Fanning: the final salute

Bells Beach is where it all began for Mick Fanning, and this year, it will be where it all ends.

The three-time World Champion’s appearance at the 2018 Rip Curl Pro will be his last event as a full-time competitor in the top flight of the World Surf League (WSL).

The surfer has won at Bells on the WSL tour four times over the course of his career, but his debut victory in 2001 is the one that most people will remember.

Not yet a part of the pro tour, Fanning secured a wildcard entry as a 19-year-old rookie and immediately made his mark, blasting past his older, more seasoned rivals and making it into the final, where he defeated his childhood hero Danny Willis to ring the bell.

Speaking on a recent episode of podcast Looking Sideways, Fanning attributed the 2001 win at Bells Beach to the intense competition not only between up-and-coming surfers such as himself, Joel Parkinson and Dean ‘Dingo’ Morrison and established pros such as Kelly Slater and Andy Irons, but also among the rookies themselves.

“The level of surfing was at such a high calibre… we were looking at them, and then within our own little group, we were all pushing each other as well, so it was really fun times,” he said.

“It all happened so quickly for us – from when I got my contract from Rip Curl at 16, I was on tour at 19, so it was real fast, everything happened real fast.

“We sort of had this leapfrog effect. We were just competing with each other, and it just kept projecting us into these new realms that we never thought of.

“First ‘Parko’ goes and wins J-Bay as a wildcard, and then the next year I had a win at Bells as a wildcard, and then ‘Dingo’ would be winning events, we were just leapfrogging each other. Parko was the first one to qualify for the tour and then the very next year, Dean and myself qualified.

“Within the first couple of years, we were top five, top 10 – it was pretty wild.”

Fanning’s feat (which he dedicated to his late brother, Sean) brought him to the attention of the surfing world and instantly won him a legion of fans – including Adelaide Crows star Rory Sloane, who revealed recently that he watched Fanning at Bells as an 11-year-old.

Underlining the significance of the 2001 win to his career, Fanning explicitly highlighted Bells when he formally announced his retirement earlier this month.

“Bells Beach is where my Championship Tour career really kicked off, I’ve always loved the place and it seems a fitting stop to finish things up,” he wrote.

“It’s gonna be a big fun party and you’re all invited to come.”