Posted on 09/08/2006 9:48:00 PM PDT by FreedomCalls
ON the afternoon before his final adventure, Steve Irwin sat on the aft deck of Deepstar, an aluminium catamaran moored at Batt Reef off Port Douglas, and looked wide-eyed at his host Pete West's newest purchase.
It was a modern-day suit of armour. A head-to-toe stainless steel mesh outfit, complete with full-face helmet. The creation of a San Diego-based company specialising in marine equipment, it had been custom-made to protect its wearer from all but the most determined sea creatures.
Even tiger sharks - known to devour stingrays, serrated barb and all - would have found the sections of steel unappealing.
The wildlife guru's childlike enthusiasm - his best friend and manager, John Stainton, reckoned he had never grown up - was at once obvious.
Irwin did not hold back. He picked up the heavy and unusual-looking thing. Turning it over and feeling its smooth texture, he began asking questions.
"Crikey. How heavy is it, mate?" Irwin, 44, asked West, an expert diver-cinematographer and the owner of Deepstar. "It's 12 kilograms, Steve."
To meet Irwin was to immediately like him. His energy, over-the-top antics and interest in all he talked to were unique and completely genuine, and West was won over.
West, who had spent most of his life either in or on top of the water since working as a teenager at Marineland at Manly in Sydney, explained the suit's features. While the expensive high-definition cameras were heavy on land but virtually weightless in the water because of the buoyancy of the housing, the suit would still be a burden.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
Coulda woulda shoulda?
Does the barb shoot off of the tail or stay attached???
I think it just breaks off after the tail impales it in something. I'm not really sure though.
Didn't.
Maybe somebody will know.
Yes, I was glad to see this posted yesterday. *Everyone* should take some time to read it who is posting on the Irwin threads. We are mourning the loss of this dear soul.
Whoever wrote this article should teach journalism classes. The details are precise and to the point.
Chain mail suits do a good job of spreading out the force of bites and such but they are not particularly good at resisting penetration.
One thing I've been trying to figure out....does the ray have one barb for it's whole life or, after it shoots it's barb, can it grow another? Just a curiosity. We watched and enjoyed Steve Irwin for years.Then my son grew up and his show wasn't on our TV everyday. He was a treasure and we will still miss him.
http://google.com/answers/threadview?id=762521
THANK YOU!!!
A freeper wants to know if they only get ONE bab for their lifetime or if they grow a new one if they shoot their original....do you know??
Some of them have several at a time. They do shed them, whole, from time to time, as well - but have a new one in place when that happens.
The ones at the aquatic petting zoo have them pulled out with pliers and then new growth is trimmed back like toenails, according to the spokesperson I saw for a local aquarium.
Last year we were watching a shark special and a diver had on one of thse suits. Her hand was bitten and fingers nearly taken off but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Anyway, the "glove" was crushed into her hand, breaking where the shark had bitten. I don't see how it could protect from a stingray barb.
http://www.jerrylabella.com/stingray.html
Never underestimate the penetrating ability of a stingray’s barb, even on the smallest of stingrays. The stingray’s barb is designed to penetrate virtually all sorts of dense materials, including wood and leather. And as unbelievable as it may seem, it’s been documented that large stingrays are able to drive a barb through a boat’s wooden planks or completely through a persons arm or leg.
http://www.jerrylabella.com/stingray.html
ah, Google... =P
ping to post 16
Ther barb is not actully the "tail" part of the ray which you are probably familiar with and is actually soft and pointed.
The barb grows our from the base of the tail and is usually hidden.
It does grow back.
http://www.jerrylabella.com/stingray.html
According to Dr. Shipp, when a stingray strikes, it either removes its barb entirely, or breaks it off inside of the victim.
As I understand it, the question of what is the diameter of the rings versus the diameter of the barb. If the barb is larger than the rings it will be stopped unless it exerts enough force to break the ring. Most likely the barb will penetrate until the taper of the barb is larger than the rings. This would possibly still allow several inches of barb to penetrate.
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