Two Victorian police officers have garnered worldwide attention after wading into the ocean to rescue a drowning kangaroo.

Vision of the rescue at Safety Beach on the Mornington Peninsula on Saturday afternoon was shared widely on social media and picked up by news outlets across the globe.

The kangaroo — or "canguru" or "kangoeroe" — eventually recovered under the watch of a wildlife expert.

However, one of the rescuers, Senior Sergeant Kirby Tonkins, wasn't pleased with all aspects of his new-found fame.

"I'm the one without a shirt on, and the footage isn't very kind, I must say," he told Channel Nine.

Senior Sergeant Kirby Tonkins says the footage of him without a shirt on "isn't very kind". ( Twitter: Victorian Police )

The marsupial got in the ocean about 5:00pm on Saturday before it came back to land where a bystander covered it in a blanket.

However, it hopped back into the surf and got into trouble in the swell, going under the waves numerous times.

Senior Sergeant Tonkins and Senior Sergeant Chris Russo then ran into the water to rescue the animal.

Senior Sergeant Russo said they managed to revive the unconscious marsupial once they got it to shore.

"He had less than a minute. He went under and as he came up you could see foam coming out of his nose, he was drowning," he told News Corp.

After the officers resuscitated it, they wrapped it in a blanket and took it to the station to be checked by an expert.

While Victorian police said the kangaroo eventually recovered well, Michelle Thomas from the Animal Wildlife Shelter said the animal was worse for wear immediately after the incident.

"He was very cold, he was still a bit wet and a bit disorientated, so he really didn't give me too much of a fight," she told Channel Nine.

ABC/AAP