WWW- The death of famed “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin stunned fans and friends around the world yesterday as they expressed disbelief that a stingray could cause the demise of the wildlife daredevil.

As details emerged of Irwin’s last moments off Australia’s north coast, sea-life experts were dumbfounded by the likelihood of him being killed by one of the ocean’s most docile bottom feeders.

“It’s just an absolute fluke,” said Lisa-ann Gershwin, Australian national marine stinger adviser.

“It was extraordinarily bad luck,” Shaun Collin, an Australian marine neuroscientist, said of Irwin’s death.

About 1,500 people a year are injured by stingrays in the U.S., but none of those encounters has resulted in death, experts said.

In fact, there have only been 17 cases ever reported of human stingray deaths worldwide, experts said. In contrast, dog attacks kill 10 to 20 people a year in the U.S. and snake bites claim another 15 Americans annually.

Irwin’s freak accident happened yesterday on a part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef known as the Batt Reef, about 9 miles from shore, where he was filming a segment for an upcoming TV show.

Witnesses said Irwin was snorkeling in shallow water just above a bull stingray, while a cameraman was in front of it. The ray, apparently sensing no route of escape, got spooked and went into a defensive mode, raising its whiplike tail toward Irwin’s chest.

The tail’s razor-sharp, serrated and poisonous spine, midway up the tail, pierced the left side of the 44-year-old Aussie TV star’s heart, sending him into cardiac arrest.

“The cameraman said at the time he didn’t know that it even hit him until he saw blood in the water and then he knew there was a problem,” said Irwin’s manager, John Stainton.

Crew members quickly pulled Irwin aboard his boat, named Croc One, and tried to resuscitate him.

“It became clear fairly soon that he had nonsurvivable injuries,” said Dr. Ed O’Loughlin, the first medic on scene.

Irwin is survived by his wife, Terri, who often appeared in his shows, their daughter, Bindi Sue, 8, and son, Bob, 2.

Irwin was initially in the area to film an episode for a series called “The Ocean’s Deadliest” with underwater TV legend Jacques Cousteau’s grandson, Philippe. Bad weather delayed the shoot, so Irwin decided to be productive and get some footage on Batt Reef for his daughter’s upcoming TV series, Stainton said.

“He said, ‘I might just go off and shoot some segments for Bindi’s show, just stuff on the reef and little animals,'” Stainton said. “The next thing I heard on the radio was there was a medical emergency.”

The tearful Stainton said Irwin “died doing what he loved best.”

Tributes quickly flooded in.

“It’s a huge loss to Australia,” Australian Prime Minister John Howard said.

John Hendrix – founder of the Discovery Channel, which aired the “Crocodile Hunter” series – called Irwin “a larger-than-life force.”

“He brought joy and learning about the natural world to millions and millions of people across the globe,” Hendrix said. Irwin appeared in many movies, including “Dr. Dolittle 2” with Eddie Murphy and made scores of TV appearances. Discovery plans a marathon showing of Irwin’s programs.

When President Bush visited Australia in 2003, Irwin was among the guests handpicked by Howard to attend a ceremonial barbecue – and he turned up in his trademark khakis.

But Irwin’s death also caused a shudder in some of the world’s most popular dive sites.

Sharon Ebanks, who gives stingray snorkeling tours in the Grand Cayman Islands, said several customers were reluctant to go in the water yesterday.

“I think there’s going to be an impact and that impact is that we’re going to have to explain to some people who are concerned about stingrays,” Ebanks said.