--- description: The champion surfer, famed for fending off a shark attack on live TV, is worried the yellow color attracts sharks title: Shark Attack Survivor Mick Fanning Ditches Yellow Surfboard image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15c9dd020e5bae24/69885f890a4a2266d69c5a67/484165512.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Surfing](/tag/surfing/) ## Surfing Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Surfer and Shark-Attack Survivor Mick Fanning Ditches Yellow Board Over Safety Fears ## Video: Surfing Champion Fends Off a Shark By Punching It - World Surf League [Watch (HLS stream): Surfing Champion Fends Off a Shark By Punching It - World Surf League](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/i5BzDHku.m3u8) (1:34)  _Published 2015-07-20. Australian surfing champion Mick Fanning escaped uninjured after being attacked by a shark Sunday during a competition in South Africa._ by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 17, 2015 7:28 AM CUT  Mick Fanning of Australia won his first heat back in competition at the Billabong Pro Tahiti after his shark encounter in South Africa four weeks ago in Teahupo'o, French Polynesia, on August 15, 2015. Mick Fanning of Australia won his first heat back in competition at the Billabong Pro Tahiti after his shark encounter in South Africa four weeks ago in Teahupo'o, French Polynesia, on August 15, 2015.Kelly Cestari—World Surf League/Getty Images by [Alissa Greenberg](/author/alissa-greenberg/) ## Alissa Greenberg Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 17, 2015 7:28 AM CUT Australian surfer Mick Fanning—who made headlines around the world last month after he fended off a shark [attack](http://time.com/3963763/surfing-shark-attack/ "undefined") in South Africa’s Jeffreys Bay on live television—was back in competition for the first time since that incident this weekend, but without his trusty yellow surfboard. After hearing that some divers called the color of his old board “yum yum yellow” because it is thought to attract sharks, Fanning opted to swap his yellow board for blue and black one, Australian news portal news.com.au reports. “To tell you the truth, I didn’t know exactly what was going to go through my head,” Fanning said in a [videoblog](http://www.unscriptd.com/Raw/SURFING-Mick-Fanning-15028/ "undefined") entry posted online, describing the mild nerves he experienced before his return to competition. But after winning his first heat at Teahupo’o, French Polynesia, he said it felt “just like any other game day really.” With a successful return behind him, Fanning now wants to focus on winning his fourth world championship. “There’s been so much hype about the incident in J-Bay and so much media attention,” Fanning told news.com.au. “And I just want to move on.” \[[news.com.au](http://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sports/mick-fanning-ditches-his-yellow-surfboards-out-of-fear-the-colour-might-attract-sharks/story-fndukor0-1227486794887 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3999888/shark-attack-mick-fanning-surfing-yellow-boards/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3999888/shark-attack-mick-fanning-surfing-yellow-boards/"},"headline":"Surfer and Shark-Attack Survivor Mick Fanning Ditches Yellow Board Over Safety Fears","datePublished":"2015-08-17T07:28:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T08:41:12.289Z","description":"Some divers call the color \"yum yum yellow\" for its ability to attract sharks","url":"https://time.com/3999888/shark-attack-mick-fanning-surfing-yellow-boards/","keywords":["Surfing","Australia","Sports topic","shark attack"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15c9dd020e5bae24/69885f890a4a2266d69c5a67/484165512.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alissa Greenberg","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alissa-greenberg/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt15c9dd020e5bae24/69885f890a4a2266d69c5a67/484165512.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Billabong Pro Teahupoo","caption":"Billabong Pro Teahupoo","creditText":"Kelly Cestari—World Surf League/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/surfing/","name":"Surfing"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3999888/shark-attack-mick-fanning-surfing-yellow-boards/","name":"Surfer and Shark-Attack Survivor Mick Fanning Ditches Yellow Board Over Safety Fears"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Surfing Champion Fends Off a Shark By Punching It - World Surf League","description":"Australian surfing champion Mick Fanning escaped uninjured after being attacked by a shark Sunday during a competition in South Africa.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/i5BzDHku/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-07-20T02:50:16.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/i5BzDHku.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3999888/shark-attack-mick-fanning-surfing-yellow-boards/","duration":"PT1M34S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3999888/shark-attack-mick-fanning-surfing-yellow-boards/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```