Witness to Steve Irwin's Death - Smarter Every Day116

Hey it's me Destin, welcome back to Smarter Every Day.

So I think we will all agree that Steve Irwin was one of the best science communicators that has ever existed.

I mean he knew the knowledge and it was like a fire in his bones, he had to share it with people because he was so excited about it.

And I truly believe that he was genuine, it wasn't all just for show.

I get that. I wanted to be like Steve Irwin, I really did.

So fast forward several years. I'm on the Great Barrier Reef and I'm diving and I learn that the guy that is teaching me this stuff, Dr Jamie Seymour from James Cook University,

I learn several days into interacting with him that he was actually on the boat when Steve Irwin died.

So I started asking questions, and I asked him if I could do an interview after we became friends and it felt appropriate to do so.

Steve Irwin was in a different boat when he was hit by the stingray.

He was brought to Croc One, which is where Dr Seymour was.

Dr Seymour was there because he's an expert in venomous animals. He was there to inform Steve and be an expert on the animals that Steve was going to be handling.

Steve Irwin was a husband and a father and he loved other people and wanted to communicate how awesome the world was, and I get all of those things. He was a human being.

So, Dr Seymour interacted with that human being, Steve Irwin, for a few days, and it was the last few days of his life. So I just want to take a minute and listen to what Dr Seymour has to say, and see what Steve's effect was on his life.

(Destin) Alright so you are the expert toxinologist I've learned, did I get it right?

- Got it right that time, yep.

- Right, and so you were telling me that you were actually involved in one of the craziest things that's ever happened in the marine biology world, or at least most public right? So, what happened?

- Yeah that's when we lost Steve. Ah look..

- Steve Irwin?

- Steve Irwin. Yeah, short answer to the whole scenario was, you know, Steve was filming a very large stingray, probably 2.5m across from wingtip to wingtip.

Unfortunately he came in from the back end of the animal with the sun over his shoulder.