Fans tell Robert Irwin to 'be careful' as he swims with a giant manta ray

Fans tell Robert Irwin to 'be careful' as he swims with a giant manta ray
Fans tell Robert Irwin to 'be careful' as he swims with a giant manta ray

Some of Robert Irwin's fans were alarmed on Sunday when he shared a photo to Instagram of himself swimming with a giant manta ray.

Several expressed concerns for the 17-year-old's safety, noting how the scene at first glance looked eerily reminiscent of how his father, Steve Irwin, was killed.

Steve died in September 2006 at the age of 44 after being stabbed through the chest by a stingray barb while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef.

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Bad memories? Some of Robert Irwin's fans were alarmed on Sunday when he shared this photo to Instagram of himself swimming with a giant manta ray

Bad memories? Some of Robert Irwin's fans were alarmed on Sunday when he shared this photo to Instagram of himself swimming with a giant manta ray

Robert revealed he was filming in the same area for an upcoming Shark Week TV special, sharing additional photos and videos on Instagram.  

'Sunday July 11 at 8pm I get the honour of kicking off shark week on @discovery in the USA with "Crikey! It's Shark Week",' the conservationist captioned the post.

'For the first leg of this epic adventure, I'll travel to the spectacular Great Barrier Reef as a warm up before I go face to face with great white sharks at the Neptune Islands. 

Sad loss: Several expressed concerns for the 17-year-old's safety, noting how the scene at first glance looked eerily reminiscent of how his father, Steve Irwin, was killed

Sad loss: Several expressed concerns for the 17-year-old's safety, noting how the scene at first glance looked eerily reminiscent of how his father, Steve Irwin, was killed

Outdoor office: Robert revealed he was filming on the Great Barrier Reef for an upcoming Shark Week TV special, sharing additional photos and videos on Instagram

Outdoor office: Robert revealed he was filming on the Great Barrier Reef for an upcoming Shark Week TV special, sharing additional photos and videos on Instagram

'From night diving with sharks on the hunt, to getting one-on-one with massive manta rays, it was a great way to start this expedition!'

But many nervous fans urged Robert to 'please be careful' - despite the fact manta rays don't have barbs and

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