Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin

[scubapro50]

I always thought he would get done in by one of those snakes he kept picking up ...... sorry to hear about his death

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

Very sad to hear of the passing of this legend. Although he had his fair share of controversy, "bad" animals needed an ambassador like him.

Condolences to his family.

Andrew

 

[alcina]

Freaky. I've brushed the top of our big whip tails, cow tails and bull rays here and often get close enough to touch - none have been aggressively upset though one did glide away. I've only ever seen a couple of the big guys raise a tail and that was from a distance. Never give much thought to the potential danger, which, imho, is very low unless one is way too close and/or aggressive.

Back OT - I see that one source has a puncture to the left side of the chest...

 

[ScubaTexan]

That is so bizarre! My condolences to Terri and their children.

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

He was a Maverick among us....

Love, thoughts and prayers to his family and loved ones

 

[archman]

Back in the old days, there used to be this thing called the "plunger test", where a toilet plunger would be used to pin down a captive stingray. It was supposed to simulate someone stepping on a ray, or something.

Anyways, the rays unerringly impale the handle of the plunger, and not only that, but the spines could be driven in so hard, you'd have to twist it to get it out of the wood. This exercise showed not only how accurate a stingray could aim it's barb, but also just how much force could be directed.

Which is why nobody grabs stingrays. I've seen a photo of a *small* barb projecting clean through some poor fellow's finger.

 

[alcina]

Yup, they're docile creatures but as they say "don't poke the bear"

 

[Diver Dennis]

I have always loved to photograph rays but there is another thread here about feeding them in Stingray City. Are these the same type that killed Steve or do they have the same capability?

 

[bdshort]

I didn't regularly watch Crocodile Hunter, but I did enjoy the show when I did see it. I told myself more than once that he would end up getting it one day they way he liked to get up close and personal with some fairly dangerous animals. It's sad to see that he did. My thoughts go out to his family. He'll definitely be missed, and even if I think he took some unnecessary risks, he did truly love what he did, and I guess accomplished some good while doing it.

Brian

 

[ffestpirate]

My condolences to his family, friends, and countrymen