Johannesburg - Just a day after surfer Mick Fanning survived a shark attack on Jeffreys Bay, South Africans started taking the mickey out of him.
Fanning, who punched his way out of being bitten by a shark while competing at the World Surf League’s J-Bay Open, has been the centre of many memes and mock social media accounts.
Soon after the near-death experience an account was opened on Twitter called JbayShark and the bio says: “Just looking to take a bite out of life, among other things.”
Its hilarious tweets have been widely retweeted such as: “Hey @Mick_Fanning, was just trying to get an autograph. Didn’t mean to frighten you mate! #JBayOpen #jbayshark #mickfanning #i<3mick.
Another popular tweet was: “Don’t you hate it when your food tries to beat you up. #JBayOpen.
The spoof account has just over 400 followers and it even mentioned surfing champion Kelly Slater in one of its tweets.
Though he didn’t respond to it, Slater put up a post on Instagram about Fanning’s close shave.
“Glad to know this guy and even happier that he swam/walked away unscathed. The only mark on him is a tiny scratch (probably from hitting the shark) on his left hand knuckle…
“Great job by the contest announcers, water safety for getting right on it, @julian_wilson for paddling to help a friend out and basically everyone there to support. Hey, you didn’t surf half bad this week either! #GiveHimTheTrophy!”
The Star