Porpoises save Dick Van Dyke

Mary Poppins star Dick Van Dyke says porpoises saved his life - by pushing him back to shore after he fell asleep on his surfboard.

The veteran actor, 84, told reporters how his ordeal began during an ill-fated trip to his local beach.

"I woke up out of sight of land," he said. "I started paddling with the swells and I started seeing fins swimming around me and I thought 'I'm dead!' They turned out to be porpoises. And they pushed me all the way to shore."

As well as Mary Poppins, Van Dyke's film credits include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Dick Tracy. In recent years he has appeared on screen in Night at the Museum and its 2009 sequel.