“I’ve got holidays already booked and I’m excited about that. [But] that’s not until the event finishes so my head is here,” said Mick Fanning after disposing of Dusty Payne in the first heat of the day on a chilly Bells morning. “I don’t know how I’m going to feel until I’m away from the events but I do know that I can’t make a decision on my future being at an event. As you see [here] I sort of go back into contest mode. Until I’m away from it or until I have that feeling and see if I miss out on things then I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
Fanning stuck to his trademark searing carves and tail blows, didn’t fall and controlled their round three heat. “It was all feeling pretty good,” said Fanning after the win. “I enjoy coming to Bells and always want to do well down here. Dusty’s a great surfer and a great guy so it’s always tough coming up against him so I knew I just had to put on my best performance.”
Dusty has only won five of his twenty-four round three appearances in his CT career and the stat must play heavily on the Hawaiian’s mind. Early round losses have defined his career and you wonder why he continues to hitch a ride on the emotional rollercoaster of competition after such a stellar freesurfing career.
After announcing he wouldn’t compete full-time on the championship tour in 2016 the three-time world champ finds himself in a unique situation.
“The decision to have some time off was never based on form,” emphasised Fanning. “I just wanted to do something different and chase some other dreams. So my form is good, my boards are good, body’s good … I’ve just got a rough head still.” [Laughs].
When pushed on whether he felt relieved to progress through the draw after exiting the Snapper Rocks event with a third round loss, Fanning maintained he had placed little expectation on himself this season.
“I’m not really too worried to tell you the truth. If I win I win if I lose I lose. It’s still just going surfing. I’m not too fussed on all that sort of side of it. I’m just going out enjoying the places I enjoy to surf and trying to have a good time,” he said.
Whether Mick comes back rejuvenated and determined to chase down his fourth world title after a hiatus remains to be seen. A year of introspection away from competition is what Fanning is firmly focused on after a tumultuous 2015 that saw him involved in a shark attack at the J Bay Open, separation from his wife and also deal with the death of his brother.
