Mick Fanning: Surf for your life

Mick Fanning: Surf for your life   

Baker, T. & Fanning, M. (2009), 'Mick Fanning: Surf for your life,' Random House Aust Pty Ltd, North Sydney, NSW Australia.  

Softcover = 344 pages. 
Condition = Good secondhand.  

World champion surfer Mick Fanning may only be twenty-eight, but he's already experienced more than most of us ever will. How does it feel to lose a brother? Win a world title? Rip your hamstring muscle clean off the bone? Weave through a zippering Superbank barrel for twenty to thirty seconds or paddle over the ledge at places like Pipeline and Teahupo'o? Walk into the bar of a Brazilian hotel dressed in a G-string bikini to make your mates laugh, only to find your mates have left and there is only a puzzled bartender starting blankly at you? 

Mick's journey so far has definitely been a mixed bag, but it is the extremes of that journey that make him so interesting. Mick tells his life story candidly - in turns funny, sensitive, thoughtful, self-deprecating - while providing intimate insights into personal lessons gained along the way; with practical tips on surfing technique, fitness, nutrition, board design, travel, competitive strategies and sports psychology. His story proves that what doesn't kill you really can make you stronger. 

Ultimately, though, its' Mick's humanity, his readiness to give back, that might provide the greatest surprise and inspiration.