Despite being exhausted from having paddled nearly 600 miles from Cornwall on his way to London, an extreme rower from the Isle of Wight had to take an unplanned detour to save a Shih Tzu puppy that had become stranded at sea off the coast of Kent.

33-year-old Charlie Head, who is training for a cross-Atlantic trip in a solo rowing boat, said the puppy was stuck on some rocks and about ten minutes away from being washed over by the tide.

"He would definitely have drowned," Head is quoted as saying.

He happily paddled the pup — since identified as "Bam Bam" — back to shore, where he was kept warm by the landlord of a nearby pub before being transferred to a local animal shelter.

Staffers there are using Bam Bam's microchip to help locate his owners.

Meanwhile, Head says rescuing Bam Bam will hopefully ensure that his future endeavors go smoothly. "It was great to help the little dog," he said. "Hopefully the good deed will bring me a little luck and help me complete the rest of the challenges."

[H/T: Reddit]