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GUS the wonder dog is living proof not only cats have nine lives, after he swam with sharks during a feeding frenzy - twice - and lived to wag his tail.

Fishers Steve and Carol Morgan could not believe their eyes when Gus, 3, ran into the surf near Streaky Bay to attack bronze whaler sharks feasting on fish in knee-deep water.

The Canberra couple is on a caravaning holiday on South Australia's Eyre and Yorke peninsulas. But they admit they got more than they planned for when their German short-haired pointer-Hungarian vizsla-cross did what comes naturally and attempted to round up at least six, 2m-long sharks.

Mr Morgan, 62, managed to pull the 35kg mutt to safety once. But the master retriever could not resist his instincts, broke free and charged straight back into the water at the remote Fisherman's Paradise, about 25km from Streaky Bay - again almost into the jaws.

"I can't credit the fear I had when Gus went into the water," Mr Morgan said. "I was waiting to hear the scream. If they bit him even once, he was gone because the sharks were in a frenzy.

Mr Morgan said the sharks' dorsal fins sat about 12cm above the waterline and the tail fin of one was at least 600mm long.

The sharks were circling and some bumped into Gus, who repeatedly "had a go" at them, Mr Morgan said.

"I heard my wife scream and when I looked he was swimming out to the sharks," he said. "Every time their fins want near him he had a go at them.

"I ran about 60m from the rocks, it was a fair run, and I dragged him out but I was exhausted and he slipped the collar and went back in the water again."

Mr Morgan didn't risk entering the water again because he was almost exhausted but instead he ran off hoping his faithful dog would follow. In a few minutes he did, much to the Mogan's relief, and totally unscathed.

Gus is experienced in inland rivers and the wildlife included but Mr Morgan says the dog didn't know the danger he was facing.

"Even if they'd just bit his leg he would have survived," Mr Morgan said. "When you've got a dog you have to think about watching he doesn't get runover.

"I've lived a long time and I've fished all over the place but I never dreamed I'd see what I did and I wouldn't have believed he'd be alive now if I had."