Mick Fanning has arrived at Sydney airport and is about to address the media.
#MickFanning has just walked through the gates at Sydney Airport, and will address the media shortly. Stay with us for all the updates. http://bit.ly/1VncBKf Posted by SBS News on Monday, July 20, 2015
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has written to the government, putting Julian Wilson's name forward for a bravery award.
The Queensland surfer's actions in swimming out to assist Mick Fanning have been praised as heroic.
Wilson said he is just glad his friend emerged with his life and body intact from the shark encounter.
"I literally thought, paddling for him, that I wasn't going to get there in time," Wilson said in an emotional interview.
"Especially when I came over the wave and his board was over here and he was swimming that way and I was like, 'Oh no, it's going to just grab him and take him under'."
A still-shaken Mick Fanning will never again hit the surf on July 19, his terrifying attack by a shark at Jeffreys Bay forever staining the date in his memory.
The three-time world champion still isn't sure if he'll ever return to the South African spot or even continue his world title race, but is positive that one particular square on his calendar will be surf-free.
Fanning will touch down in Australia later today after he made headlines around the world for his run-in with the shark, believed to be a great white, during the final of the World Surf League (WSL) event.
The 34-year-old Gold Coaster punched the feared predator and used his board as a shield before rescue crews pulled him and Australian rival Julian Wilson from the water to safety.
A day after the dramatic events unfolded on live TV, Fanning admits he's mentally still "a bloody mess" and just feels lucky to be alive - though was also left with the impression he'd attended his own funeral.
"A bunch of friends from the tour - competitors and administrators - came by my place to make sure I was really in one piece," he said in an interview with Red Bull.
"We had a few drinks to celebrate and some dinner.
"There was a lot of love and relief, but it was so strange though - it felt like I was at my own wake, to be honest.
"I got some sleep but it was a pretty restless night."
Fanning said he's watched the video replay of his chillingly close call over and over, and can't get his head around the fact that his friends and family, including his distraught mother, had to endure an agonisingly long few seconds of not knowing whether he would make it.
"That's one of the scariest factors, and what really gets me emotional," he said.
"It's surreal watching it play out."
