Mick Fanning Eddie Vedder Kelly Slater
"This is up at Lemoore. There was this '80s band that was really good, so Kelly and Mick went up and were singing background vocals. I had never seen Mick get up on stage and sing, and that's those three guys pounding away at back up vocals. Any time is a good time with Mick." 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!