It was really a freak accident; there have only been 2 similar deaths previously recorded in Australia, 17 worldwide. Those barbs can be 8-10 inches long. In this case it managed to miss the ribs and puncture a hole in his heart. His camera man who was filming didn't realize anything was wrong until he saw blood in the water, then got Steve to the surface, onto a small rubber raft and got him to their ship where a doctor on board gave him CPR for 30 minutes until they got to a chopper to airlift him but by then it was determined to be too late, that he'd likely died when hit.
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