© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WATCH: Surfer In South Africa Narrowly Escapes Shark

South Africa's coast is well known as the haunt of sharks, particularly the fearsome great white.

Even so, an encounter today between a large shark and Australian surfer Mick Fanning, who was competing in the Jeffreys Bay World Surf League competition (the J-Bay Open), broadcast live on television, has caused a few hearts to skip a beat.

The surfer is seen scanning the water for the next wave when the shark approaches him from behind. As he tries to paddle away amid the thrashing, the animal appears to hit him in the face.

Fanning reportedly escaped injury and is doing fine. (You can see the full video at the link above.)

It's not clear what kind of shark was involved in the incident, but it's clearly big.

Jeffreys Bay is located just west of Port Elizabeth on South Africa's southernmost coast.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Scott Neuman is a reporter and editor, working mainly on breaking news for NPR's digital and radio platforms.
KCUR prides ourselves on bringing local journalism to the public without a paywall — ever.

Our reporting will always be free for you to read. But it's not free to produce.

As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations to keep operating and trying new things. If you value our work, consider becoming a member.