A close friend of Steve Irwin has recalled the devastating moment the Crocodile Hunter recognised he was dying, just moments after being struck in the heart by a stingray barb on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
The iconic Australian conservationist was shooting a documentary back in 2006 when disaster struck. Cameraman and friend Justin Lyons was alongside Irwin, with the duo out on the water at the Great Barrier Reef - off the coast of Cairns, situated in Australia's tropical northern state of Queensland - to capture footage for an upcoming documentary about the reef's marine life.
The fatal encounter
Speaking to Australian current affairs programme 60 Minutes, Lyons has described what unfolded in the minutes leading up to and following the stingray's attack on that tragic day 20 years ago.
"We zipped around [in a boat] for 10-15 minutes before we found the stingray. And then, it was like, okay, game on. I mean, we'd only filmed with stingrays a hundred times before. They were awesome to film with. So we both slipped over the side of the rubber ducky and, yeah, started filming this amazing massive - it was massive - bull ray."
He then continued to outline the moments preceding the fatal strike to memorial TV special Steve Irwin: A Wild Life, as well as the horrifying moment they understood it was all over for Irwin.
"We chatted about the final shot, which would be the opening shot, because by now, the stingray was calm. It had buried itself in the sand. I said, 'We'll start this thing. I'll just be close in front of this stingray. I'll be a couple of metres from it. You go round behind it and swim up behind it.'"
Last words
Lyons continued: "He swims up, swims over the top of it. It doesn't move. But as he's directly over the top of it, of course, it thought he was a tiger shark and started stabbing madly towards him with its tail. The water just boiled. I couldn't see anything that was going on. Bubbles and thrashing."
"And then, all of a sudden, it stopped. The stingray swam away, the water calmed, so I just panned with the stingray. And as I let it go out of shot, as I panned back to Steve, he came jumping up out of the water, screaming, and the water around him is now full of blood."
As his own blood turned to ice, Lyons could do nothing but observe as Irwin yelled out: "It's punctured my lung!". Lyons leapt into action.
"I threw the camera into one of the rubber duckies (which is Australian for a small, inflatable motorboat which are often used by lifeguards during surf rescues) and dragged Steve into the boat. His khaki shirt is open, and he's just got blood pouring out of a gash like that in his chest, right over his heart."
Then arrived the heartbreaking moment Lyons will never forget. "He's conscious, and he says to me - he looks me right in the eye - and he says, 'I'm dying'." Those were the devastating final two words of a legend. Seconds later, Irwin was gone, leaving Lyons in a state of shock at the horror he had just witnessed in a matter of moments.
Family tributes on 20th anniversary
Friday, 4 September marks the 20th anniversary of Irwin's death. To this day, the devoted animal lover is still celebrated across the globe for his infectious passion for conservation. He won over hearts at his Australia Zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, before bursting onto television screens with his exuberant antics and crocodile wrestling, all in the name of wildlife preservation.
In 2006, he left behind his wife Terri, and his children, Bindi and Robert, aged eight and two respectively. On Friday, Irwin's now-28-year-old daughter shared a clip of her father describing what it felt like to witness the birth of his eldest child.
Bindi was just eight years old when her father passed away. She has since paid tribute to the wildlife icon, sharing a video of Steve recounting: "The most incredible wildlife encounter of my life was the birth of my daughter, Bindi," Steve says in the clip. Alongside the decades-old interview footage, Bindi posted an online tribute in memory of her father.
She said: "Twenty years ago, today, the world lost the most passionate and dedicated wildlife conservationist. Our family lost our superhero. My mum lost the love of her life; my brother and I lost the greatest dad.
"Grief never truly leaves us; we walk alongside it every day. Where there is enormous grief, there is even greater love. I always thought that my dad's legacy is wildlife conservation; it turns out, his legacy is love. For our planet and for each other."
Bindi, now a mother herself, revealed that her five-year-old daughter watches her grandfather's documentaries every morning and feels "utterly loved by her 'grandpa crocodile', despite never meeting him". She continued: "My dad left a lasting impact so poignant that it will ripple out for generations to come. I believe with my whole heart that his love will live on forever.
"Dad, I love you with my whole heart. Thank you for being our guardian angel. And most of all, thank you for watching over my daughter now, too. She loves you so much. We all do."
Her brother Robert, now 22, also took to social media to share a happy snap with his dad alongside the simple caption: "Your legacy is forever." Steve's devoted wife Terri also paid her own tribute, reflecting on the final weeks she had shared with her husband.
She disclosed that "grief still walks with me like my shadow". "With the passing of time I have gained more perspective and understanding. We were together as a family, on our crocodile research expedition, for what was to be our final six weeks together," she said.
"Ours was to be a long and sweet goodbye. Steve spent time with Bindi and Robert building swings and climbing trees. We all slowed down. Time slowed down.
"I believe that all of us, every one of us, gets to say goodbye. We just may not know that we're saying it. Hold every moment dear with the ones you love. Until we meet again."
