'A crazy situation': shark sighting forces halt to surfing once again at J-Bay | Sport
Two years after Mick Fanning was attacked by a great white shark at Jeffreys Bay the day’s surfing was called off with a mako shark spotted in the lineup.
Julian Wilson, who was in the water with Fanning in 2015 when the attack happened, was surfing his fourth round heat against South Africa’s Jordy Smith and Brazil’s Filipe Toledo.
The two-metre mako breached out the back of the lineup, about 90m behind Toledo, who also had to exit the water at Western Australia’s Margaret River Pro, where there was a shark scare earlier this year.
“Second time this year but glad to be here,†Toledo said. “The team worked good, they saw a big fish or shark spinning, it was a crazy situation but the skis came really fast to us and we jumped on the skis.â€
Wilson said he was not scarred by his prior experience or worried by the shark sighting. He had famously paddled towards good friend Fanning during the 2015 incident.
“It was the furthest thing from my mind anything like this happening,†Wilson said. “The first thing I think about is family, my wife, people that are close to me and make sure they’re OK and know that I am fine. For me it is about going out there doing what I love and I will always enjoy it.â€
Wilson expected his heat would be restarted from scratch on Wednesday as neither he, Smith or Toledo had put down any really big scores. Fanning was in the heat before and will have to surf in the fifth round after he was comprehensively beaten by a 9.6 and 9.47 by Portugal’s Frederico Morais and a 7.17 and 10 from John John Florence.
Joining Morais in the quarter-finals is Brazil’s 2014 world champion Gabriel Medina, who produced an impressive tube ride in his fourth round heat to defeat Joan Duru of France and Australia’s Owen Wright. Still to surf in the fourth round is Australia’s world championship leader Matt Wilkinson, who will face off against Conner Coffin and Tahiti’s Michel Bourez.
Earlier in third round action Smith, who won the event in 2010 and 2011 put down back-to-back perfect 10s, featuring huge turns and tube rides to eliminate Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti. The perfect 20 in his heat brought the local crowd to life and put a smile on the big South African’s face.
“It feels absolutely phenomenal,†Smith said. “I couldn’t believe it and I was really fortunate to get that. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get a perfect 20 and to get it here at J-Bay makes it extra special.â€
Australian’s Bede Durbridge, Connor O’Leary, Joel Parkinson and Jack Freestone were eliminated in the third round.
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