Cameraman who witnessed Steve Irwin’s tragic death reveals his final words: "I'm dying..."
Stephen Robert Irwin, a conservationist and wildlife educator, unfortunately, died on September 4, 2006, after being attacked by a stingray. The fatal moment occurred while Irwin was filming a snorkeling sequence in the Batt Reef off the coast of Australia. Cameraman Justin Lyons was the last person to see the 'Crocodile Hunter' alive, he narrated the chilling experience to Daily Mail Australia in 2022. "Steve looks directly at me and says: "I'm dying". I told him: "No you're not, you'll be right just hang in there",' Lyons revealed the exact words Irwin uttered before taking his last breath.
The two had developed a strong professional and personal friendship since Lyon joined the wildlife expert's team in 1996 to shoot their first documentary. "It was a beautiful morning, we went spearfishing, and we had a great time. Then we were just sitting around and waiting for the sharks to come - Steve wasn't one to sit around and wait, so I said let's jump in the boat and see what we can find," the seasoned cameraman explained about their last expedition. The crew had been filming tiger sharks, poisonous stonefish, and sea snakes for 'Bindi The Jungle Girl' segment.
That is when they spotted the bull ray, "He was awesome. We'd filmed them dozens of times before in deep and shallow water. We knew the behavior. We weren't scared of them, Steve had handled them and filmed with them. He was the biggest bull ray I've ever seen - he was six-foot wide, he was huge. His tail, the barb on his tail, it's a jagged-edge barb. It's two-thirds of the way along his tail. The First Nations people would use them as spear tips, they're unbelievable," Lyons continued. The cameraman shockingly revealed that there was blood all over the water after they finished filming with the giant stingray.
#SteveIrwin was killed while harassing a ray; he dangled his baby while feeding a crocodile & wrestled wild animals who were minding their own business. Today’s #GoogleDoodle sends a dangerous, fawning message. Wild animals are entitled to be left alone in their natural habitats. https://t.co/9JfJiBhGLw
— PETA (@peta) February 22, 2019
Lyons narrated that Irwin shot with the sea creature for about 10 minutes to the point that it got 'pissed off'. While they were about to take the final introductory shot the stingray grew violent and attacked the famed environmentalist. "The water boiled with bubbles, thrashing and whatnot. The entire time I was locked on Steve. I didn't know what was going on, I could see it was trying to stab Steve and he was pushing him away but it was over in about 10-15 seconds. It wasn't until I panned back and the water around him was already filling with blood that I realized," he said.
Irwin was already in pain by the time Lyons rushed to help him, "Steve is writhing in pain, Brian is covering this massive wound in Steve's chest. There's blood and fluid oozing from this massive hole," the cameraman explained. As his crew hurried him to receive medical attention, those were the last moments of the 'Crocodile Hunter.' Only one copy of the final underwater tape was accessible, Lyons alleged, and it was reportedly destroyed following the police probe. "That should never see the light of day. That footage still exists and would be tucked away. I'm pretty sure [Irwin's manager and film director John] Stainton never gave that away," he said. Irwin was buried following an intimate funeral service in Caloundra on 9 September 2006.