Champion surfer Mick Fanning attacked by shark during live broadcast (VIDEO)

An Australian surfer made an incredible escape from serious harm after encountering a shark during a major competition in South Africa — all of the frightening attack being seen by viewers on a live broadcast of the event.

Mick Fanning was competing in the J-Bay Open on the eastern Cape, when one of the sharks approached his surfboard.

Video of the attack showed the shark's fin rising out of the water behind Fanning as the surfer paddled on his board before getting knocked into the water. 

Fanning, the defending champion, escaped injury after punching the shark and swimming away to a waiting jet ski. The tournament was called off soon afterwards.

"I was just cruising, just waiting for my turn, my opportunity," said the 34-year-old, a triple world champion who was competing in the finals against fellow Australian Julian Wilson.

"I'm happy to not even to compete ever again. Seriously, to walk away from that, I'm just so stoked."

Now that's reality TV.

Here's the whole incident:

Dude surfs 60-foot wave on skimboard (VIDEO)

Surfers conquering monster waves are all over the Internet these days, but try doing it on a skimboard. Yup. One of those little sheets of wood you see kids gliding across the shoreline of your local beach.

Professional skimboarder Brad Domke took the simple beach sport to high-adrenaline heights earlier this month after he was filmed effortlessly gliding down a 60-foot wall of water in Puerto Escondido, Mexico.

As the swell cascades over him and crashes down, Brad re-emerges still standing on his small fin-less board. He then performs a quick trick in the air and victoriously flips into the ocean after his unprecedented run. (GIF gfycat.com:RepentantVioletChimneyswift)

To perform the impressive stunt, Brad was towed into the breaking wave by a partner driving a jet ski. And as anyone who ever surfed can tell you, it's almost impossible to steer or hold the edge of a wave without a fin.

Although the ride is believed to be record-setting, it has not been made official yet. Still, pretty impressive.

Pro surfer/model charged with attempted murder after road rage attack: Report

A 30-year-old professional surfer and model has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly following an elderly woman back to her apartment and running her down as part of a road rage incident.

Jill Hansen was formerly charged around on Friday in Hawaii following the gnarly noontime attack in Waikiki, Honolulu on Wednesday, Hawaii News Now reported.

A witness, Chris Khory, has told police that he stopped Hansen from hitting the 73-year-old victim, identified as Elizabeth Conklin, a second time by smashing her back window with a crowbar.

Khory said after knocking Conklin down Hansen got out of her Volkswagen sedan, looked at her, got back in the car and put it in reverse.

After that final touch, she got out and fled, leaving behind her car. Police used it to track her down, arresting Hansen six hours later in the Manoa area.

Conklin was hospitalized in serious condition with cuts, bruises and a head injury, emergency officials said.

This is not the first time Hansen has gone over the falls, said police.

She has a pending assault case and in a separate case was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

There is also an active restraining order filed by her father. 

One-armed 'Soul Surfer' wins major title 11 years after shark attack

Eleven years after losing her left arm during a shark attack, Bethany Hamilton, the inspirational 24-year-old surfer won the Surf-N-Sea Pipeline Women's Pro, one of the crown jewels in the world of women's surfing.

The Kauai-born Hamilton — also known as the Soul Surfer — topped two Hawaiian surfers and a competitor from Japan in the final round for the title.

For Hamilton, who famously lost her arm to a shark attack at age 13, it was her first major title in nearly ten years.

The courageous Hamilton returned to surfing just a month after a 14-foot tiger shark bit off her left arm in 2003, but hadn't won a major surfing event since  her brave return to the ocean only a month following her ordeal.

That all changed after her impressive performance at last Thursday's event — held in Hawaii's Banzai Pipeline.

The tall, blond native Hawaiian accepted the win with a dose of humility.

"I usually lose so this was great," the beaming Hamilton said after being carried off the beach on the shoulders of her fellow surfers.

Hamilton's captivating tale of fighting back against all odds was immortalized in the 2011 movie "Soul Surfer." 

