01x05 - Dead of Winter

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The mighty Bering Sea.

It is 2.5 million km2
and one of the wildest waters in the world.

And home to a lucrative,
but deadly catch... crabs.

Heavy equipment,
high waves and rough weather

- is a dangerous c*ck.

King crab season is dangerous

- but January is the season for the
the great Greenlandic crab.

It's colder...

... and the lakes are harder.

Fishing is downright dangerous.

This is the Coast Guard. At this time.
five people have been reported missing.

The risk of getting hurt
is almost 100 percent.

And on average
one fisherman a week.

Sudden storms and dangerous waves
is the reason why this is called

- The world's most dangerous catch.

DEADLY CATCH

October's green mountains have given up
to Alaska's cold winter.

And the fishing boats gather once again
in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.

There's 36 million dollars
is at stake, so the stakes are high.

When fishing for large Greenlandic crab
crab in January, the seas are rough.

And it is associated with great risk
to life, limb and property.

Above all, it's security.
Without security, it doesn't matter.

With less than 24 hours to go
departure, it's buzzing with activity.

On the 42 m long Lady Alaska, it is
routine for the crew to test

- the heavy equipment.

While the crew works on deck,
Captain Liske strategizes.

- with Gary Edwards on Big Valley.
One of the boats he works with.

As the season can be very short

- they exchange information and
fishing with five other boats.

Here on the Maverick
meets skipper Rick Quashnick

- his partner Phil Harris
from Cornelia Marie.

Together, they hope to catch
catch a larger share of the quota

- which this year is
of 9.2 million kilograms.

I think the crabs will be
in this canyon along the bank.

- It's a new area every year.
- We need to find them here.

The alliances have been made
and strategies have been set.

In less than 24 hours, the boats
are heading for the fishing grounds.

There's a lot to do. There are tons of
tons of fresh bait to be loaded.

We have 1,800 kilos of fresh cod.

This old guy here...
We'll make some cuts in it...

- and hang
two to three pieces in a pail.

Captain Quashnick
oversees every detail.

There appears to be
to be more than 1,800 kilograms.

Is there only 1,755 kilograms?

It takes a lot
to feed hungry fishermen.

Captain Rick's wife Donna
runs the galley.

We have a good crew,
and I like taking care of them.

If they want something special,
it's ready when they come downstairs.

Big boys... they eat a lot.

It's all of ours.

At home
you need to be price conscious

- but here I can spend as much
as much money as I want to spend.

Northwestern is in Dutch Harbor
to fish for green crab.

The boat is operated by the Hansen brothers,
who are from an old Norwegian fishing family.

The crew makes final preparations
preparations before departure.

Sig Hansen makes sure,
the pliers are secure.

- while a fisheries inspector
inspects the boat.

The tanks must be inspected.

The fisheries authorities have to check,
if we have crabs in the tanks.

After that, we can't leave the city,
until the season officially begins.

But a problem has arisen.
They are unhappy with the bait.

I don't like it.

It wasn't smooth.
It seemed dried out.

Unload the frozen fish.

We loaded 3,150 kilos,
and now we have to unload it all again.

We need to get rid of the bad bait.

I don't want to bet my money
on bad bait.

With new bait, Captain Hansen is
is ready to cast off.

But they're not sailing now.

Before I read from the Bible, I would like to
ask if there are any requests.

Talk about safety. You did that
you did last time and it worked.

God, we offer You our services
and pray for a safe journey.

In the last 15 years, 53 fishermen
have died during the winter season.

This plea to arrive safely
to port is repeated on all boats.

Bless each and every one of them, God,
that they may come home safely.

We don't know what will happen. A year from now
year, we might not all be here.

So please
take care of them? Amen.

These men know,
that the sea can be capricious.

It can swallow them
and the boat without warning.

It's early morning
on January 13th.

Dutch Harbor is buzzing with life.

Once the boats have been approved,
they can leave the harbor.

They set course for
a dangerous area of the Bering Sea

- which is located approximately 640 kilometers
northwest of Dutch Harbor.

There they are confronted with the worst,
nature has to offer.

Arctic storms, high waves, ice

- long winter nights and exhaustion.

