For 30 long seconds, the surf world held its breath.
Mick Fanning, the three-time Australian World Champion, had an altercation with a great white shark during the 2015 World Surf League J-Bay Open in South Africa.
It was one of those moments in sport – like Michael Jordan soaring through the air and dunking the ball from the free-throw line, the Rumble in the Jungle, George W. Bush throwing out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium after 9/11, etc. – that are etched into the history books and seared into the minds of those who watched them live.
Fanning’s career (hell, his life) changed that day.
His career was never the same (he retired three years later, never to see the same success); he became a household name as all major media covered the incident; and he began a shift in focus from pro surfing dominance to business mogul.
In a new piece from CEO Magazine, Fanning talked about that career change, how he and a couple mates sold a beer company for over $100 million, and his second life as a surfer turned businessman.
About Balter, the beer brand he created with fellow pro surfers Joel Parkinson, Josh Kerr, and Bede Durbidge, then sold for $128 million (copping a $2.5 million return on his investment), Fanning said:
“It helped me think about my ‘afterlife’, when I’d no longer be competing. It wasn’t easy because surfing was everything, and the ocean had always been my healing place. But stepping back for those few months had let me think about the fact I was getting older, and realize that I wouldn’t lose my entire identity when I was no longer on the tour.
“It also made it easier to finally quit because I could see there were still fun things to do in the corporate world and lots for me to learn.”
Additionally, Fanning started a soft-top collection, became an ambassador for corporate giants like Red Bull and Mercedes Benz, maintained his sponsorship with core surf brand, Rip Curl, and became one of the world’s most well-known surfers.
As for his plans for the future?
“Over the next 20 years, I want to take my family on surfing trips and do as little work as possible,” he says. “I’d love to show them the world that I was lucky enough to explore as a professional surfer.”
Must be nice.
Read the full piece here.
***
Don’t miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We’re always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.
Whether you’re a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.