Mick Fanning has quietly created a business empire that dwarfs the millions of dollars he earned in the water.
The 41-year-old has revealed details of his surprising wealth in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, where the 41-year-old opens up about the savvy decisions that have turned him into a business genius.
The three-time world champion in April made a shock cameo return to professional swimming when he competed in the Bells Beach Classic — but he has had more important things bubbling away well outside his surfing career.
His net worth is now estimated to be worth $20 million, making him one of the most successful post-retirement business athletes in Australia.
The newspaper reports the majority of that fortune is not linked to his surfing achievements with his career wrapping up having earned a total $2.76 million in prize money.
His most notable business success was his investment in Australian craft brewing company Balter, which in 2019 sold for somewhere between $150 million and $200 million.
His investment netted him a $4 million windfall when the company was snapped up by beverage goliath Carlton United Breweries.
Fellow Aussie surfers Joel Parkinson, Bede Durbidge and Josh Kerr were all in on the deal.
That pay-out is just the tip of the iceberg of Fanning’s business undertakings.
He is reported to have an extensive real estate portfolio and has ongoing investment interests in several undisclosed projects.
He is also reported to have a substantial stake in fitness chain FS8.
Fanning remains one of the most recognisable surfers on the planet and remains an ambassador of several surf brands, including Rip Curl.
His star-power as a brand ambassador has only continue to rise in recent years, despite his retirement.
Fanning was earlier this year described as a “hero” for his work during the NSW North Coast flood disaster.
He was spotted rescuing local residents on a jet-ski.
Fanning lives on the Gold Coast and is reported to have business interests in a number of local restaurants and venues.
It is an incredible comeback from the dark days he has been able to move on from.
He revealed in 2020 that he had hit “rock bottom” during his nightmare 2015.
In the space of 12 months, his decade-long relationship with ex-wife Karissa fell apart before he nearly lost his life in a shark attack and then his brother died of an enlarged heart.
Fanning had met Karissa, a model, in 2004 and she’d been by his side through all his triumphs on the world surf tour, including championships in 2007, 2009 and 2013.But after a fight to save the relationship they went their separate ways.
Fanning’s year only got worse as he was famously attacked by a shark at a competition in South Africa — an event that left him suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
To cap his year off his older brother Pete, 43, died of an enlarged heart. It was the second brother Mick had lost after a car crash took the life of Sean in 1998.
“That was the one that just floored me. I was like ‘what else? What else can be taken in a year?’ At the end of 2015, I just hit rock bottom,” Fanning said.
“I felt like I had nothing to give, nothing to give myself, or to the people around me, or to family or friends. I just didn’t see a way of coming back.“I’ve never felt that empty before, I just lay in bed, did nothing, wouldn’t leave the house.”
Better times were on the horizon. In 2017 he went public with partner Breeana Randall, his now fiancee. The pair celebrated the birth of their first child together, son Xander, in 2020.
