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.

My kids grew up watching Steve Irwin and LOVED him.

We live in Queensland (Steve's home State) and we have been to his zoo several times.... it is the most beautiful zoo imaginable...no cramped spaces for any of the animals and beautiful and clean.

Everytime we went my kids were excited hoping that they would bump into Steve...it did happen once and he was great with all the tourists, especially the kids.

I must admit....going to the zoo will not be the same without him.

Many Aussies feel that the passing of Steve Irwin was like losing a mate.

He will be missed.

I heard on the news this morning that a state funeral was offered but his family said no. I can understand that.

Some people may read this and think it is "Croc Hunter" bashing, but it is just an observation.

I watched a segment of a news magazine yesterday in which he is shown being repeatedly bit by animals of all varieties.

That tends to happen when you grab a wild animal and wave it around. Crocodile Hunter or not. :heh:

That tends to happen when you grab a wild animal and wave it around. Crocodile Hunter or not. :heh:

I have alligators in the canal behind my home, and I don't (at least not yet) get bit, because I don't put my body (or hands) in situations to get bit.

Yes, I know the "Croc Hunter" did wonderful things to excite the imagination of millions of children and adults alike, and I am glad that he did, but whenever I watched him in action, I was bothered by his (IMHO) careless and flippant attitude. I guess I am repeating myself.

I am very sorry to see him leave, but his death will not force me to forget what I saw as the errors of his technique.

I hope that the joy he obtained in his life was worth the shortness of his life. I hope that this does not sound mean spirited, but I am glad that ONLY he perished in this tragic accident. Could you imagine if one of his family members had died during the filming of his adventures, but he had lived?

I have alligators in the canal behind my home, and I don't (at least not yet) get bit, because I don't put my body (or hands) in situations to get bit.

Yes, I know the "Croc Hunter" did wonderful things to excite the imagination of millions of children and adults alike, and I am glad that he did, but whenever I watched him in action, I was bothered by his (IMHO) careless and flippant attitude. I guess I am repeating myself.

I am very sorry to see him leave, but his death will not force me to forget what I saw as the errors of his technique.

I hope that the joy he obtained in his life was worth the shortness of his life. I hope that this does not sound mean spirited, but I am glad that ONLY he perished in this tragic accident. Could you imagine if one of his family members had died during the filming of his adventures, but he had lived?

There are worse things than death and that is living without the person you loved so much.

I feel for his family.....

R.I.P. Steve Irwin...my son for one is very sad at your passing...you were a great guy

Jesus, this is so sad.

ANyone ever see the footage of him crying over his dog he had to put down, Mary the croc (see [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0VjZ3Kn-A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0VjZ3Kn-A[/ame]) or the baby elephant one too, and how broken up be became because it was orphaned by poachers and struggling to live. He began to cry as it feebly touched his face with it's trunk. I cried too! (it died a month later and he was stricken over it)

Or the footage of him hearing about a lost diver and taking all his resources during a shoot to find the diver (and he did!)

It's hard to lose someone who has such a heart, it really is. I've been thrown into a depression all week over this. We need people like this in the world.

I hope the kids go on to carry out his work, because that really was his goal for them and his passion.

From what I read, ray's are docile, but a big male was spooked by the camera. The barb on the bottom of a stingray's tail is rarely fatal, it hit his heart making it a freak accident. They said if it hit anywhere else, he just would be in a lot of pain.

What luck.

Someone who did things for the planet and it's inhabitants dies and others who think nothing of others still walk around. It just sucks.

This is going to sound looney to some, but he was a champion for animals and the enviroment, I think of it as a gift from the animal world to him, to die like this. A croc killing him would be terrifying and painful. This way was gentle and quick. We all have to die someday, so this his time, it was by an animal and it was swift. Not horrific like a croc, and not some dottering old man wasting away in a bed.

Kind of like nature saying thanks to a favorite son.

p.s. What I think some don't realize is his "unconventional ways" brought attention, interest, education and money to the animals he featured which no one would care about otherwise.

See what he has to say about that here:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwxQyhIbhAk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwxQyhIbhAk[/ame]

Steve temporarily "charged" into their habitats, but he also used his money to buy up a whole bunch of land to preserve as is in addition to restoring the land in Australia Zoo to become the animals' habitats.

