Mick Fanning is one of surfing’s all-time greats. Three world titles, six Australian Male Surfer of the Year awards, and countless other accolades have put him on a pedestal, and despite the fact that he’s retired from the tour, he’s not retired from surfing. Far from it, in fact.
Now, instead of following the Tour around the world, he’s free to pick and choose where and when he paddles out, and on February 19th, his choice was Dbah. “Just another day at the office – Dbah – Monday 19 February 2024,” wrote Surf Today on YouTube. “The swell dropped off a notch and Duranbah was looking good early. Mick Fanning came out to show everyone how it’s done, but there were lots of waves to go around.”
Duranbah is one of those waves that’s known the world over for good reason. On its day, it’s one of the best on Earth, and it’s a wave that Fanning knows about as well as a person can know a wave.
It must be difficult, though, for someone with a reputation like Fanning’s, to paddle out among the masses. Sure, he’s got his pick of the litter, wave-wise, but one has to imagine that losing any sense of anonymity would be a little wearing after so many years — especially in Australia, where surfing is pretty much everything to a lot of people. But when the waves are this good, Fanning probably has his mind on them instead of the gawking lineup.
