Watch: Australian Surfer Escapes Shark Attack During Competition

On Sunday, at the 2015 J-Bay Open surf competition in South Africa, Australian surfer and three-time world champion Mick Fanning had just finished up the opening wave of the final and was waiting for another wave when he was approached by two sharks, only one of which can be seen on screen. Fanning socked one of the sharks to fend it off and he was able to escape unharmed.

“I felt something…get stuck in my leg rope, and I instantly just jumped away,” Fanning told reporters. “They just kept coming at my board, and I was just kicking and screaming. … I just saw a fin, didn’t see the teeth, but I was waiting for the teeth to come at me as I was swimming, I was like, ‘Ahh!'” He added, “I punched it in the back.”

(h/t 10TV.com)