All of this makes the work
extremely difficult.

On the way out of the harbor
the fleet passes a ship graveyard.

The outlet is filled with rusty wrecks,
victimized by the Bering Sea.

The cargo ship Selendang Ayu

- is located in two halves a few
kilometers from Dutch Harbor.

The once proud


- now lies like an abandoned
and broken toy ship.

Five weeks earlier,
when the crew needed to be rescued.

- six people lost their lives.

This is just the latest
of a long line of tragedies.

These boats exist
only as wrecks.

- or as home video
recorded by fishermen.

It's easy to make money,
when you catch them here.

A few years ago
Gary Ward filmed

- the daily life
on the boat Big Valley.

Life on board
on a crab boat.

Gary Edwards, Josias Luna
and the crew are pulling up pulleys.

He also filmed
some exciting things...

Like when a wave is about to
smashing the wheelhouse.

- Get down or you'll die.
- I know, I know, I know.

And boats that sail by,
that are now ghosts.

This is Rosie G. Have a great trip.

Over there we have American Star.
Nice rig.

Rosie G. is no more.

She sank in 1997 after having
taking on water and capsized.

The crew just barely managed to
to put on their survival suits - the

- and got off the boat
at the last minute.

American Star
is no longer here either.

In January 2000
a fire broke out on board.

- and all five crew members
were forced to abandon the boat.

The season is a few hours old,
and a storm is approaching the fleet.

Captain Quashnick
steers the Maverick out of the harbor.

We will be fishing in the same area
as our partner boat.

Northwestern sails out
with Sig Hansen at the helm.

It's headed for the northwestern
corner of the Bering Sea.

We found a lot of crabs there last year
and will try the same area again.

They are rarely in the same place twice,
so it's probably a stupid thing to do.

One of the last boats to leave
leaving the harbor is the Lady Alaska.

Over the radio it is announced,
that the fleet is heading into a storm.

But when the stakes are so high,
there's no turning back.

The boys need money.
Their kids need new shoes.

In 46 hours, the boats will be
several 100 kilometers from the port.

Should an accident happen,
there is a rescue -

- in the form of the US Coast Guard on the island
St. Paul, 430 km from Dutch Harbor.

This group is on standby


- to save people in need.

For rescue operations at sea
they use Jayhawk helicopters.

The helicopter has been modified,
to meet the needs of the Coast Guard.

It has a larger tank and more
instruments it doesn't normally have.

The special electronics

- can pick up the radio signal
from a sinking ship.

All boats have an EPIRB. It is a
transmitter that emits radio signals.

Captain Edwards from Big Valley
explains how it works.

It is set
to the boat's position and the ship's name.

It sends to the coast guard all the time.

When it flashes, you know,
it's sending the information.

If a boat sinks, it can
be the crew's only hope.

If a boat goes down,
the Coast Guard is always ready.

The specially trained rescue teams
are made up entirely of volunteers.

We mostly pick up people
with rescue baskets.

It's easy to use. The aircraft mechanic
assembles it inside the helicopter.

When the Coast Guard arrives,
they follow a practiced procedure.

They are busy
in these treacherous waters.

Every year they save 40 people
from certain death.

Falling into the Arctic waters

- which is just above freezing,
is every fisherman's nightmare.

We take a safety meeting.

If things go wrong, put on survival suits
and head for the rail.

The life raft is automatically deployed,
and so does the EPIRB.

Even if there are others left on the
the boat, you need to save yourself first.

You need to get into the life raft.

As they talk about emergencies,
one happens in real life.

The engineer on the Lady Alaska
has found a fault in the electrical system.

Sparks from a short circuit could
cause a fire in the engine room.

Captain Liske realizes the seriousness of this
and returns to Dutch Harbor.

Turn around
or have a fire at sea?

It's probably better to turn around
and be late for fishing.

Even though the job requires,
to take big risks.

- fishermen know from experience,
where the line is drawn.


but the Lady Alaska sails into harbor.

At 08.00 am
she's back in Dutch Harbor.

An electrician goes on board.

- So we connect it directly?
- Yes, it protects the main flow.

Liske needs
for a quick repair.

- if he is to catch up with the
the others before the season starts.

