Australian surfing great Mick Fanning remains unsure whether his return to the world tour will be permanent.
The three-time world champion says he will make the call based on whether he enjoys competition surfing again.
Next month's opening round of the World Surf League at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast will be Fanning's first competition in more than six months.
He has committed to the Australian leg of the season, competing as well at Margaret River and then the Easter round at Bells Beach.
But beyond that, Fanning is making no decisions yet.
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"I will probably make up my mind soon," he said.
"It's just enjoyment - if it's something I enjoy going back to, then I might stay.
"If not, then I will disappear again."
Fanning took the sabbatical after a tumultuous 2015, when he fought off a shark on live TV while competing at J Bay in South Africa.
One of his brothers later died and his marriage also ended.
It has been a momentous break, with Fanning awarded the Order of Australia.
He also enjoyed a life highlight, surfing under the northern lights in Norway.
Fanning was in Melbourne on Thursday night as part of the Van Heusen men's clothing Mentors campaign.
"It was great to go and just do something different. I just had to break the cycle a little bit," he said.
Fanning is looking forward to testing himself again in competition.
"I've been training pretty hard and getting the body back after six months of laziness," he said.
"You never know how you're going to go - you just have to do the work.
"For me, it's been exciting to get the body back to a place where I'm happy with it.
"With my surfing, (it's) getting the timing back and getting more consistent again - free surfing and contest surfing are totally different."
