Like father, like son! Robert Irwin, son of the late wildlife expert and television personality Steve Irwin, showed off his recent adventure – swimming with a huge stingray.
The youngest Irwin posted some incredible photos on Instagram, with the caption, In the latest Instagram post, the youngest Irwin announces that on Sunday (June 11th) he is kicking off Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week with his special Crikey! It’s Shark Week! During the “first leg” of his special, Robert will travel to the Great Barrier Reef as a “warm-up” before he goes face-to-face with some great white sharks at the Neptune Islands.
“From night diving with sharks on the hunt to getting one-on-one with massive manta rays,” Irwin writes. “It was a great way to start this expedition!”
Irwin is seen nearly arm’s length from a large stingray in the post’s first picture. He also smiles big for the camera as he prepares to jump off the yacht he’s on, called Croc One.
Robert Recently Discusses Steve Irwin’s Legacy
In a recent interview with Esquire, Robert reveals his life goal is to keep Steve Irwin’s memory alive. “You know, I hope in every aspect of my life that I can make him proud,” Robert explains. “And make sure that his message never dies.”
Robert Irwin also discusses his work with Animal Planet and Discovery. He now wants to do more in the documentary space, just like Steve Irwin. “I want to have an even bigger voice to make sure that message never ever dies. Because he always said, ‘ I don’t care if people remember me, I care if people remember my message.’”
Robert also recalls the footage of Steve Irwin that he looks back to the most. “I think what I love watching so much is dad in his element, working with venomous snacks, and working with crocodiles,” he states. He also likes the videos of his father back in Australia and the limits he pushed during his filming career.
“You can see how much he loved working with crocodiles,” Robert adds. “And he would get the crocs to strike out of the water harder and faster than anyone could.”
Steve Irwin passed away in September of 2006 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming in the Great Barrier Reef. At the time of Steve’s passing, Robert was only 2 years old while his older sister, Bindi Irwin, was 8-years-old.
The siblings, along with their mother, Terri Irwin, have gone on to continue Steve Irwin’s legacy of educating and teaching the world about animals. The family’s TV series Crikey! It’s the Irwins premiered in 2018 on Animal Planet and follows the trio and their work at the Australia Zoo.
‘Shark Week’ 2021 kicks off Sunday, July 11th on Discovery Channel.
