Two women confused circling dolphins with sharks

TWO swimmers were saved from circling "sharks" early this morning, only to find they had in fact been visited by a pod of curious dolphins.

Surf Life Saving SA operations manager Shane Daw said a craft was sent to rescue the two women from a pontoon off Grange jetty after an emergency call was made at 7.20am. The women were "saved" when the lifesaver identified the 12 circling sharks as dolphins. Mr Daw said it was a common mistake. "We do get a lot of phone calls and call-outs from people believing they are seeing a shark and it is a dolphin breaching the surface," he said.

"It is a common theme but with any incident, we need treat it as a potential threat." The call was an early start for the year, but beaches were already filling as people sought to beat the heat, Mr Daw said. He warned beachgoers to swim within their limits and to be careful of variable conditions.