Mick Fanning
"That was at Lemoore last year after the first run through of the event. Mick was there. I think that was Eddie Vedder's hat. Eddie had just played. And Kelly was there and Mick and Eddie seemed like they were best friends. He's always taking hats." Photo: Steve Sherman
I met Mick in ’99 when I went over to Queensland for Transworld Surf, and we were doing a whole thing in Australia. I met him and Parko around the same time. We went down to Kirra and shot some photos. From that point on, we became friendly. Mick is just a sweetheart of a person. He’s very approachable. If I send him a text, he’ll text me back right away. He’s pretty unaffected by the notoriety, especially considering he’s one of the top athletes in all of Australia. I just think the world of him. When I heard he was going to retire, I was really emotional, and I sent him a text. He said, “There’s no reason to cry, mate. Not now, at least.”
I think he went off tour for six months, and he just realized it’s fun to go surfing and explore. And just cruise. He finally just slowed down a little bit. He’s been going in fifth gear on this World Tour thing for so many years, I just think he’s going to enjoy life. He’s got Balter, MF soft tops, and he’s in a position to enjoy life. It’s been an absolute honor shooting with him over the last two decades, and I wish him nothing but the best. The images above are a few memorable moments from a hell of a career.
Editor’s Note: View more of Sherm’s iconic work at t-sherms.com. You can even order his prints on tees now. Give ’em a look!