There are a lot of special things about surfing life on the Gold Coast… the perfect points, hidden beachies, secret bombies, the warm water, the sand so soft it squeaks, that seemingly endless sunshine… the list goes on. But there’s one thing in particular that makes surfing on the Gold Coast unlike any other. It’s that certain time of year, sometime around March, when the weather patterns make magic happen. Without fail, about three months after the new year, a cyclone swell hits the southeast Queensland coastline and it lights up those point breaks to perfection.
It’s fitting, then, that it’s just at this time that the 3x World Champion Mick Fanning, Coolangatta local and Gold Coast legend, was ready to get back in the water after injury.
This past August, August 2019, Mick was on a Stab in the Dark trip in South Africa when he tore his ACL, with an estimated recovery time of 6-12 months. In an effort to help speed up recovery Mick flew straight home and landed on the surgeon’s table.
Now, the 3x World Champ is not new to injuries –his list includes a torn hamstring, an injured ankle and many more. He knew what was required to get back in the water, and he set his sights on this sacred time of year for swell on the Gold Coast.
Now, seven months later, well… we’ll let the video do the talking.
