What should you do if a shark attacks you? A) Fight it? B) Play dead? C) Swim away?

Mick Fanning's narrow escape is a reminder that there are ways surfers can have a fighting chance when faced by the jaws of a shark

Mick Fanning's shocked, almost incredulous, reaction after he managed to escape the jaws of a shark during a surfing competition suggests that good fortune is the key element in surviving an attack by the feared ocean predator.

But there are things that swimmers and surfers can do to lessen their already tiny risk of being fatally wounded by a shark.