On the 4th September 2006, Steve was on location at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas, Australia, filming the documentary series Ocean's Deadliest. In his spare time, Steve decided to snorkel in shallow waters while being filmed, he wanted to help get some footage for his daughter, Bindi, and her television programme.

While swimming in chest-deep water, Steve approached a short-tail stingray from the rear, so he could film it swimming away.

According to the incident's only witness, “All of a sudden [the stingray] propped on its front and started stabbing wildly with its tail. Hundreds of strikes in a few seconds”. Irwin initially believed he only had a punctured lung. However, the stingray's barb pierced his heart, causing him to bleed to death. The stingray's behaviour appeared to have been a defensive response to being boxed in.