"If you don't believe you can beat everyone, you won't."

Surfing World Champion Mick Fanning in an interview. In part one he discloses how he experienced the deciding contest in Brazil, what differentiates him from Kelly Slater and how a very particular dolphin carries him from victory to victory.

Congratulations on your World Championship title, Mick! Did the decisive day go the way you imagined it when you were 16 – back then, when you got your first pro contract?

I could never imagine how that day would turn out. It was weird. Until that last day of the event in Brazil, I was feeling stressed. It seemed I was so close to winning but at the same time it seemed so far away. Kelly Slater and Taj Burrow were still alive in the contest and I was feeling a little anxious, even though I had this big lead on the ratings. Then on the last day of the contest I woke up and had this really strong feeling it was all going to happen and I’d be World Champion by the end of the day.

It’s said that in Brazil a dolphin following you in every heat has a particular meaning for you?

When I was 16 my older brother Sean died in a car accident. Each year we hold a memorial contest for him at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast. Every year at his comp a dolphin appears in the line-up and I always get this feeling it’s him. While I was in Brazil I saw a dolphin every day, and after I won the title Joel Parkinson and I were sitting out the back in our semi-final and there was a single dolphin swimming around us. I couldn’t help but think it was Sean dropping by to say congratulations.

With your WC title you dethroned the legend Kelly Slater. Is it just a regular change at the top – or a symbolic image, because you stand for a new type of wave riding?

I’m really stoked that I won the title while Kelly was still on tour because he’s the all-time greatest, so that makes my win all the sweeter. But I don’t think our approaches to riding waves is any different because Kelly pretty much invented the current type of wave riding with his complete blend of power and tricks in big and small surf.

What differentiates you from Slater?

The biggest difference between Kelly and me is fame. Kelly’s like an A-list celebrity or something always turning up in the trash mags. That kind of attention means that Kelly is a little more reclusive than I am.

‘Tracks’ writes about you: “Fanning has the best balance of natural ability and mental toughness of anyone out there in surfing.” Your comments on that?

I think ability will only get you so far, and if you don’t believe you can beat every person on tour than you’re not going to. It wasn’t until after I returned from injury in 2005 that I really started to believe I could win the title and that I was deserving of it. I think there are only five surfers on tour right now who truly believe they can win the world title, the rest are just happy to get a couple of good results and requalify.

The ‘Reef Fanning Supreme Sandal’ designed by you has a bottle opener in the sole. Does this tell us that in the surfing scene you’re not only one of the best at on the board but also at partying?

Everyone likes to let their hair down occasionally. When I was younger I enjoyed going crazy pretty regularly, but I think I’ve probably grown out of that a bit in the past few years. I didn’t need a reason to party when I was younger, but these days I tend to reserve my wild nights for when I have big wins.