A run-of-the-mill Wednesday afternoon turned into a life-saving mission for Tauranga stand-up paddle boarder Leigh Hawes when he spotted a dog in serious trouble in the water.

Leigh was watching a SunLive photo-shoot of windsurfers at the park when he heard someone yelling and turned to see a man, up to his waist in water, waving his arms in panic.

Leigh Hawes paddles the scared dog back to shore.

The man was pointing at a dog in the water, which had gotten out into the channel and was being carried away by the tide.

Photographer Bruce Barnard's telephoto lens revealed the dog's head just above the water.

'I had a stand up paddle board there, and just jumped in and paddled up to see if I could help,” says Leigh.

'The dog was quite a heavy-set pit bull type breed, it was out of its depth swimming in circles. It couldn't see or hear where its master was calling.”

Leigh picked the dog up, placing it on his paddle board and brought it ashore.

'He was pretty tired, he just flopped on the board. He's one of those bitey breeds and he was pretty scared.

'I thought I might have struggled to get him out of the water but once he was up on the board I think he was quite happy.”

The owner told Leigh he'd stopped his car to take the dog for a walk when it leapt out of the window and ran into the water.

'The tide was running in. Once he got out into the deeper water, he just got carried further and further away.

'Once it lost the bottom it was a bit stuffed really.”

But all's well that ends well. The dog was reunited with its owner, and Leigh left Ferguson Park a hero in one man's eyes.

The owner helps Leigh once in shallower waters.