MARY PORPOISE

Dick Van Dyke Saved From Drowning by Pod of Porpoises

The actor almost died during a surfing accident until he received some unexpected help.

Dick Van Dyke thought he was a goner after getting washed out to sea during a surfing accident—until his life was saved by a pod of porpoises. Recalling the incident on The Late Late Show back in 2010, Van Dyke revealed how he once fell asleep on his surfboard and “woke up out of sight of land.” The acting icon told host Craig Ferguson: “I looked around and I started paddling with the swells, and I started seeing fins swimming around me, and I thought ‘I’m dead!’” But he was soon shocked to discover that rather than being mobbed by sharks, he was instead being rescued by porpoises, who escorted the star back to land. “They pushed me all the way to shore,” he said. “I’m not kidding, all the way to shore.” The 99-year-old, who has told the story a few times over the years, has since revealed he gave up surfing years ago. Last week saw Van Dyke forced to cancel one of his regular Vandy Camp appearances due to illness. “When you’re 99 and a half years old, you have good days and bad days... and unfortunately, today is not a good day for him, and he’s sick that he can’t be here,” his wife Arlene Silver told attendees.