Fanning hails ‘miracle’ shark escape and ‘warrior’ mate Julian

SYDNEY: Australian surfing champion Mick Fanning Tuesday called his escape from a shark attack a "miracle" and vowed to return to the waves, while paying tribute to "warrior" mate Julian Wilson for rushing to help.

The 34-year-old three-time world champion fought off a large shark during the final heat of a world tour event at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa´s Eastern Cape province on Sunday in dramatic scenes beamed live around the world.

He survived unscathed, with his rival and close friend Wilson, also from Australia, furiously paddling towards him to help despite the danger posed by the shark, believed to be a great white.

"I guess someone was looking out for me. To walk away from a shark attack with not a scratch on you, it´s a miracle really," Fanning said after arriving back in Sydney with Wilson, where they were met by a large media scrum.

"You just count your lucky stars and if there is someone up there looking after us -- thanks."

As he was knocked off his board and desperately punched the shark to keep it at bay, Wilson paddled towards him in courageous actions that prompted his home state Queensland to nominate him for a bravery award.

"This man came to my aid like a warrior!!," Fanning said of Wilson in an Instagram post earlier in the day, after social media went into meltdown over the dramatic close call.

A YouTube clip of the attack has had almost 13.5 million views and even Hollywood stars such as Charlize Theron and Russell Crowe have been following the action on Twitter.

Wilson played down his reaction, calling Fanning "a great role model".
"As soon as I realised the danger and what was going on, I couldn't get there quick enough," he said in Sydney, adding that Fanning confronting the shark spurred him on.

"It could be the thing that gave me the courage to just head for him. You know, to see that he just turned on something that was so much bigger than him."