Justin Lyons Recalls Steve Irwin's Final 2006 Words in New Documentary

Q: Why is the cameraman who filmed Steve Irwin's tragic death finally breaking his silence after two decades?

Justin Lyons appears to be speaking now because the 20-year mark has prompted a retrospective documentary on Steve Irwin’s life, and he is contributing to that effort to document what happened and honor Irwin’s legacy. His account is being shared in *Steve Irwin: A Wild Life*, which includes unseen footage and interviews with people closest to Irwin, including Lyons, Brian Coulter and longtime manager John Stainton. The timing suggests Lyons is not breaking silence casually, but as part of a commemorative project marking two decades since Irwin’s death. The material released so far indicates his purpose is twofold: to give a factual, firsthand record of Irwin’s final moments and to help frame those moments within Irwin’s broader life as a conservationist, not just the tragedy itself. Lyons describes the event in detail—from filming the bull ray off Batt Reef, to Irwin’s final words, to the failed CPR effort—as a way of clarifying how sudden and devastating the accident was. His comments also show the personal cost of staying silent. Lyons says the moment changed his world instantly, and even now he becomes emotional recounting it. That helps explain why he waited so long: the trauma was profound, and this anniversary documentary appears to have provided a respectful context in which to finally speak publicly.

Q: What shocking unseen footage is finally coming to light twenty years after the Crocodile Hunter's tragic final moments?

The footage coming to light is never-before-seen field material from Steve Irwin’s final shoot at Batt Reef, shown in the documentary *Steve Irwin: A Wild Life*, along with Justin Lyons’ detailed account of what happened in the water and on the boat afterward. According to Lyons, the unseen material is tied to the last sequence Irwin was filming for *Ocean’s Deadliest*: shots of him approaching a bull ray they had filmed many times before. Lyons says the ray suddenly struck with its tail after Irwin swam over it, and the water “boiled” with bubbles and thrashing before turning still. The documentary also reveals the most harrowing details from those moments: Irwin resurfacing in bloodied water, crying out that he had “punctured” his lung, then telling Lyons, “I’m dying,” as the crew pulled him aboard and performed CPR for 45 minutes while racing to shore. Reports describe the film as featuring unseen field footage and exclusive interviews with Lyons, Brian Coulter and longtime manager John Stainton. Public accounts focus on the newly released behind-the-scenes material and eyewitness testimony about Irwin’s final day, rather than suggesting the full fatal attack footage itself is being broadly shown.

3 articles · Updated · Nine · Sep 2

Justin Lyons says Steve Irwin looked him in the eye and said “I’m dying” after a stingray struck his chest during a 2006 shoot off Batt Reef in Far North Queensland.
Lyons said the crew had been waiting for tiger sharks when Irwin entered the water with a single camera to film a bull ray, which he believes mistook Irwin above it for a predator and lashed out repeatedly.
45 minutes of CPR followed as the crew raced Croc One toward Low Island, but paramedics declared Irwin dead within 10 seconds of reaching the beach, Lyons said.
Steve Irwin: A Wild Life revisits the death nearly 20 years later with never-before-seen footage and interviews with Lyons, Brian Coulter and longtime manager John Stainton.