Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin

[Web Monkey]

I know this isn't Politically Correct, and I'm really sorry he died, but I'm also not all that surprised or upset.

if you annoy enough dangerous creatures enough times, one of them is going to get you.

And just for a little reality check, if anybody here posted that he/she did the things that Steve did, the flames would be coming from all sides yelling "you're gonna die". And he did.

Terry

 

[MikeFerrara]

There are old divers, and bold divers, but few old and bold divers. Makes you respect the wildlife a bit more down there.

Lets hope this incident does not damage the reputation of SCUBA diving.

Scubamax

Was this stingray the same animal that people swim with at stingray city and that my children and myself hand fed while literally being mobbed by them in the Curacao Seaquarium? I remember pushing them away for fear of having my mask or reg dislodged. The ones in Curacao were black on the top and white on the underbelly. The ones I see while in the Key's are grey on top and white underneath (Southern Stingray I believe).

The reputation of scuba diving? Together, I think these two posts say a lot. I've seen divers harassing all kinds of sea life for the sake of entertaining themselves. Resorts promote and facilitate it and sometimes it's the DM who tears a chunk or coral off to get at an octo underneath so he can pull it out and pass it around for divers to play with. Of course sometimes they just beat everything up with their fins and dragging equipment or just kneel on it. Anyway, that's only a small part of what I've seen to make me think divers are very often a complete menace to the environment in which they dive. I wouldn't worry, I think the reputation of scuba diving is safely into the trashed end of the scale in that regard.

 

[mudchick]

CNN reprted this morning that Irwin was "attacked" by the ray, as if it was something more than a defensive act by the animal, whether he was messing with it or accidently landed on it as reported on this thread. I can see the headlines now: Are you safe in the ocean? Is this the season of the stingrays?

 

[LOG-SPLITTER]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/04/australia.irwin/index.html

 

[LavaSurfer]

scubamax[/B]]
There are old divers, and bold divers, but few old and bold divers. Makes you respect the wildlife a bit more down there.

Lets hope this incident does not damage the reputation of SCUBA diving.

Scubamax

From what I read, he was on the surface, not diving at the time but who knows. Stories will fly.

As for steve's family, my sympathy goes out to them,
Steve had a real passion for life nd wildlife, and yes took some risks but that was the nature of what he did. Sometimes he was a bit over the edge and that was cool. Too bad he met his fate at the hands of a basically docile creature.

There are those that bash him and have thier things to say but in the end he did more good than most of the people who rattle thier jaws from the lounge chairs while doing nothing. At least he was out there doing what he loved and doing something.

My hat is off to steve right now, Cheers mate! May you rest in peace!

 

[LavaSurfer]

Sounds to me like he suprised it and it defended itself

"He came over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand, and the barb came up and hit him in the chest," said Stainton." CNN

 

[MikeFerrara]

I know this isn't Politically Correct, and I'm really sorry he died, but I'm also not all that surprised or upset.

if you annoy enough dangerous creatures enough times, one of them is going to get you.

And just for a little reality check, if anybody here posted that he/she did the things that Steve did, the flames would be coming from all sides yelling "you're gonna die". And he did.

Terry

Boy are you going to catch hell!

I agree though. It's always sad to hear of a divers death or anything that leaves young children without a father, wives without their husband and so on. I'm sure he will be missed by many and they have my condolances but I thought the show was
off-the-scale-goofy. It seems to me that if there's a lesson in his show and his death, it has to be something like "leave only bubbles and take only pictures" or "Look but don't touch" or "They usually don't bite but they can and sometimes they do" or "If you play with fire you're going to get burned" or something like that.

 

[SeaGurl]

I knew it was coming I just always thought that he would get a fatal croc or snake bite. I believe it was so surprising because it was a ray. My heart goes out to his family.

 

[Digger54]

I'm new to diving. Some of you experienced divers please tell me where we will be able to go to get the most credible news and facts on the "Crocodile Hunter's" death after all the information is in.

You KNOW the mainstream media will screw the facts up, sensationalize the story, and just plain get it wrong.

Will DAN eventually publish a summary of this dive related accident?

I'm envisioning the stingray as becoming the media's latest "menace" of the sea since the sharks haven't been making news nibbling the limbs off many teens lately.

 

[mislav]

^Diver and a bull ray, taken from here. It does seem like it was a freak incident. I still can't believe it. I really liked the guy.