Surfer is attacked by a great white shark on live television and is able to save himself thanks to his quick reaction

If the thought of being attacked by a shark is not scary enough, try actually be attacked individually.

World surfing champion Mike Fanning says he still has “flashbacks” of the moment he was attacked by a great white shark on live television.

In July 2015, the three-meter-long shark attacked the three-time champion as he competed in Jeffreys, South Africa.

If Fanning hadn’t acted quickly, his life would have been over. Watch below:

During the incident, he was pulled underwater for nine long seconds.

But instead of accepting his fate, the Australian managed to fend off the shark just before it took his life.

“I felt like I had climaxed at the right time, my body felt good and yes, I was really excited,” he said 60 minutes in 2018.

“The shark just came. My board was sideways and the shark just came. It was, like, right there. The main dorsal fin was right there and I could see the side fin and I could see where it goes from grey to white.

“I thought, ‘Oh yeah, that’s… that’s really, really bad.'”

He thought it was over. (60 Minutes)

Fanning somehow managed to fend off the shark with one punch and get back to safety.

In a 2020 interview, he said he felt “extremely lucky” that things turned out the way they did.

Speaking to 7NEWS about the incident, Fanning said: “As a surfer you think about sharks, but you never think something like this could happen to you.

“I consider myself extremely lucky.

“I still have flashbacks of coming up (to get some air) and hearing the splashing.”

It’s hard to believe, but Fanning didn’t let his brush with death stop him from surfing. Just a week after the attack, he was back at sea.

The surfer says he still has “flashbacks.” (60 Minutes)

He ended up coming second in the competition he was participating in at the time of the attack, which is pretty impressive all things considered.

Fanning even agreed to come face to face with the sharks for the National Geographic documentary Save this shark where he did cage diving.

He explained at the time: “I didn’t know how I would react if I saw the shark… but I had to heal myself and see if I had overcome the nightmares I was having.

“The fear and nervousness come back and personally I didn’t know how it would go, but they are such incredible creatures.

“It made me realize how important sharks are. They dominate the oceans for a reason. I’m so glad I did it. It also answered a lot of questions.”

Photo credit: 60 Minutes

Topics: Australia, shark attacks, sharks