Her charity Friends of Bethany supports shark attack victims and other amputees.

Surfer survives terrifying 'Wipeout From Hell' (VIDEO)

James Hollmer Cross was surfing the big waves at Pedra Branca on the southern edge of Tasmania earlier this month when he found himself in the middle of a terrifying wipeout. 

The epic drilling is now being called the "Wipeout from Hell" and deservedly so.

The video is scary to watch and afterwards, Hollmer Cross was the first to tell everyone that being swallowed by a wave that makes him look like a small speck in the pipeline draws a watery line between getting thrills and meeting your maker. Luckily, he survived.

"It was absolutely the heaviest thing that's ever happened to me," said the surfer. "I thought I was actually gonna die. I almost passed out but I fought it. I came through...it was pretty euphoric actually."

Riot breaks out after SoCal surfing competition

A violent mob raged through the streets of Huntington Beach, Cal. after a surfing competition Sunday night — clashing with police, toppling portable toilets, brawling in the streets and apparently vandalizing and looting at least one business, according to police and witnesses.

The mob erupted among a crowd of thousands gathered for the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, which includes surfing, skateboarding and BMX biking events.

The melee was sparked after a couple of brahs allegedly got into a fistfight in the downtown Main Street area.  

Police in riot gear made eight arrests on suspicion of failure to disperse, according to a Huntington Beach Police Department statement.

People in the mob strapped bandanas across their faces and threw rocks and bottles at police officers. Police reportedly fired back with pepper balls.

A video posted to Facebook showed a mob throwing a stop sign through a store window and making off with merchandise, including a bicycle. Police eventually got things under control.

When asked to describe the wild scene, most of the witnesses said, "They were like ...whoaaa ..."

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Teenage surfer says it's 'pretty cool' after getting attacked by shark

A teenage surfer was lucky to be alive after being attacked by a shark in Florida on Saturday, but still described the experience as "pretty cool."

Sixteen-year-old Michael Adler was surfing off Melbourne Beach when a bull shark bit through his ankle, ripping through four tendons and creating a wound that required 40 stitches.

A stranger rushed to the Fort Lauderdale boy's aid as he limped out of the sea, helping to save Adler's chewed up foot which will take at least six weeks to recover. 

But Adler was even relaxed enough to flash a peace sign and smile through gritted teeth as he was hauled off the beach by paramedics.

Adler told the New York Daily News that it "wasn't too painful at all. I think it was the adrenaline."

The surfer dude added that the scariest part of the experience was getting back to the beach, as he thought the hungry fish would smell the blood and follow him.

Once he got to the beach a man who seemed to have military training wrapped a surf board leash round Adler's leg, creating a tourniquet which stopped the bleeding.

But the teenager has taken the incident in good humor, changing his Twitter name to "Shark Bait" and promising he won't be out of the ocean for long. 

Adler and three buds had been in the water for around two hours — in an area known for its dangerous bull shark appearances — when he fell off his surfboard at 11.00 am on Saturday morning. He didn't see the shark that bit him but immediately felt pain in his leg. 

"His whole jaw just crammed down on my leg and right from there I kind of knew it was a shark attack," he said. "So then I was paddling in as fast as I could."

He's lucky hanging ten didn't turn into missing five.

Garrett McNamara rides epic 100 foot wave

Garrett McNamara is known for riding some of the biggest waves in the world.  Guinness World Records has already confirmed that a 78-foot wave he rode last November was the biggest one anybody has ever surfed.

Yesterday, McNamara apparently eclipsed that record and way more.

It's not official yet but Surfer Today reports that the extreme surfer caught a a wave in Nazare, Portugal that could be as high as 100 feet.

Measuring the height of the wave is not easy, but it sure isn't as hard surfing down the steep slope of water and living to tell about it.

Judge for yourself and give credit to the guy on the jet ski.  He's got a pair of cojones as well.



After the epic ride, the McNamara wrote on Twitter; "Thank you for all your support.  It means the world to me.  Today was an awesome day and so fun to be out there."