Crikey!
"...the star had been looking for 'things that can kill you in the sea'."
Well, I guess he found them.
He's survived giant crocodiles, poisonous snakes, even mobs of feral kitty-cats. So what finally got Steve Irwin? A freak, one-in-a-million encounter with a stingray.
Yep, you heard right, a stingray. Not only that, the stingray stabbed him in the heart.
Now, I've seen stingrays. I lived on Okinawa for almost two years, and we had lots of lovely little marine critters there, deadly and not-so-deadly. But most people who get stung by rays get it in their feet or legs when they accidentally step on one, or in the arms if they try to grab it. And while stingray venom is poisonous, almost none of these accidents are fatal.
See, here's the type of stingray that got him -- a bull ray. You can see the barb about halfway down the tail; it normally lays pretty flat like that, unless the ray feels threatened.
Here's what the barb looks like, uncovered (this is a very small ray):
True, these things can grow to a huge size; the one that got Steve was 2.5 meters (although I don't know if that is length- or width-wise). But you can see from the placement of the barb that it would take some pretty freakish circumstances indeed for one to stab you in the heart.
Only Steve Irwin....
Sigh.
I liked the guy, I really did. Yeah, he was a big goof-ball, but that's what made him so entertaining to watch. And despite the clownish over-the-top act, he really did know his stuff. And it was an act -- I've seen behind-the-scenes footage of him, and he actually acts like a normal person when he's not in front of the camera being "The Crocodile Hunter."
Oh, by the way, his death was caught on film.
Any bets on how long it takes for this footage to hit the net?
Farewell, mate! And at least Jesus has your back in the afterlife.