Mick’s back?

words by ben stephens

If you pay close attention to the QT Life beating drum, you’ll remember that three weeks ago we wrote a fairly big claim regarding the local legend that is Michael Eugene Fanning:

‘You didn’t hear it from us, but there are strange rumblings that Mick Fanning might be returning to the tour to surf Snapper and Bells Beach…’ 

Turns out we have an instinct for this kind of stuff as the big man himself posted this little piece on his Instagram:

Talk about a spanner in the works for the rest of the tour. White Lightning is back on tour. This is the guy who punches sharks in the face, swims away, and then comes back for more.

The same guy who goes on surf trips with Rip Curl to find the most incredible left-hand breaks the world has ever seen. Then swears the location to secrecy.

This is the dude who, along with a Joel Parkinson, Bede Durbridge and Josh Kerr (all fellow pro surfers) created the best-tasting beer this country has ever produce, Balter.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BMukzr9heMA/?taken-by=balterbrewers

So now that he has confirmed that he’s back on the World Surf League, taking in six continents and 11 stops across the globe, does Gabby Medina and John John Florence have something to worry about? The Greatest Of All Time AKA the Goat, Kelly Slater, said this in relation to Fanning’s return:

‘You’d be silly to not think Mick is Top 3 in the world right now. All things considered. Having won at so many different breaks and being so dominant at places like Bells and Jeffreys Bay, there’s no way he’s not a contender.’ 

Our call – Mick Fanning for the 2017 World Champion… Huge, we know, but we can feel something in our waters.

Welcome back Fanning, we couldn’t be more stoked.

You can catch Mick and all his pro surfer friends at the first event of the year, the Quicksilver & Roxy Pro at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast this March. The waiting period kicks off on March 14.