Mick Fanning's mother has described her terror as she watched a huge shark attack the champion surfer in South Africa and the heart-wrenching moments when she feared she had lost another son.
Elizabeth Osborne was watching the J-Bay Open surf competition live on television when the shark stalked her son.
TV cameras captured the moment when a large fin broke the surface of the water behind the surfer and attacked.
A large swell swept in, leaving viewers, including Fanning's mother, with their hearts in their mouths as they waited for a clear view of the Australian's fate.
"I was so scared," Ms Osborne told ABC radio on Monday.
"I just thought when that wave came through that he'd gone."
Shedding tears of shock, she described how her terror turned to overwhelming relief when it became clear he had survived unscathed.
She said she was sure her late son, Sean, who died in a car crash about 17 years ago, was looking out for his brother.
"It's the worst thing I've ever seen happen to any of my family because it was just there in front of me. When Sean was killed in the car accident, I didn't see it. I saw this just in front of me. It was just terrible."
Ms Osborne told of the pride she felt for her son, who has described punching the shark in the fight of his life.
"We always say in our family 'we never give up and we never give in'. And he didn't. He's such a fighter," she said.
"I'm just so thankful and so proud of Mick and so grateful to the universe that he didn't have a leg missing."
She said she'd be forever grateful to fellow Australian surfer Julian Wilson, who paddled towards Fanning when he realised his mate and rival was in trouble.
"They are just such great friends and Julian is such a beautiful boy.
"Everybody was just so scared for Mick."
Ms Osborne said her son would need time to process what had happened and it would be up to him to decide when he'd compete again.
In the meantime she's looking forward to a very emotional homecoming.
"I can't believe that that shark thought oh no, no I'm not going to do anything here, I'm going. I just thank the shark very much for just disappearing."
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