Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin killed

[PD]

Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin has been killed by a stingray. I am really sad about this news and am not sure what to say to my kids. I am afraid they will never want to swim in the bay again as there a lot of stingrays here.

[LookoutBelow]

Why would you NOT tell them anything but the truth ?

The ocean is not a playground, it can be enjoyed immensely, but one must ALWAYS remember that when in the ocean, you are NOT at the top of the food chain like you are on land. Some like myself accept that risk and keep my brain turned on when around or in it.

I spent my life on and around the ocean’s water, it is something that is to be respected at ALL times. Come on man !….Your not sitting in a 2 foot deep, blow up, doughboy pool in your backyard with a margarita man !!

Things in the water can, will, do, view your ass as a meal !

The truth will set you free.
Always tell your kids the way it REALLY is, they get enough smoke blown up their arses watching 40 hours of sillyness on TV every week, you should be their “breath of fresh air”.

If THEY decide to stay out of the water and not take those chances, thats THEIR decisions….not yours. Respect it.

[speedingpullet]

Although I found him too irritating to watch, I’m really sorry to hear he died. His young family will miss him in the years to come.

From what I hear, it was a freak incident – I guess a spine to the heart is too much for anybody, especially 30 minutes away from the nearest medical help.

Although he was decades too young to die, I’m glad that it was quick and that he died doing the things he loved the most. He knew what he was doing – having grown up on a zoo, in one of the most dangerous environments on the planet (Oz has the most poisonous native species of any continent). But sometimes wierd, horrible, things happen, no matter how experienced you are.

[LookoutBelow]

True.

If he wasnt doing something spectacular, he wouldnt have had a TV show, people arent interested otherwise. He knew what he was doing was risky as hell.
I figured a croc would have got him, not a stingray. A lot of people have been killed by a nasty little animal called an Irikundi jellyfish also. Almost microscopic. In Hawaiian beaches annually also. A well kept secret by the hotel owners and chamber of commerce. Reminds me of Jaws the movie Hahaha !

Steve Irwin was one cool dude with balls of steel, but the odds were against him at the onset.
I saw what a croc can do to somebody down in Nicaragua earlier this year, it was brutal. He knew the risk associated with his popularity. He let his guard down with the stingray. Some people think the risk is worth the chance for some notoriety. Good on em ! God bess em !

[CardiffBaseball]

There is some amount of risk to the body when you want to go for something bigger than the routine. For instance, building your body, flexibility and strength to throw a baseball 95 MPH, will invariably cause some to blow out their arm. Part of life. Look at the tremendous punishment, and extreme training one goes through to become a high level football player.

This guy found a niche, and exploited it to the fullest, more power to him. He seemed to have fun doing it.

[Chrispy]

Man is not at the top of the food chain on land either. Ask anyone who has run across a bear in a camping situation… a pit bull whose owner breeds him as a fighting dog… a pack of wolves on the hunt…. etc. More local to SD, a mountain lion in Cuyamaca.

We don’t have inborn rights to any part of the planet. Being respectful to all forms of nature is key.

[SD Realtor]

I liked him alot. While there were some complaints from certain groups about how he came into to close of a proximity with animals, and there were also complaints about how he had is infant in one arm while feeding a croc with another, Steve was instrumental in preventing alot of croc hunting trips. He used his celebrity status in a positive manner to protect habitat although that is not widely known, especially in this country. I think it was easy to confuse his bravado with disrespect.

However it is plain to see that it is only a matter of time before the odds catch up to you when you play with fire.

[NotARocketScientist]

I am really sad about this news and am not sure what to say to my kids. I am afraid they will never want to swim in the bay again as there a lot of stingrays here.

PD — You might want to use this opportunity to draw distinctions for your kids. A couple weeks ago my own kids came across the TV story about Tim Treadwell, the documentarian who was eaten alive by grizzly bears in Alaska. This was days before we went camping to Sequoia.

I was able to draw a distinction between the black bears in Sequoia and the grizzly bears in Alaska. I was also able to draw a distinction between the provocative behavior of Treadwell and the respectful behavior we knew to exhibit with bears.

I am happy to report that we did see a back bear, and paid it the proper respect. My kids and the bear were both cool with the experience.

I'm no expert on the ocean, but my understanding is that the ray that felled Erwin was an eight-footer, nothing like the one-footers we have here. Also, Erwin was more — shall we say, intrusive — then you have probably taught your own kids to be.

Best of luck and happy swimming.

[carlislematthew]

I’m sad to hear that the guy died, but I’m not more sad for him than I am for the other few thousand (or more?) other people that died on the same day as he did. Some of them had families too.

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