VIDEO: Last footage shows 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin giving 'poignant' OK sign
THE last footage of Steve Irwin has emerged, showing the self-proclaimed 'Crocodile Hunter' in a boat close to where he died.
Irwin, 44, was well-known for his love of dangerous animals and regularly performed daring stunts with them.
The nature-lover died in September 2006 when he was repeatedly stabbed by an eight foot-wide stingray.
The newly-released footage was shot by British tourist Steffen Hill, who accidentally met the star while he was on holiday in Australia, on the day before his death.
Mr Hill, 30, a London-based financial manager, said: "I read something somewhere recently which said the clips of the actual accident had been destroyed.
"I suddenly realised this meant that I probably had the last video of him before he died.
"He looked quite happy on the day, nothing seemed to be bothering him.
Steve Irwin prepares for filming at Great Barrier Reef in 2006
I suddenly realised this meant that I probably had the last video of him before he died
"I spoke to him very briefly about what he was doing and told him I really admired and enjoyed his work.
"It has been almost eight years since the accident and I finally have emotional distance from it.
"I had nightmares for some time afterwards because I kept thinking we were so close and something could have happened to us."
The footage shows Irwin bobbing in a boat, before he gives a poignant 'OK' sign.
Mr Hill shot the footage on September 3, 2006, when he and his father chartered a small boat to explore the Great Barrier Reef.
A researcher asked if he could join them so as to meet up with Irwin's crew out on the reef.
Mr Hill explained: "I didn't realise Steve was on the other boat at first, I just knew we had to take this researcher across there because they were filming puffer fish.
"It was quite a windy day and when this man came back to us he said they had been unable to find any puffer fish at all and he was really disappointed.
"He said they had switched to tiger sharks or something like that but because of the weather they had been unable to find any of those too.
"I think they were discussing just filming something and in the end settled on stingrays because there were lots of them around."
Irwin died the following day when he came across a giant stingray in chest-deep water.
It is thought that the creature believed his shadow was a tiger shark and lashed out in self-defence.