Steve put his money and fame where his mouth was and his heart was full of compassion for animals and wildlife.

His was a minimum, temporary disturbance. Handling a snake will anger it minutes but he never harmed one and always sent it right back on its way.

In exchange for that the snake's species and habitat gets massive amounts of attention it otherwise wouldn't have gotten.

He has said his main goal is to take those animals made horrible by bad human PR and save them from extinction, his main passion was to show people that animals are wonderful and not to want to kill them out of fear, no matter how deadly the animal.

I think that is maybe why he took so many chances. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwxQyhIbhAk][/ame]

I'm an animal activist, PETA member, vegetarian. Steve did not harm the animals. Did he bug them? Yes.

What did it get in exchange? Screentime and a chance for viewers to be educated and learn about that animal, which in turn can only benefit both humans and animals. Steve is probably single handedly responsible for de-mystifying crocodiles as big evil creatures. And that's the first step in conservation: people don't want to save endangered animals they think are evil predators.

So is being held for five minutes and in no way being harmed physically worth the trade off of preserving a species and its habitat? Hell yes.

Those that may stumble into the thread and not like Steve Irwin to consider these facts and also ask that you respect that some of us are very much effected by his death and in mourning for him, and be kind to us in that regard. I for one am still crying over it.

Very Well Put.

Jesus, this is so sad.

ANyone ever see the footage of him crying over his dog he had to put down, Mary the croc (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0VjZ3Kn-A) or the baby elephant one too, and how broken up be became because it was orphaned by poachers and struggling to live. He began to cry as it feebly touched his face with it's trunk. I cried too! (it died a month later and he was stricken over it)

Or the footage of him hearing about a lost diver and taking all his resources during a shoot to find the diver (and he did!)

It's hard to lose someone who has such a heart, it really is. I've been thrown into a depression all week over this. We need people like this in the world.

I hope the kids go on to carry out his work, because that really was his goal for them and his passion.

From what I read, ray's are docile, but a big male was spooked by the camera. The barb on the bottom of a stingray's tail is rarely fatal, it hit his heart making it a freak accident. They said if it hit anywhere else, he just would be in a lot of pain.

What luck.

Someone who did things for the planet and it's inhabitants dies and others who think nothing of others still walk around. It just sucks.

This is going to sound looney to some, but he was a champion for animals and the enviroment, I think of it as a gift from the animal world to him, to die like this. A croc killing him would be terrifying and painful. This way was gentle and quick. We all have to die someday, so this his time, it was by an animal and it was swift. Not horrific like a croc, and not some dottering old man wasting away in a bed.

Kind of like nature saying thanks to a favorite son.

Actually, the show where his dog died was on Discovery or Animal Planet a week or 2 ago. How ironic....Yes, it was a tear jerker! Like I said earlier, not only will my son miss him, but I will too. A long time ago there was a show on about him and his background of being a conservationist, which I thought was wonderful! Until then I thought he was just out to make a buck off the animals (like some of them do), but he taught people about animals and their plight for survival. His dad was on TV the other day (understandably upset and teary eyed) and said he didn't lose a son, but friend, I found THAT real touching...Guess it's a personal thing.

People Killing Stingrays to get Even

From the Article:

Backlash Against Stingrays Since Irwin's Death

By MERAIAH FOLEY, AP

SYDNEY, Australia (Sept. 12) - At least 10 stingrays have been killed since "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was fatally injured by one of the fish, an official said Tuesday, prompting a spokesman for the late TV star's animal charity to urge people not take revenge on the animals.

Such a disgrace.....Steve Irwin would roll over in his grave!

Exactly JoJo. This is not what he would have wanted, and in fact it would be something that he would have cried over. It would have brought him to tears.

I was afriad this would happen (about the stingrays) I hope they put a stop to it. Poor things.

People are such idiots, really. I'm sorry, but the idiocy that the human race can demonstrate never ceases to amaze me.

wow, if you listen to this guy, you almost wanna kiss cocodiles hehehe, please join in our loss, he is a loss down here in NZ and OZ, and especially to our kids....................has anyone heard anything since, I heard he got buried on Sat, maybe something next Wednesday for public?

Please if you haveb;'t seen anything of his, please look

XX NZ:D