Mick Fanning is not one for downtime. Having been out of the water with a torn cruciate ligament since May, he has teamed up with Taylor Steele to film a documentary called Save The Shark for National Geographic Australia.
“The documentary is about why we need to protect sharks and give people a better understanding of why sharks act the way they do,” Mick told Tracks, from the Bahamas where he had been swimming with giant hammerhead sharks. “Also it’s a personal journey for me to reconnect with sharks in a more friendly manner. I want to aim to get a better understanding of what really happened to me in J-Bay.”
Now we are assuming you the reader is one of the 27 million people who have seen the footage of Mick being attacked by a white shark in the Final of the 2015 J-Bay Open. Funnily enough, that event had quite an impact on the 3X World Champion. Typically though he has turned that nightmarish experience into a positive.
“Obviously the fear grew inside me a bit at first, but in saying that I wanted to learn more about them,” Mick said. “There’s been so much activity since then so just understanding why that is happening is important if we want to save sharks and save lives.”
Mick has yet again teamed up with Taylor Steele and the studio This. Film Company. The intention is to document Mick as he spends time with four of the world’s leading shark experts to gain insight into the state of shark species within the fragile marine ecosystem. They will also look to explore the role of technology in the future of conservation.
“Taylor is one of my favourite people,” Mick added. “We have had some epic journeys together and this is just adding to it. To be honest it doesn’t feel like work. Just an epic trip that is getting documented.”
Save This Shark is the second instalment in the ‘Save This …’ series. The first was titled Save The Rhino, where they followed cricketer Kevin Pieterson, another sportsperson turned wildlife activist, and investigated the state of rhino poaching in Kruger National Park.
Mick will, yet again, come face-to-face with threatened species of shark on the Gold Coast, Ballina, Port Lincoln, Miami, and the Bahamas. “Sharks are magical, mystical animals and we don’t know enough about what they do for the environment,” he told Tracks. “To get a better understanding of them, and help to educate the world, is something I am truly passionate about.” The documentary is due to come out on National Geographic Australia towards the end of 2020.
