Crikey!

Steve Irwin, aka The Crocodile Hunter, was brought down today by a stingray. This makes, I believe, only the 18th recorded case of stingray death in the world. I wasn't a Croc Hunt follower, but the guy seemed pretty okay and very knowledgeable about zoology. It totally sucks that he died that way...but I guess you could look at it in the sense of at least he was doing what he loved when it happened.



One of my most cherished memories is my first dive after I got certified. I was in the Cayman Islands, and we were out in the middle of the ocean checking out the brightly colored fish and being environmentally concious of the coral, when I turn my head to the left and saw a large, lone eagle ray gliding through the water, looking as though it was flying. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

It's kind of sobering to think that I was also in Stingray City feeding the very animals that caused Irwin's death. But you can't let those freak accidents keep you from new and unusual experiences. I spend too much time already letting Life get in the way of Living. If we take away one thing today from Steve, if it's your time to go, make sure you can say aloha with a sincere "Je ne regrette rien"!