Aussie surfing legend Mick Fanning opens up on his coping mechanisms after deaths of his three older brothers

Aussie surfing legend Mick Fanning has revealed his own coping mechanisms when it comes to the deaths of his three older brothers.

Fanning – who won world titles in 2007, 2009 and 2013 – first lost his sibling Sean aged just 20 following a car crash at Coolangatta in 1998.

Next was Peter Fanning, who was found dead in his Tweed Heads apartment in late 2015, with an enlarged heart stemming from an ongoing medical condition.

It followed Fanning infamously surviving a shark attack in South Africa months earlier when competing in the J-Bay Open final. 

Then in March last year, Ed Fanning passed away in Madagascar, where he worked as a surf guide. 

He suffered cardiac complications and died in hospital. 

Speaking on The Imperfects podcast, the 43-year-old said celebrating their lives is key (pictured, with partner Breeana)

The youngest of four boys, Fanning (right) has mourned the deaths of his three older brothers

Speaking on The Imperfects podcast, the 43-year-old said celebrating their lives is key.

‘I always look to talk about the good times, the laughter,’ Fanning told host Hugh van Cuylenburg. 

‘We had some hilarious memories, a fun life together.

‘I don’t want to know about their deaths…..I look back at plenty of moments I cherish.’

Penrith-born Fanning also pointed out the sadness he feels for his parents Elizabeth and John, who have had to bury three of their sons. 

When Ed died in 2024, Fanning admitted he endured some dark days.

‘Life hits you with a sledgehammer every now and then,’ he said at the time.

‘It takes time to process. It takes time to heal. It is definitely a journey.’

Fanning is also well aware he cheated death following an encounter with a great white shark at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa in 2015 (pictured)

Mick Fanning stated he ‘felt like I had nothing to give’ after losing his brother Peter in 2015

Ed Fanning (pictured left) was living and working at a surf tour camp in Madagascar before he died in March of 2024 following cardiac complications 

Now a father of two and in a stable relationship with partner Breeana Randall, the surfing great acknowledges his family keep him on the right path.

Fanning also knows he cheated death following the encounter with a great white shark at Jeffreys Bay almost a decade ago.

He is asked about the incident – where he frantically punched the shark as survival mode kicked in – virtually everyday.

The epic party that followed the J-Bay open final – mainly celebrating the fact Fanning was alive – actually felt more like a wake.

‘It was just so raw. Not just for me, but everyone that was there on the beach that day,’ Fanning recalled.

‘Surfing is a giant family, so that’s what it was. We almost lost one of the family.

‘It felt like being at my own wake because one minute everyone was laughing and the next minute everyone was crying. ‘It was very special, but also such a weird moment.’