While fishing I had a friend step on an Atlantic stingray and the barb penetrated his ankle bones and broke off. He had five months of recovery and now walks with a permanent limp. Rays have those barbs specifically as a defense mechanism against sharks. They are nasty. They are the one animal that really scare me when I fish. Sharks are really not a problem. Rays are everywhere and stealthy. That swimming with rays crap, no thank you. Only with rays that lack barbs. The rays dont want to have anything to do with you. But amazingly they have a very bad habit of trying to get into your shadow while wading. So I never step back. I have a collection of their barbs. They are like multiple arrow heads one on top of another. Most people get lucky and the ray strikes with the barb which is located about a little less than half way up their tail on top, just punctures and withdraws. But when the barb breaks off. Thats major suffering.

Oh my brother got electrocuted by an electric ray. He said it felt like when he grabbed the back of a television set. Really hurt.

Steve Irwin was so full of life. Of course he got lucky many other times. He almost got killed by a snake. Really ironic though. God bless him and his wife and children. He seemed like a really good guy. A great teacher.