A Pod of Porpoises Once Saved Dick Van Dyke’s Life After Surfing Mishap
Dick Van Dyke has entertained generations with his roles in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. But years ago, while surfing off the coast of Virginia Beach, the beloved actor found himself in a very real brush with death—one that didn’t involve special effects or stage direction.
The actor had taken his 10-foot longboard out for a solo session on the water. At some point, he fell asleep, PEOPLE reports. When he opened his eyes again, he was alone at sea, with no land in sight. As he began paddling toward what he hoped was shore, he noticed several fins cutting through the water around him. Fearing a shark attack, he braced for the worst.
Dick Van Dyke fell asleep on a surfboard off Virginia Beach.
The Fins That Meant Help
But instead of predators, Van Dyke was surrounded by a pod of porpoises. In an unexpected turn, they gently nudged him through the swells and guided him back to safety.
“They pushed me all the way to shore,” he said, repeatedly confirming this story in later interviews, Wavelength Magazine notes.
Though the exact date of the incident remains unclear, the story has become one of Van Dyke’s most memorable tales. When he recounted it in 2010, he was 84 and no longer surfing, but the memory clearly remained vivid. At the time, even he admitted the surreal quality of the experience.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / The White House, License: Public Domain
He awoke surrounded by open water, far from shore.
Porpoises and Their Mysterious Altruism
While it might sound like a feel-good fable, scientists have recorded numerous cases of cetaceans coming to the aid of humans. In 2007, surfer Todd Endris was seriously injured by a great white shark off the coast of Monterey, California. A pod of bottlenose dolphins formed a protective circle around him, allowing him to climb back on his board and escape, the Daily Mail reports.
In another documented case from 1996, dolphins protected a British tourist from a shark attack in the Red Sea. These actions have led scientists to propose that dolphins and porpoises may be among the few non-human animals capable of true altruism—a trait that continues to mystify researchers, The Guardian reports.
A Life Saved, A Legacy Continued
Van Dyke’s tale adds to a growing body of stories highlighting the intelligence and empathy of marine mammals. At 99, the iconic performer no longer surfs, but he continues to share his time and talents with the public, often appearing at community events and in recent interviews, , PEOPLE reports.
His wife, Arlene Silver, recently spoke at a Malibu event he missed due to illness, saying, “When you’re 99 and a half years old, you have good days and bad days.”
Even on bad days, Van Dyke's story serves as a remarkable reminder of the unexpected ways nature sometimes steps in to lend a hand—or in this case, a fin.
