SA trio praised for saving 3m great white shark after it beached itself on sandbar near Ardrossan

What started as a typical Tuesday morning quickly turned into something unforgettable when three locals came across a giant predator beached in the shallows of a popular SA beach.

Locals including Hamish Anderson rescued a stranded great white shark on a sandbar between Ardrossan and Tiddy Widdy Beach. Picture: Chivonne Anderson/Facebook

Three South Australians have been hailed as heroes after rescuing a stranded great white shark on a sandbar between Ardrossan and Tiddy Widdy Beach.

The dramatic encounter unfolded on Tuesday morning, when Chivonne Anderson and a group of locals noticed the 3m predator beached “good and proper” in the shallows.

Despite the shark’s size and reputation, the men – including Hamish Anderson, Tony and another local – waded into action.

Ms Anderson, who witnessed the rescue and later shared it on social media through Shark Watch SA, said the animal seemed to realise it needed help.

“He showed his teeth at the start but was surprisingly calm after that … he knew he needed help,” she said.

The two men seen in photos managed to guide the shark into waist-deep water, staying with it as it regained strength and eventually swam off into deeper waters.

Anton Covino, manager of Shark Watch SA, praised the trio’s efforts as both daring and deeply moving.

“My first reaction was that it was an incredibly brave thing to do to try to rescue a three-metre long great white shark without knowing whether it would turn on the rescuers – especially because of the fact they walked it out so far to sea (just above their waist),” he said.

In his time managing Shark Watch SA, Mr Covino said he had “never heard of a shark rescue at Ardrossan, or anywhere else in SA for that matter.”

The Shark Watch SA post quickly gained traction online, flooded with praise for the men’s courage and compassion.

“I think the public has reacted to this post the way that they have is because it is a beautiful story of people helping nature,” Mr Covino said.

“It is even more touching because great white sharks are an unpredictable and dangerous apex predator... but the gentlemen didn’t let this predicament put them off helping the shark, and this shows a tremendous amount of love and respect.”

Locals applauded the rescue in the comments, calling it a rare moment of connection between people and one of the ocean’s most feared creatures.

Shark Watch SA monitors and promotes awareness of shark sightings and behaviour around South Australia.

Originally published as SA trio praised for saving 3m great white shark after it beached itself on sandbar near Ardrossan