An early morning jog turned into a life saving rescue mission for a keen surfer on a popular Queensland beach.

John McCallum and his son were enjoying some early morning exercise on Kirra Beach when they were surprised to see a small kangaroo hop across their path and into the sea.

With recent sightings of two hammerhead sharks in the Gold Coast waters, Mr McCallum became concerned for the marsupial when it got caught up in a riptide about 200 yards from the shore.

The quick thinking businessman sprinted home for his surfboard and headed straight out into the ocean on a daring rescue mission.

“I tried to get the kangaroo on my board a few times but he slipped off” said 48 year old Mr McCallum, “so then I herded it over to a sandbar and he hopped through the water.”

The poor kangaroo collapsed with exhaustion as he got back to the shore, however soon recovered enough to hop off safely down the beach.

Mr McCallum concluded that he wasn’t sure if the young animal appreciated his efforts, or if he had just wrecked its morning swim!