A professional surfer survived a shark attack unscathed during a competition on Sunday by punching the shark in the face.
Mick Fanning, a 34-year-old Australian, was competing in the J-Bay Open surf competition in South Africa when a shark tried to eat him as he waited for the next wave.
"I was just cruising, just waiting for my turn," Fanning told World Surf League (WSL). "I felt like I was just about to start moving and get going and then I just had this instinct like something was behind me."
"And then, all of a sudden, I started getting pulled under water and then the thing came up and I was on my board and it was, like, right there. I saw the whole thing just thrashing around."
Fanning said he managed to escape the shark by punching it.
"I punched it a couple of times," he told WSL.
He said he made it out of his battle with the shark, which was captured by cameras, completely uninjured. "I'm just tripping but, yea, I'm totally fine," he said to WSL. "Got nothing wrong with me."