We route it around the switch.

We have a main power switch
here in the electrical cabinet.

We can route the power
around the main circuit breaker.

- and connect it directly to the panel.

The repair only takes two hours.

At 10.00 am they set course for
the area they have chosen

- which is located 560 kilometers
to the northwest.

We probably wouldn't have been able to fix it.

It could have turned into a fire
a fire, but it didn't.

At the crack of dawn on January 14th

- Maverick is located 250 km northwest
of Dutch Harbor. It's halfway there.

Captain Rick has been reading
his logbooks during the night.

If you want to be successful, you need to
find crabs right away.

We've always fished in this area.

They might not be there this year.
I've been looking through my old books...

- to see
where else we've found crabs.

I want to make sure
they're not just in one place.

The large Greenlandic crab
will fetch four dollars per kilo this year.

It is smaller than the king crab.

It lives in larger groups
in deeper water.

At Maverick, veteran stacker Hiram Johnson
Hiram Johnson works on the stacks.

He checks the pliers,
before the storm hits them.

A lot of people don't like it,
but I do.

All you have to do is make one mistake,
and you're done.

This isn't for everyone. There are
only a few thousand people who do it for a living.

I've seen many come and go.

Every crab fisherman
know the dangers.

And there's not one of them
who hasn't lost a friend.

My best friend Chris Rosendahl
died in a storm in 1998.

His brother Terry
fell overboard last year.

In 2003, Terry Rosendahl fell
fell overboard at the end of the season.

He was picked up
by a helicopter.

- while another friend of the brothers
friends, Larry Hendricks, looked on.

Their mother has now lost
her second son to the sea.

Terry's death saved my life.
I had become too cowardly.

I thought nothing could happen to me
anything. It could have been me.

It could have been me.

I think about him every day.
It's part of the game.


of Maverick.

- Northwestern leads the way and is
heading towards its territory near Russia.

Area 14. There is a storm warning
for Friday night.

- and risk of heavy,
cold precipitation Friday night.

We're going that way,
so the weather hits us from starboard.

Cold precipitation is coming,
and it's not fun.

Storms, high waves and cold precipitation
can spell disaster.

The captain gives the crew
orders the crew to cover the pots and pans.

The cold precipitation can easily
an ice cover over the pots.

And since each pot weighs 140 kilos

- it can mean an extra 15 tons
high above the deck.

This can cause the boat to
capsize in high seas.

- We open it up and roll it up.
- That's a good idea.

The tarpaulin is large enough
to cover a number of pots.

Roll it out and then I start
attach it to the sides.

It's going to make a
a big difference when it's finished.

The difference is that we don't
need to knock ice off the equipment.

This rope becomes three times
times the size when ice is added.

The crew does not
like tarpaulins.

They work eight meters above freezing cold
water on a rocking boat.

The chance of surviving in the water
without a survival suit is slim.

It takes 20 minutes just to
to turn the boat around in high seas.

But covering the tarps now will
make it easier for them later.

Mom said there would be many
of those days, but not how many!

The wind is picking up, which makes
the work even more dangerous.

Just when they have finished
and return to the bait

- the front of the storm hits them.

The weather gets worse and the men
are feeling the cold salt water.

Icy cold precipitation that will be
with them for the rest of the season.

For the men of Northwestern
and the rest of the fleet.

- it's going to be a grim season.



Northwestern
is nearing its final destination.

They are close to Russian waters
and the province of Chukot.

The boat is 320 kilometers
north of the rest of the fleet.

Edgar Hansen celebrates his 34th birthday
birthday as a real fisherman.

With fish guts to the knees.

I always chop bait
on my birthday. It's my party.

Captain Hansen receives a worrying
message from the coast guard.

They've picked up a distress signal.
And it's coming from a crab boat.

The signal comes
from the fishing boat Big Valley.

It is gray and white
and 28 meters long.

If you know where the boat is,
contact the Coast Guard.

Keep an eye out and help out,
if you can.

This is the United States Coast Guard
at Kodiak Air Force Base.

Big Valley is reported missing.

Gary Edwards
has 40 years of fishing experience.

It's strange that the boat hasn't
answered the Coast Guard's call.

