Fanning says every surfer knows the odds

No surfer is better qualified to discuss the sport's dangers than Australian world No.1 Mick Fanning.

The man who punched a shark earlier this year was also involved in a rescue on the weekend that saved young American surfer Evan Geiselman from drowning.

Geiselman's wipeout happened at the famed Banzai Pipeline break on Hawaii's North Shore.

It is the venue for the Pipeline Masters, the last round of the world surf league and the event that will determine whether Fanning wins a fourth world title.

As the Masters waiting period started on Wednesday (AEDT), Fanning spoke about the inherent risk in what he does for a living.

After South African bodyboarder Andre Botha saved Geiselman in the water, Fanning was among several other surfers who helped bring the stricken American to shore.

"I consider myself extremely lucky. I was lucky beforehand and now I'm even more lucky to walk away from something like that. There are other people who haven't," Fanning said of Geiselman's wipeout.

"I'm super happy to be here and to have a chance to continue doing what I love.

"I was just walking down the beach and saw Evan pull into one (a wave) but didn't really think about it.

"It was extremely fortunate that something bad didn't become worse."

In July, Fanning and compatriot Julian Wilson were contesting the final of the J-Bay Open when a shark attacked him.

He fought off the shark with a punch and Wilson paddled over to help.

Along with that risk, Geiselman's near-disaster highlighted the perils of tackling the sort of big waves that make Banzai Pipeline so famous.

Fanning said every professional surfer knows the odds.

"Its a fifty-fifty chance - you know you have to put yourself over the ledge and do that to get the best scores," he said.

"In the same sentence though you just have to have a calculated risk about it."

A lay day was called for day one of the Pipeline invitational event, which will decide the last two surfers for the main competition.