Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Years ago, Dick Van Dyke's surfing expedition took a turn after he fell asleep TheMary Poppinsactor "started seeing fins" while out on his 10-foot surfboard, he recalled Van Dyke gave up surfing years ago Dick Van Dykecan thank a pod of porpoises for saving his life. TheChitty Chitty Bang Bangstar spoke about the stunning sea adventure in 2010 with Craig Ferguson, indicating he once fell asleep while riding his 10-ft. surfboard during a day at Virginia Beach. "I woke up out of sight of land," the acting iconsaid during an appearance on Ferguson's former talk show, The Late Late Show."I look around and I started paddling with the swells, and I started seeing fins swimming around me, and I thought 'I'm dead!' " Van Dyke was soon shocked to discover that he wasn't being swarmed by bloodthirsty sea predators, but rather by porpoises who apparently wanted to ensure that theMary Poppinsstar returned to dry land safely. "They pushed me all the way to shore," he said. "I'm not kidding, all the way to shore." He repeated the storyduring a 2023 appearanceon theReally? no, Really?podcast. Xinhua/Shutterstock At 99, theBye Bye Birdieactor no longer surfs, as he gave it up many years ago. But he still stays busy. In late June, Van Dyke missed one of his regularVandy Campevents in Malibudue 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, informed the crowd At that same event, many learned theonscreen icon had a secret talentafter Silver, 53, responded to a fan who pointed out that "not very many people know Dick Van Dyke was a computer animator." "Still is, and he has a credit for computer animation onDiagnosis: Murder," Silver added, referencing the show that saw Van Dyke playing a doctor who solves crimes. The series ran for eight seasons between 1993 and 2001 and spawned five TV movies. TheDick Van Dyke Showstar first met Silver at theSAG Awardsin 2006, and they eventually wed in 2012. During a Vandy Camp event in April, Van Dyketold PEOPLE exclusivelythat he has no plans to slow down in his late 90s. "I love what I do for a living," he said, as Silver chimed in, "[But] the minute he says that — the phone rings, and he's like, 'I don't want to go there.' If they come to our house, he will work all the time." Read the original article onPeople