A surfer has carried a struggling shark back into the ocean at a beach in Eastern View on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. 

Paul Myles first made a few unsuccessful attempts to use the end of his surfboard to push the stranded shark back into deeper water.

Eventually, he picked up the shark as it thrashed around and carried it into the waves.

Mr Myles said picking up the shark was a quick decision.

"I just thought I'd give it a chance, I wasn't sure if it was just disorientated or sick or whatever," he said.

Mr Myles said he thought it was a blue shark that weighed around 20 kilograms.

"It had a long pointy nose, blue colour," he said. 

He said he's been surfing at Eastern View for more than 40 years and rarely sees sharks there.

"I've never seen one that close to the beach, that's the important thing. I once saw one off the rocks about 20 years ago but that's enough I think," Mr Myles said. 

He said he wanted to help the shark because he's "a bit of a softie, really". 

"I think it might earn some brownie points next time a shark comes past me," he said. 

Mr Myles said he'd be back in the surf on Sunday.