Don, I think what endeared him to so many was that through the screen you could tell that he was genuine. Most of it show, but a genuine showman at that. Those who knew him personally have said that they always expected
something like this. Granted he took considerable (Calculated, and un-calculated) risks all the time, but that was part of the show, like a stunt-man - no different than say Jackie Chan, or Evel Knievel. (For that matter any rodeo clown) All three did not see pain or risk of death as an obsticle. On the other hand, all could have faked, or had other people do thier stunts - none did it solely for money - they liked risk, and lived for it. In Steve Irwins case he was so comfortable with things you or I would never think of doing that he often never thought of them. What is tragic is that a man who wrestled Croc's was killed in a freak accident by a what is reffered to as the "pussycat of the sea".
Stingray's often hide in the sand, and its speculative at this point if he even knew it was there. * Also being in those waters he was just as much at risk (if not more) to be stung fataly by a 2" box jellyfish. Nature can be dangerous....
(*I myself, while snokeling in Okinawa Japan, had a 10+' Stingray swim under me - I didn't know what it was untill the tail passed - I thought it was the shadow of a cloud on the bottom. Later that year I accidentley stepped on a sea urchin, the next year I was a sniper target during convoys in Somalia - life is full of risk...)
Anyway, the reason I even mentioned this topic is that as far as the animale kingom goes, the guy was truely excited, and was always pushing to get other people as excited as he was. In the end, that will be his legacy, not the stunts.
