HAWKE'S BAY, New Zealand (21 Mar 2007) -- A New Zealand diver was hospitalized in serious condition after a stingray punctured his stomach--an accident similar to the one that killed TV entertainer Steve Irwin last year. Maxwell Wakefield, 46, was attacked by the ray while diving for crayfish off Blackhead Point in Hawke's Bay. "I started to black out. I thought this is it," Wakefield told reporters, describing the severe pain he suffered when the stingray's poisonous barb punctured his wetsuit and penetrated his stomach just below the navel. Wakefield said he did not see the stingray, which was hidden beneath the sand on the sea bottom and admitted he may have inadvertently provoked the animal. As Wakefield started to lose consciousness, his diving buddies called for help and rushed the severely injured diver to shore. He finally reached Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital after being transported from the boat by farm vehicle, ambulance and a rescue helicopter. According to hospital officials, Wakefield is expected to make a full recovery. Despite Steve Irwin's death and reports of injuries to divers and snorkelers at Stingray City in the Cayman Islands where stingrays are fed and often provoked by local watersports operators to perform for tourists, the animals are not considered dangerous. © CDNN - CYBER DIVER NEWS NETWORK | 
