Mick Fanning was always going to return to the scene of his shark attack a year later - even if he couldn't bring himself to jump back into the water.
But the Australian three-time world champion will put any fears he still holds around the harrowing experience to one side as he competes in the J-Bay Open at South Africa's Jeffreys Bay next week.
"Even if I decided I didn't want to surf in the J-Bay Open, I was always going to go back," he said.
"I've had so many great memories there that to leave J-Bay on the note from last year just didn't seem right."
Fanning has only competed in selected events in this year's World Surf League after an emotional 2015 when he endured the shark attack, the death of his older brother and a marriage breakdown.
He narrowly missed out on a fourth world title.
The 35-year-old Gold Coast product is confident the world surfing championship event's organisers have improved shark surveillance and response measures but knows safety from another encounter can't be guaranteed.
"It's all part of surfing. There is not a lot anyone can do," he said.
"I've surfed lots of different places and have seen sharks since then and haven't felt too concerned."
"We're not going to go out and put a cage around J-Bay."
Fanning won't have much time to calm his nerves, having been drawn to line up in the first heat of the opening round next Wednesday where he will face American Conner Coffin and Brazil's Alejo Muniz.
Fellow Australian Julian Wilson, who was surfing against Fanning at the time of the attack and momentarily feared he had just witnessed his friend die, will also return to compete.
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