Robert Irwin has sent fans into a frenzy after sharing an image of himself gliding alongside a manta ray.
WATCH: Robert Irwin’s near miss as croc strikes
Heading to Instagram on Sunday, Robert shared a series of action shots in honour of shark week, which kicks off next Sunday.
The 17-year-old captioned the post: “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’.
“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.
“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!”
Accompanying the caption were images of Rob donning some scuba gear, gazing off to sea, etc. But it was the first image that struck a chord with his followers.
In the image, Rob is reaching out his hand to a large manta ray. It’s safe to say that the poignant image reminded many people of how the teenager’s dad lost his life.
“I did not realise I had ptsd until this moment. Please be careful,” one user commented.
“You stay the f**k away from them rays alright” another added.
“We all thought the same thing! Just shows how much of a impact it all had on us! Definitely the photo of the century,” another added.
While many of Rob’s followers were alarmed at the picture, there were others in the comments who quelled any anxieties about the 17-year-old’s underwater expedition.
“That manta ray looks absolutely gorgeous! And for everyone in the comments manta rays don’t have barbs,” wrote one user.
Steve Irwin lost his life on September 4th 2006 while filming in the Great Barrier Reef. The Crocodile Hunter was tragically struck in the chest by a stingray barb.
Years following his death, in 2018, Bindi Irwin revealed her true feelings about stingrays.
WATCH: Bindi Irwin Reveals Her True Feelings About Stingrays (Story continues after video)
When asked whether she felt any bitterness toward rays, Bindi told the late US talk show host Larry King that she doesn’t.
“It was just a crazy accident that happened,” the now-22-year-old said.
“Stingrays are really beautiful animals. Dad loved them, we love them and they are important to our environment. And I know dad would be the first person to say ‘I love stingrays.’”
