
“I never really focus on the bad things, only on the good things.
Fanning admitted it was an emotional moment walking his niece, Madeleine, down the aisle at her wedding. Today
“There’s been so many amazing memories, and I want to celebrate them.”
Family is a key focus in Fanning’s life now, as he cherishes life with his wife Breeana Randall and their two children.
He said his kids are “everything” to him, saying he enjoys going to the beach and playing sport with them.
Fanning also recently walked his niece Madeleine down the aisle at her wedding.
Fanning said walking his niece, the daughter of brother Peter, down the aisle, was a hugely moving moment.
“It was really emotional, I couldn’t stop crying all day, just because I was so proud of Maddie, and doing it on behalf of my brother, that was something extra special,” he said.
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