Northwestern is over


You can only hope,
that it's a false alarm.

It has happened many times before,
that someone has lost their EPIRB.

We'll have to see if that's the case. At least that's
at least that's what I'm counting on.

It is delayed by
having been back in port again.

- so Lady Alaska is still
eight hours south of the fleet.

The weather has gotten worse
during the night.

Big Valley, Big Valley. Answer, Gary.

Pete Liske
heard the Coast Guard's message.

That's one of my partners.

His EPIRB is transmitting,
and he's not responding to the Coast Guard.

The crew prepares
as much bait as possible.

- before the storm gets worse.

This could mean,
the boat has capsized and sunk.

The EPIRB may have fallen
on the deck and started transmitting

- or it has fallen into the water,
where it gives off its signals.

Captain Pete contacts the Coast Guard.

This is the Lady Alaska WBI2564.

Big Valley is one of
of our partner boats.

No one in the group
has heard anything from them.

Can you give us his position?
Or the position of the EPIRB.

Location: 5714 north.



The signal is coming from somewhere


There should be
some other boats in the area.

Captain Pete Liske tries to
to contact the other captains.

- that may be closer
to the Big Valley.

Sea Ware. Anyone in the wheelhouse?
Get Brad up there.

I can't get in touch
with them via satellite phone.

Big Valley, Big Valley...
Gary, can you hear me?

Big Valley, Big Valley...
Answer, Gary.

In the dense fishing community

- the news and unrest spreads quickly.

Everyone is trying to get there, but the sea
is getting more and more choppy.

They need to be careful.

All they know is that one of the
boats has sent out a distress signal.

They are our good friends.
I don't know what happened.

I try to listen to what they say

- but we're too far north.
There's too much noise.

On Lady Alaska.
Pete Liske walks down to the galley.

He has to tell his crew
the bad news.

Come in here for a moment.

- Big Valley is missing.
- What's that?

I can't get in touch
with him. Gary at Big Valley.

His EPIRB is transmitting and I can't
can't get in touch with him.

- Gary?
- Yes, our partner boat. Big Valley.

I've fished a lot with Gary.

I hope they are doing well.
It might have just fallen off.

It may have been washed overboard.

- Let's get them home safe and sound.
- Pray for them.

Let us pray.
Let them be unharmed, in Jesus' name.

If they are safe,
let us know soon.

It is in Your hands.
Thank you, Lord. Amen.

It's a long time until dawn. The storm
is picking up. The waves are getting higher.

It's not a good night
to be missing.

Maverick is closest to that position,
Big Valley last gave up...

- and sails there to
to look for her.

The Coast Guard picked up
a distress signal from Big Valley.

We're only six kilometers
from the position, so we need to...

So far I have not
seen any debris.

We hope they just
have lost their EPIRB.

It feels a little strange.
I don't know what to think.

You don't want to believe the worst,
and we haven't seen any wreckage.

Another boat is reporting
from the position the coast guard abandoned.

I was in the exact spot
where the distress signal was coming from.

And I didn't see anything.

I'm heading west.

If there is someone in the water

- then they drift westward
because of the wind.

Boys...

I turn off the floodlights

- so you can walk up to the bow
and look for lights in the water.

- We're looking for an EPIRB.
- Okay. Uh...

We need to see if there are
flashing lights in the water.

- Whose is it?
- Big Valley.

In the month of January
the sun doesn't rise until 10:00.

The men look out into the darkness
for the flashing light of an EPIRB.

There are other boats coming to the area.

The floodlights are off.
We are looking for an EPIRB.

The Canadian Navy, Maverick
and a few others are on the lookout.

We have to see what happens. They haven't
answered the calls on the radio, so...

We look after our brothers.

It is still dark at 09:40.

A helicopter arrives
and hovers over the coordinates.

- Show me where the helicopter is.
- Just above the bow.

Now I can see it.

Coast Guard Kodiak Alaska 41250.
Enter.

We're on our way there.
We're the boat that's to the southeast.

We sail around to see if there is
any debris or oil in the water.

But we can't really find anything.

Finally, it's dawn,
and the search intensifies.

The helicopter pilot steers them.

