The incident, broadcast on live television, begins as Fanning prepares for the final of the J-Bay Open competition in the eastern Cape of South Africa. As he's about to mount his surfboard, a shark's fin appears for a split second before Fanning is pulled off his surfboard and starts violently kicking in the water.
Luckily, Fanning manages to escape any injuries after successfully kicking away the shark and being rescued by a jet-ski.
He later said he was able to "get a punch into" the shark's back before swimming to safety.
