# Porpoises rescue Dick van Dyke **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345 "2010-11-11T19:39:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/1 "2010-11-11T19:39:16Z")
> **[Porpoises rescue Dick Van Dyke](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/11/dick-van-dyke-porpoises-rescue)** > > Mary Poppins star feared death after apparently falling asleep on his surfboard but friendly sea creatures pushed him to shore The porpoises were unavailable for comment ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/2 "2010-11-11T19:49:07Z")
> [@](#): > > “I started paddling with the swells and I started seeing fins swimming around me and I thought ‘I’m dead!’” Um, porpoises don’t have fins. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/3 "2010-11-11T19:53:03Z")
There’s a dorsal fin on every picture I look at. I’m still not convinced of the story’s veracity though. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/4 "2010-11-11T19:54:28Z")
Who falls asleep on a surfboard, out in the ocean? I hope he doesn’t still drive! ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/5 "2010-11-11T19:56:19Z")
[This article](http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/etc/101111-porpoises-once-saved-surfing-dick-van-dyke.html) states it happened sometime in the past, when is not specified. How do you fall asleep on a surfboard? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/6 "2010-11-11T19:59:37Z")
Dick used to be quite a drinker. If the story is true, I’ll bet it was back in the day when he liked his martinis, and it wasn’t so much fell asleep, as passed out. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/7 "2010-11-11T20:00:51Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Who falls asleep on a surfboard, out in the ocean? Spongebob Squarepants! ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/8 "2010-11-11T20:07:05Z")
It’s like a remake of “10”… in Finland. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/9 "2010-11-11T20:12:16Z")
[slight hijack] Dick was the guest for the [Not My Job](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130739954) segment on Wait Wait a couple of weeks ago. He sang the lyrics to the Dick Van Dyke Show theme song, which was pretty cool. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/10 "2010-11-11T20:19:02Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Um, porpoises don’t have fins. :dubious: From Wikipedia’s entry on [Porpoises:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porpoise) “In addition, a porpoise’s dorsal fin is generally triangular, rather than curved like that of many dolphins and large whales.” ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/11 "2010-11-11T20:23:47Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Who falls asleep on a surfboard, out in the ocean? Cut the guy some slack. It was an accident, he didn’t do it on porpoise. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/12 "2010-11-11T20:36:39Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > Cut the guy some slack. It was an accident, he didn’t do it on porpoise. Yeah, it was probably just a fluke. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/13 "2010-11-11T20:56:09Z")
Oops. My bad. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/14 "2010-11-11T20:57:05Z")
Next week: Dykes rescue Dick van Porpoise. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/15 "2010-11-11T21:24:02Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Oops. My bad. You probably had them confused with a different species of cetacean, one that’s too broke to afford a dorsal fin: poorpoises. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/16 "2010-11-11T21:53:24Z")
I wonder if the rescue dolphins had crazy flipper fingers? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/17 "2010-11-11T21:59:54Z")
Rats, missed the edit window…I meant rescue _porpoises_. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/18 "2010-11-11T22:05:53Z")
Eh, they saved him for their own selfish porpoises I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/19 "2010-11-11T22:10:26Z")
How old must he be now? And he’s surfing? That’s either stupid :smack: or impressive 🆒 . ETA: He’ll be 85 next month. [Dick Van Dyke - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_van_dyke) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2010, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345/20 "2010-11-11T23:54:36Z")
They must have been British porpoises who heard van Dyke speaking and realized “he’s not from around here” so they pushed him back to shore. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/porpoises-rescue-dick-van-dyke/560345.md?page=2)