By NBC News
The mother of three-time world champion surfer Mick Fanning revealed Monday that “time stood still” as she watched live TV coverage of her son being attacked by a shark.
Elizabeth Osborne saw her son punch the predator in its back after the shark grabbed his foot rope and pulled him underwater.
“I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” Osborne told NBC News’ Australian partner Channel 7, after the incident at the J-Bay Open in South Africa on Sunday.
“I saw this big fin, and Mick scrambling and turning around,” she said. “And then he went down and I realized then…
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com