As most of you will know by now, Steve Irwin was killed earlier today after being "...fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while diving in Queensland's Batt Reef, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef."
I was saddened to hear this as I have always greatly enjoyed watching Steve bring nature into the living room in a very informative way, while at the same time doing so in a highly entertaining fashion. He ranked in the top three (in my book) of people whom I have most enjoyed watching that dealt with wildlife and discovery - Marlin Perkins (Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom) and Jacques-Yves Cousteau being the other two.
So Steve... It's a shame you couldn't have been able to say, "Crikey! That was a close one!," this time. We'll miss you, mate.
12 comments:
Sadly, this was almost bound to happen. The other two gents you mentioned took a much more sensible approach to nature than Steve. Still, it's a shame. You're right, he brought nature in through the cable, and along with his wife and daughter reminded me that families can exist alongside nature, and not just apart from it. He'll be missed and mourned.
I think that, in general, you are correct. But the other two had their share of close calls as well. I think it's just the nature of the business.
I forgot to create a link on my original post to the MofOWK site, but I've corrected my oversight. It's worth a look.
You're right (rangerboy), it *is* the nature of the business. But you have to admit, Irwin had a much more, uh, adrenaline approach than the other two (heck, didn't Marlin always send Jim in for the really dangerous stuff?!?)
I believe you are right slackered. My kids and I always enjoyed watching Croc Files and Crocodile Hunter. We will miss seeing it!! A moment of silence for Terry and the rest of the family! :(
Yeah... A lot of the time Jim got the, um, fun part of it... Or else he was "...down stream."
Check out the nostalgia page on the WK site... There's a good one of Marlin and Jim having a lot of fun with an anaconda...or else the anaconda was having a lot of fun with them. It's hard to tell. :)
But yeah, Steve was far more, what's the word I'm looking for here, ...ostentatious, yeah, that's it... than the others.
Well... At least he died doing something he loved.
Morgan, funny you should put it that way, since that seems to be a recurring comment, he died doing what he loved. Raises the question, if you could die doing what you loved the most, how would you die?
I’m not sure I can answer that question exactly as it is put, but I’ll try… I would rather die while riding a fine motorcycle up in the Rocky Mountains on a warm autumn day than I would during my commute into work on any given day… I would rather die while I was out hunting than I would while sitting in a small apartment, alone, wondering what purpose life had for me anymore…
There is one thing that I do know... If I were to be offered the chance to be the first man to step foot on another true planet (most likely Mars), with the caveat that they could get me there with a few weeks of supplies, but no way home… I would take that trip…
If I could die ... I would have to say it is not making a roast beef sandwich, maybe like Steve scuba diving while observing some amazing underwater wild life. I guess that is probable the one thing that I want to do more than anything.
I'm with you Dodo, I think the scuba thing would be really cool... But the one and only time I've been able to bring myself to get into the ocean... It was during a trip to Mexico... And we had an amazing party on a remote beach... And, yeah, I'd been imbibing... And I went out about chest deep into the Gulf and actually had a good time... But other than that... I have this little problem with the open ocean... I saw Jaws... I know what's out there... So unless I can scuba in the Great Lakes and see cool things... Oh well...
Hope you get to make it a reality for yourself some day.
I remember when Jaws came out, my mother is from Rhode Island and we would go visit her family every summer. Well every year we would go to the beach which is on the Atlantic ocean. I was afraid to go any deeper than my knees, so I can understand where your coming from.
Mr. Irwin's wife is from about 45 min from where I currently live; her parents still live there. While I was shocked to hear of his death at such a young age, I'm with everyone else: he was doing what he loved. What a way to go.
As for Jaws, I never saw the movie, but I saw the set at Universal Studios, California. I doubt the movie would do anything for me now after seeing a pool with a hydrolic shark popping out of the water. ;o) I still have a great fear/respect for the ocean. Fortunately I get sea sick and don't have to go ocean fishing with the family, but I love going crabbing in the bay. That's my limit. It's too cold to actually "swim" here for very long without a full on wetsuit. I'll wade to my knees, but once I can't see the bottom, panic strikes, so I probably don't want to die while scuba diving. ;o)
Well, Winter, it appears we'll both be headed towards a dry demise. ;)
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