Mick Fanning shark attack caught on live TV (Video)

Professional surfer Mick Fanning had a close — WAY too close — encounter with a shark on Sunday, and it was all caught on live television.

Fanning, who was competing in the World Surf League’s J-Bar Open in South Africa, was floating in open water waiting for a wave when a shark swam up beside him and bit the leash on his board. Here’s the terrifying footage:

Sharks are in the lineup. @Mick_Fanning is OK. The #JBayOpen Final is on STANDBY http://t.co/Kq8bZ5eIA7 http://t.co/FusEoR2EHM

— #JBayOpen (@wsl) July 19, 2015

Fortunately, Fanning escaped unharmed. He was understandably shaken up while talking about the incident almost immediately after it happened.

“I was just sitting there, I was just about to start moving and I felt something grab — like, got stuck in my leg rope — and I instantly just jumped away,” he said. “It just kept coming up my board and I was just kicking and screaming. … I just saw fins, I didn’t see teeth. I punched it in the back.”

Here’s a video of Fanning’s adrenaline-fueled interview, which contains some NSFW language:

The J-Bay Open was called off for the day after the encounter. Obviously, that could have gone a lot worse. We saw a similar incident last year when a great white shark attack was caught on camera in Manhattan Beach, and that victim needed to be treated in a hospital.

This appeared to be a clear case of mistaken identity. Thank goodness for that.

H/T The Big Lead