But Big Valley is nowhere
nowhere to be seen.

There are six people on board.
This is the Coast Guard.

Look for everything:
Buoys, oil stains ...

Cornelia Marie has joined
to the search with the Sea Rover.

- and Stimpson
from the Alaska State Trooper.

They have formed an eight kilometer
grid around the distress signal.

When an EPIRB is activated with all
tethers on board, it's not good.



- Maverick makes a discovery,
they had hoped to avoid.

A fisherman spots a bait bucket
a bait bucket on the surface.

Shortly after, they see another one.

There's no doubt about it,
the Big Valley has sunk.

Somewhere in the icy water
water lie six men.

The nature of the search changes.

Now they are looking for a life raft
with six survivors.

We take out our lifebuoys
and survival suits.

They may be unconscious
or injured.

So we've brought out the lifebuoys
and survival suits.

- and take it as it comes.

Did the boat sink slowly or quickly?

Did they have time to get suited up
and get into the life raft?

Even in a survival suit, you don't live
don't last long in the icy water.

They may have crashed

- so there's no doubt in your mind
that you should be looking for them.

A lot of things can go wrong
on these boats in the middle of the night.

The helicopter continues to
transmitting the position of the distress signal.

But you find neither
life raft or survivors.

Everyone looks out over the horizon.

There are many boats here. The weather is
bad, but you can see a few kilometers.

There's a helicopter in the air
and boats on the water.

The fact that it's bright makes it easier.

They can wave so we can see them.

It's something you don't want to experience,
but that's the risk we take.

We can get all of them up...
or none of them.

- Did you hear the last message?
- They're hovering over a life raft.

- We hope it's not empty.
- Copy that. Damn it.

Some look out over the water.
Others listen to the radio.

They are waiting to hear
what happened to their brothers.

It's a little after 12:00.

The Coast Guard has been searching for
Big Valley for nearly five hours.

Suddenly, a pilot spots a life raft
a life raft on the water.

They're hovering over a life raft.
Let's hope it's not empty.

A video camera on the helicopter
films the life raft below.

Rescuer Joe Metzler
is lowered to the life raft.

No one knows
how many men he'll find.

There is a man inside the fleet.

He is wearing a survival suit.
He is unharmed and can be hoisted up.

I pull him out of the fleet.

We're in the water now.

Careful, backwards and to the left.

- The basket is halfway up.
- Copy that.

The basket is underneath the helicopter.

The survivor
is deckhand Cache Seel.

The basket is inside the helicopter.

One man is alive.
Where are the other five?

The captains and their crews
want to hear what happened.

We have one survivor.
We are still missing five people.

One survivor, five missing.
The position is 0837.

One survivor,
and we're still missing five.

It's a sad day today.

On the Lady Alaska, which is still
far behind the rest of the fleet.

- Pete Liske hears the news
about the rescue operation.

The boat heeled over violently.
Two jumped into the water with suits on.

Two others jumped in without a suit.

He doesn't know
what happened to the last one.

According to the survivor,
Cache Seel...

- the captain and first mate fell
fell into the water as they released the raft.

They have not survived more than
than a few minutes in the cold water.

I think my colleague is dead.

We lift him up to the Lord
and ask for mercy.

There are two with suits on in the water.

Two without, the last one they don't know
know anything about. One has been rescued.

It's been six hours
since Big Valley sank.

The chance of survival
are getting smaller and smaller.

At 12:45 the helicopter spots
a person in a survival suit.

The rescuer has to get into the water
to get him out.

He is hoisted into the helicopter.

He cannot be revived.

They have found one of the missing people.
He's dead.

It's not good.

Men come from all over the world
to fish for crabs.

They are fully aware of the risks.

Today, at least three men
have lost their lives.

The search continues.

In the next episode
of "Deadly Catch"...

Fishermen hope,
one of their own is found alive.

- I hope he's alive.
- Not a good place to fall into.

And crab season starts
in the middle of a dangerous storm.

On some boats
accidents keep happening.

Man overboard!
Position: 58427.

Oh no, you don't.

- One just went overboard.
- Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

For others, the season
a great success.

In the next section:
Great Greenlandic crab season