Mick Fanning inducted into Australian Surfing Hall of Fame

Three-time World Champion Mick Fanning has been inducted into the Surfing Australia Hall of Fame.
Mick Fanning standing in front of the Surfing Hall of Fame
Mick Fanning standing in front of the Surfing Hall of Fame
Mick Fanning standing in front of the Surfing Hall of Fame
Mick Fanning standing in front of the Surfing Hall of Fame

The Australian Surfing Awards took place at the QT Gold Coast, where three-time WSL Men’s World Champion Mick Fanning was inducted into the Surfing Australia Hall of Fame.

Curator of the Australian Surfing Awards, which incorporates the Hall of Fame, Nick Carrol, shared his thoughts on Mick Fanning

“Public or private, there’s the sense that Mick Fanning, despite his renowned game face and rock-hard attitude in competition, is an open book. What you see is what you get, and that might be a quality Australians love in a person more than anything.

There were the inevitable comparisons with the original Coolie Kids of the 1970s: Wayne Bartholomew, Peter Townend and Michael Peterson. But these kids were different, and so were the times. Archetypal grommets of the late 1990s, they dived into the new century with gusto, making movies, signing contracts, and learning how to win. In 2001, Fanning did just that at world tour level, taking out the Rip Curl Pro at perfect Bells Beach as a 20-year-old wildcard. Four months later, he put in a defining series of free surfing performances in phenomenal winter waves at Lennox Head.

Both became classic defining moments — vital rites of passage for any great Australian surfer. But most of all, Mick Fanning has defined himself by comebacks. There was injury, like the hamstring avulsion that threatened to stop his title runs before they started. There was the crazily unexpected, like the white shark encounter during the J-Bay CT final in 2015, which remains the most-watched moment in professional surfing history. And more than anything else, there was family tragedy: the deaths of his brothers Sean and Peter.

In each case, he was able to draw out the lessons. The hamstring tear led to a strengthening and fitness regime that became a benchmark for elite surfing and contributed mightily to his first world championship. 

Mick Fanning in one of the most powerful moments of modern surfing
Mick Fanning in one of the most powerful moments of modern surfing, captured by @corey_wilson

Through all this, Mick grew from an almost inarticulate grommet to one of the great modern spokespeople for the Australian surfing culture. His humble and easy way of communicating carries through his many media and public appearances, always reinforcing that natural sense of who he is, and in the process, engaging all Australians and millions of people worldwide.

Mick Fanning retired from competition in 2018, with three world titles and a wide range of major event wins to his name, including four each at Bells and J-Bay. He lives on the Gold Coast and surfs all the time.”

Also awarded on the evening were fourteen additional categories The voting is done and the finalists are locked in for all of the categories in this year’s Australian Surfing Awards Iconic names like Wright, Robinson, and Tullemans are on the honour roll. 

Mick Fanning inducted into Australian Surfing Hall of Fame

2021 Australian Surfing Awards Incorporating the Hall of Fame FINALISTS:

Male Surfer of the Year

Morgan Cibilic

Jack Robinson

Reef Heazlewood

Female Surfer of the Year    

Macy Callaghan

Tyler Wright

Molly Picklum

Griffith University Rising Star Award – Female

Sierra Kerr

 Nyxie Ryan

Ellie Harrison 

Griffith University Rising Star Award – Male   

Joel Vaughn

 Lennix Smith

Jarvis Earle

Max McGillivrayHeavy Water Award   

Laura Enever

Russell Bierke

Chris Lougher

ASB Greater Good Award   

Mike Durante, Ron Clarke, Jenna Clarke – Surf February

Tahlia Anderson – Surfing The Spectrum

Cooper Chapman – The Good Human Factory

Peter Troy Lifetime Award   

Martin Tullemans

Matt Grainger

Sandra English

Coach Of The Year    

Clancy Dawson

Adam Robertson

Stacey Galbraith

ACCIONA Innovation Award    

 URBN Surf Melbourne

 Surf Better Now

 Surf Lakes

Surf Culture Award    

 Tracks Magazine – 50 Years

Chris Nelius and Team – Girls Can’t Surf

 Vaughan Blakey – Postcards From Morgs and Free Scrubber

Simon Anderson Club Award   

North Shelly Boardriders

 Queenscliff Boardriders Club

Indigenous Surfing Community Celebration Award   

Otis Carey

Naru Indigenous Corporation

Soli Bailey

Jalaan Slabb

Nikon Surf Video of the Year    

Spencer Frost – A Corner of the Earth

Tom Jennings – SPIRIT, Starring Jay Davies

Andrew Kaineder – FIRST NAME IN THE WATER | RUSS BIERKE | 90

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