"Hopefully I will feel his presence out there with me."
It is the loss of his brother which has moulded Fanning into the man he is today - one who hasn't just survived a major trauma but has used his close call to chase the best life he can.
Fanning says one of the reasons he decided to surf on after being attacked by a shark in the final of the J-Bay was because the sport had given him so much - including the support network and love to deal with his brother's death.
Now Fanning faces one of the biggest tasks of his life - holding off four determined men to win the 2015 world crown.
"I just want to go out there and give it my all," Fanning told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
"I want to come in knowing I left everything out there."
Fanning's bid for a historic fourth world crown and his round three bout with one of the best Banzai Pipeline surfers in the world was put on ice on Monday morning.
Officials decided to wait for better surf for the second consecutive day with reports of improved conditions midweek.
"Small surf again today but we're looking at some good swell coming this week," WSL Commissioner Kieren Perrow said.
"We'll be back tomorrow to make another assessment, but it's looking like the swell will begin to fill in on Tuesday.
Fanning is due to meet Hawaiian Jamie O'Brien in the crucial third round - one of the most experienced and feared Pipeline surfers in the world.
"Heading here everything looked like it was going Mick's way, but now it looks like all the pressure is on Mick," said 11-time world champion. Kelly Slater ahead of the showdown.
"He's drawn Jamie, who a lot of people regard as maybe the best guy out here going backside or frontside, so he's probably caught more waves out here than anyone in the last 10 years.
"Mick's got his work cut out for him but he's a three-time world champ for a reason."
- Daily Telegraph
