Water on the Great Barrier Reef.

The 44-year-old TV personality may have died instantly when struck by the stingray while filming a sequence for his eight-year-old daughter Bindi's new TV series, friends believe.

"You think about all the documentaries we've made and all the dangerous situations that we have been in, you always think `is this it, is this a day that maybe his demise?'," said his friend and manager John Stainton.

"(But) nothing would ever scare Steve or would worry him. He didn't have a fear of death at all."

Mr Irwin made his international reputation wrestling crocodiles and snakes.

But the flamboyant naturalist's final confrontation with a wild animal occurred at Batt Reef off Port Douglas on Monday morning, where he had been filming a new documentary, "Ocean's Deadliest".

Taking time off from the main project, Mr Irwin was swimming in shallow water, snorkelling as his cameraman filmed large bull rays.

"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Mr Irwin's friend and manager John Stainton.

"It's likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he ... felt any pain.

"He died doing what he loved best."

It is sad and I feel for his family.

Personally, I didn't like Mr. Irwin's TV shows. I felt his flippant way of dealing with Crocodiles was dangerous for the average person to see. He was an expert, but the chances he took might lead others to take chances that might be harmful to themselves. And I was disgusted when he had his daughter around the reptiles in what I considered to be less than normal fatherly situations.

I'm going back to my horseracing forum where the subject is horses and nothing else. I don't have to deal with issues not related to horse racing. I don't need the drama here, and I don't intend to start a thread with anything in it, but thanks so much for your advice.

Hey your posts were mellow before, what's up now. We had no drama only news of Steve's death.

I was thinking about doing an interaction with manta rays when I visit the Bahamas next summer...now, hmmmmm.

It is good to remember that wild things are just that, wild. Maybe we ought to all be more respectful of that.

I was thinking about doing an interaction with manta rays when I visit the Bahamas next summer...now, hmmmmm.

It is good to remember that wild things are just that, wild. Maybe we ought to all be more respectful of that.

I said to my husband this morning, "you know how you don't get killed by a stingray, you don't swim with them".

Hey your posts were mellow before, what's up now. We had no drama only news of Steve's death.

I guess I've just realized this is no place for me. I know all obese people aren't cruel but I've met my fair share of them on here. It's not very encouraging. I don't agree with the Tired Old Man...none of his posts. It is nothing but dribble and one-sided opinions and God help anyone that doesn't agree. Is this what obesity does to you people. If so perhaps you need to look at another reason for saying people treat obese people differently...maybe it isn't how you look but how you act.

I didn't appreciate my mom being brought into this conversation by Susan. Her business is her business and yes it did hit a sour note I'm sorry to say and it was totally uncalled for.

I wish you the best of luck. You seem like one of the nicer ones here.

Best of luck to you.

I imagine any kind of work with wild or exotic animals is dangerous...I enjoy watching programs on them, and someone has to make them. I'm glad there are people who want to.

I agree with you, Joliesmom...but then, the way not to get killed in an auto accident is not to drive, and I do that and it's not even fun! LOL!

Thanks for helping keep this thread on topic.

I would love to work with animals. I think his show had an especially big influence on my daughter. She wants to be a marine biologist someday.

How very sad for his family. My DH loved watching his shows!

My children loved the guy! I feel sad that he is gone, but I agree that it was doing something he loved doing. He is very young and leaves behind a sweet family, and I think that is sad regardless of any actions he had been a part of that created controversy in the past.

Rest in peace Steve! Crock's rule! :rockon:

Point well taken, TOM. I don't agree with everything you said, and feel people have to be responsible for their own actions, but can't deny that people are influenced easily.

And yes, it was irresponsible to have the infant around the crocs. Anything could have happened. I still Luff him, though!

I agree with you, Joliesmom...but then, the way not to get killed in an auto accident is not to drive, and I do that and it's not even fun! LOL!

Never thought about that....

I feel sorry for his family. His death was a freak accident. I appreciate the passion he had for these dangerous animals. Granted what he did was dangerous but I know I enjoyed his show. I probably had a higher chance of dying in my car driving to work than anyone does of being speared through the heart by a sting ray.

Consider he didn't die as the result of a croc attack and none of his children have been injured as a result of a croc attack, I don't think his having them around them means anything really. He knew what he was doing.

RIP Steve!

I was truly sad when I read about it this morning. Tired Old Man-your thread title is a little mean spirited. "What a Croc-" (!) I don't agree that he should have been carrying his son while feeding a croc. It was poor judgment to say the least! But all in all he was a very good educator, had wonderful enthusiam and great dedication. The Australian zoo is a success due to him. He was a champion for endangered species and made a difference in the world. He left way too young.

The play on words of your title made me cringe. I am simply telling how I percieved it and how I felt about it.

I was truly sad when I read about it this morning. Tired Old Man-your thread title is a little mean spirited. "What a Croc-" (!) I don't agree that he should have been carrying his son while feeding a croc. It was poor judgment to say the least! But all in all he was a very good educator, had wonderful enthusiam and great dedication. The Australian zoo is a success due to him. He was a champion for endangered species and made a difference in the world. He left way too young.

The play on words of your title made me cringe. I am simply telling how I percieved it and how I felt about it.

I have to agree with you diva. The title of the thread seems a little harsh to me. Who are we to judge a man upon his passing? My thoughts are with his family and especially to his children who, regardless of your personal feelings of the man, just lost their daddy.

44 is soooo young!! However, I am a firm believer that when it is your time regardless of where you are and what you doing you are done. We all have events on the calendar, two of which are unavoidable: birth and death.

May he rest in peace and his family find comfort!! How may of us can say we live daily doing what we love and know that we could die at any time hopefully doing what we LOVE!!

I was truly sad when I read about it this morning. Tired Old Man-your thread title is a little mean spirited. "What a Croc-" (!) I don't agree that he should have been carrying his son while feeding a croc. It was poor judgment to say the least! But all in all he was a very good educator, had wonderful enthusiam and great dedication. The Australian zoo is a success due to him. He was a champion for endangered species and made a difference in the world. He left way too young.

The play on words of your title made me cringe. I am simply telling how I percieved it and how I felt about it.

I want to apologize to anyone who might think I meant anything other than what I actually meant.

By "What a Croc: Croc Hunter killed!", I meant that it was a Croc of terrible news or more appropriately "$hittie New$".

I didn't like the man's style, but I do not believe in the death penalty for murder, let alone for (what I consider) poor taste.

Sorry if anyone misunderstood. I can see how it was mis-interpretted. I was so distressed by the news that I woke my wife up to tell her about it, something which after 39 years of marriage, I realize is almost as perilous as messing with prehistoric reptiles. Luckily for me she was as concerned as I was. Just least week, I woke her to tell her about the approach of hurricane Ernesto and I had to make my own Breakfast as punishment.

TOM

PS: The reason I find out about these stories so early is that we usually sleep with the TV on and CNN is one of the stations I am tuned to most often.